Congress Confirms a Controversial Number Two at the Department of the Interior

"The Senate confirmed David Bernhardt as second in charge at the Interior Department on Monday despite recent claims that he continued to represent a client as a lobbyist after his registration was deactivated," reports Darryl Fears.

"Republicans praised Bernhardt, who previously worked as a solicitor at Interior, as an experienced complement to Secretary Ryan Zinke," adds Fears. "Democrats called him a 'walking conflict of interest' for representing corporate interests opposed to regulations at the department that aim to help clean air and water."

For more reading on David Bernhardt, see also an article written by Fears the day before the nomination, digging deeper into the controversy surrounding his nomination.