Sen. Lisa Murkowski's (R-AK) dissenting vote to torpedo Trumpcare did not go over well down the street at the White House. Popular vote loser Donald Trump took his ire out in tweets, as usual, but also by siccing Interior Secretary Ryan Zenke after her, indirectly. Zinke called Murkowski and the other Alaska senator, Dan Sullivan, suggesting that Alaska might not do so well in the future with a Trump administration. That phone call has netted the administration yet another investigation.
The Interior Department's Office of the Inspector General has launched a "preliminary investigation" into Secretary Ryan Zinke after he reportedly threatened Alaska senators last week in an attempt to get them to support an Obamacare repeal push.
Reps. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) sent a letter to the Inspector General on July 27, asking the office to look into Zinke's calls to Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK).
"The OIG is undertaking a preliminary investigation into this matter. We will advise you about what further action the results of this inquiry lead the OIG to take," Deputy Inspector General Mary Kendall said Thursday in a written response to Pallone and Grijalva.
Murkowski has downplayed the incident, but you can be sure that between those attacks and Trump's continued harassment of their former colleague, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, has made the notoriously clubby Senate even more unhappy with Trump. Notice how they totally ignored his demand that they stay in Washington and not work on anything else until they passed Obamacare repeal? Yeah, that.