Source: Heller interested in replacing Zinke as Interior secretary
U.S. Sen. Dean Heller is under serious consideration to replace outgoing Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who submitted his resignation to the White House on Saturday, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.
Senators have been talking amongst themselves about Heller as a possible replacement for Zinke after the Republican senator lost his re-election bid in November to Rep. Jacky Rosen and as controversy bubbled around the secretary, and Heller supporters have reportedly spoken directly with the president about appointing him to the post, the sources said. One of the sources confirmed Heller is interested in the position.
Despite a rocky start, Heller has warmed to President Donald Trump over the last two years, with the president declaring that he had “no better friend in Congress” than Heller at a campaign rally in September. Heller was also one of the few candidates that Ivanka Trump campaigned for ahead of the midterm election, and the two worked together on the child tax credit last year, as an Atlantic reporter noted on Saturday.
The outgoing senator is also well liked by many of his colleagues in the Senate, which could make for a smoother confirmation process should he be appointed by the president. Trump said in a tweet on Saturday that he will announce the new Interior secretary next week.
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