"When Montana Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke was nominated to lead the Interior Department, he signed an ethics agreement promising to resign "upon confirmation" from leadership posts in three organizations with financial ties to him and his family.

But as of Friday — more than 2 ½ months after he was sworn in as Interior secretary — Zinke still held top positions in those groups, according to the Montana secretary of state's office, which maintains records on companies and charities registered in the state.

Montana records also show the secretary's wife, Lolita Zinke, continues to be listed as a managing member of Continental Divide International LLC (CDI), one of the three organizations with which Zinke has vowed to cut ties. That's potentially problematic, watchdogs say, because in the agreement with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics that he signed Jan. 10, the then-congressman said he understood "that the interests of" his spouse would be legally attributed to him."

Corbin Hiar reports for Greenwire &E News reporter May 25, 2017. [2]