Members of President Trump’s cabinet have a habit of spending a lot of money on things like travel on private planes and unnecessary office upgrades like soundproof telephone booths and dining room sets. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has joined in on the fun and brought a lot of attention to himself this week when he declared he didn’t use private jets — shortly after it was discovered he spent over $130,000 on new doors for his office.
Zinke was asked about these expensive doors at a hearing with the House Committee on Natural Resources Thursday and announced that he had driven the price of the doors down to a measly $75,000. However, the real head scratcher of the hearing was when Zinke spoke to a congresswoman of Japanese descent. Hawaiian Rep. Colleen Hanabusa asked about grants for a memorial dedicated to Japanese prisoners who died in Hawaii during WWII and mentioned that her grandparents had been interred in camps during the war:
“Oh, konnichiwa,” Zinke said, smiling, using a term normally meant for the afternoon.
“I think it’s still ‘ohayo gozaimasu’ [good morning], but that’s okay,” Hanabusa responded, after a brief but painful silence.
Zinke then told Rep. Hanabusa that bridges and pipelines were bigger priorities, but he would get back to her.
(Via CNN and Splinter News)