Westerman in March. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
The House GOP investigation into the family of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is a cocktail of energy policy and social politics.
Why it matters: Republicans want the investigation to be about ethical conflicts. Democrats think it's a play to conservative base voters, and ethics experts are dubious about its merits.
Catch up quick: As we first reported, House Natural Resources Republicans sent a letter Monday to Haaland and her top ethics official requesting her communications with her husband, Skip Sayre, and her child, Somah.
- The GOP letter voiced concerns about Haaland's "compliance with ethical obligations." It pointed to her family's proximity to a business tied to her Laguna Pueblo tribe and a climate and justice organization.
- It comes days after Interior withdrew land around Chaco Culture National Historical Park from oil and gas development, a priority for Laguna and other pueblo tribes in the region — and a sore spot for the GOP.
- "They've been up here lobbying against oil and gas, and then she makes this decision" on Chaco, Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman told Axios.
- Republicans gave Interior until June 26 to respond.
Three big things we know so far about this investigation:
🛢 Oily origins: The committee's investigation came after a request from the Western Energy Alliance, a pro-oil industry group.
- The group sent letters in March to House and Senate energy committees alleging that Haaland had "misused her official position and violated ethics guidelines" over Chaco decisions.
- Their letters focused primarily on efforts by the Pueblo Action Alliance, an environmental and social justice advocacy group, and Somah Haaland to pressure the Biden administration into protecting areas around Chaco.
- "Secretary Haaland also has a conflict of interest regarding the withdrawal decision as a member of the Laguna Pueblo," the letters said.
- Kathleen Sgamma, the organization's CEO, told Jael about the requests in late April: "We have the offspring of the Interior Secretary actively lobbying the Interior Secretary about issues. ... It seems like an area where [Haaland] needs to recuse herself."
✍🏼 Experts weigh in: Former federal ethics advisers we talked to were skeptical of the merits of these claims.
- Conflict-of-interest law has an explicit carveout for Native American officials.
- It would be "problematic" for Haaland to give the Pueblo Action Alliance special access, and she should avoid meeting in an official capacity with her own child, said Richard Painter, a top ethics lawyer in the George W. Bush administration.
- But generally, Somah Haaland has every right to participate in progressive advocacy, he said.
- The same goes for her husband's role with the Laguna tribe's business, so long as his compensation doesn't hinge on an issue before Interior in which his wife is personally involved.
- "If you're going to shut everyone out of government that's got a young left-wing kid, you're going to be shutting out a heck lot of qualified public servants," Painter told Axios. "There's not a lot there that worries me."
It's worth noting that although Haaland is the first Native American Interior secretary, she isn't the first Indigenous person to serve in a high-ranking role at the department and face ethics complaints related to their heritage.
- Under Trump, Tara Sweeney — an Alaska Native woman — oversaw the Bureau of Indian Affairs and faced conflict-of-interest concerns, voiced primarily by Democrats. At the time, Interior denied any ethical lapse.
🏳️⚧️ Gender trouble: The Haaland family probe has an added social politics dynamic beyond being a fight over Native heritage: gender identity.
- The GOP letter refers to Somah Haaland, who publicly identifies as nonbinary and uses "they/them" pronouns, as the secretary's "daughter." The term is also in the Western Energy Alliance's letter.
- Democrats said that's disrespectful.
- "It gets their base excited. It checks some boxes for them ... you know, activating all their transphobia," Rep. Jared Huffman told Axios. "I find it pretty disgusting."
- Interior declined to enter the fray over the GOP's gendered descriptions of Somah Haaland. Asked Tuesday whether Republicans' use of the term "daughter" is accurate, department spokeswoman Melissa Schwartz told Axios in an email: "Will leave the definitions to you."
- Said Hoshiko: "News outlets and Secretary Haaland herself have consistently referred to Somah Haaland as the secretary’s daughter. This doesn’t in any way negate the facts of our letter, and these red herrings from the Democrats make it clear that they know it too."
Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify that the Interior spokesperson was asked about the GOP's use of the term "daughter" in a letter sent to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, not the spokesperson's personal view of the term's appropriateness.
