‘Under Bernhardt, the interior department has become an embodiment of Donald Trump’s id, and is arguably where the administration is doing most of its damage.’
Credit : Joshua Roberts/Reuters

Lost in the noise of another meaningless State of the Union address, Beto O’Rourke’s Oprah musings and the starting engines of an endless presidential race was the news that David Bernhardt might be getting a promotion.

Most Americans have no idea who Bernhardt is. He was an oil lobbyist, a very good one, who became the deputy chief of the Department of the Interior under the hapless Ryan Zinke. While the former congressman became entangled in numerous ethics investigations and eventually resigned, it was Bernhardt, conflicts of interest and all, who was pulling the strings of the overlooked but vital department, which oversees most federally owned land and natural resources. Now Trump has nominated him to take over the department.

Under Bernhardt, the interior department has become an embodiment of Donald Trump’s id, and is arguably where the administration is doing most of […]