Former White House ethics chief Walter Shaub Walter Michael ShaubTrump breaks with precedent on second night of convention Democratic senators call for ethics review into Ivanka Trump's Goya tweet Chris Cuomo blasts Trump over photo with Goya products: 'In the middle of a pandemic, they're selling beans' MORE on Tuesday blasted Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke Ryan Keith ZinkeTrump extends Florida offshore drilling pause, expands it to Georgia, South Carolina Conspicuous by their absence from the Republican Convention Trump flails as audience dwindles and ratings plummet MORE's decision to exempt Florida from offshore oil and gas programs, claiming it appears to be a conflict of interest to protect the state that houses President Trump Donald John TrumpObama calls on Senate not to fill Ginsburg's vacancy until after election Planned Parenthood: 'The fate of our rights' depends on Ginsburg replacement Progressive group to spend M in ad campaign on Supreme Court vacancy MORE's Palm Beach luxury resort.

"So you are exempting the state that is home to the festering cankerous conflict of interest that the administration likes to call the 'Winter White House' and none of the other affected states?" tweeted Walter Shaub, referring to Mar-a-Lago.

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Shaub, who served as the head of the Office of Government Ethics until July, suggested the country is heading in the direction of a "banana republic" and Zinke is leading the charge.

SO YOU ARE EXEMPTING THE STATE THAT IS HOME TO THE FESTERING CANKEROUS CONFLICT OF INTEREST THAT THE ADMINISTRATION LIKES TO CALL THE "WINTER WHITE HOUSE" AND NONE OF THE OTHER AFFECTED STATES??????? GO LOOK UP "BANANA REPUBLIC" THEN GO FLY A ZINKE FLAG TO CELEBRATE MAKING US ONE — Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) January 10, 2018

Zinke decided to not allow drilling in waters near Florida through 2024 after a Tuesday meeting with Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R), who expressed his opposition to the plan on the grounds that it would affect tourism.

The secretary had proposed opening almost all of the nation’s coasts to drilling earlier this week.

“President Trump has directed me to rebuild our offshore oil and gas program in a manner that supports our national energy policy and also takes into consideration the local and state voice,” Zinke said in a statement.

“I support the governor’s position that Florida is unique and its coasts are heavily reliant on tourism as an economic driver,” he continued.

“As a result of discussion with Gov. Scott's [sic] and his leadership, I am removing Florida from consideration for any new oil and gas platforms.”

The governors of nearly all the states along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts have joined Scott in calling for their shores to be removed from the plan, but Zinke has not ruled any other area out at this stage in the process.

Shaub, the director of the Office of Government Ethics from 2013 to mid-2017, has repeatedly criticized the Trump administration for what he perceives as conflicts of interest.