Speaking to reporters Friday before heading off to a summit in Paris, President Donald Trump said he would look into the complaints against Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. | Sual Loeb/AFP/Getty Images White House Trump says he has no plans to fire Zinke

President Donald Trump said on Friday that he has no plans to fire Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who is the target of multiple ethics investigations including abuse of office.

POLITICO reported this summer that a foundation Zinke established had ties to a real estate deal backed by the chairman of Halliburton, and that Zinke remained involved in the foundation after he took his seat in Trump's Cabinet, creating a major conflict of interest. The Interior Department’s inspector general recently made a referral to the Justice Department regarding Zinke’s activities.


Speaking to reporters Friday before heading to a summit in Paris, Trump said he would look into the complaints against Zinke. But when asked if he would fire Zinke, the president responded "no,” according to a pool report.

Trump said earlier this week that he was largely happy with his Cabinet, but would be "looking at different people for different positions" after the midterms. He mentioned Zinke's case in particular, but did not say if Zinke would be fired.

Trump began the possible shake-up of his Cabinet Wednesday when he ousted Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who has long had a strained relationship with the president.

Regardless, Zinke has been looking at options post-Trump, with people close to him saying he already has plans to resign by the end of the year, POLITICO reported Thursday. He has reached out to Fox News to potentially be a conservative commentator on Trump's favorite news network, and is also looking at opportunities with energy company boards, people close to Zinke told POLITICO.

