Another departure from President Trump's Cabinet

WASHINGTON (AP):

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who is facing federal investigations into his travel, political activity and potential conflicts of interest, will leave the administration at year's end, President Donald Trump said yesterday.

Trump, in tweeting Zinke's departure, said the former Montana congressman "accomplished much during his tenure" and that a replacement would be announced this week. The Cabinet post requires Senate confirmation.

Zinke is leaving weeks before Democrats take control of the House, a shift in power that promises to sharpen the probes into his conduct.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was scathing in response to the news that Zinke was leaving.

"Ryan Zinke was one of the most toxic members of the cabinet in the way he treated our environment, our precious public lands, and the way he treated the gov't like it was his personal honeypot," the New York Democrat tweeted Saturday. "The swamp cabinet will be a little less foul without him."