David Bernhardt

David Bernhardt

David Longly Bernhardt (born August 17, 1969 in Rifle , Colorado ) is an American lawyer and lobbyist who has served as Secretary of the Interior of the United States since 2019 . He began working for the United States Department of the Interior in 2001 as a partner and associate in the Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck law firm in Colorado and served as a solicitor for the Department from 2006 to 2009, among other things . He is a member of the Republican Party .

Life

Bernhardt grew up in the small town of Rifle in Colorado and began to get involved in politics at the age of 16. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Northern Colorado in 1990 . While studying at the University of Northern Colorado, he applied to the United States Supreme Court and did an internship there. He graduated from George Washington University Law School in 1994 and was enrolled with the Colorado Bar that same year. Bernhardt then began a career as a lawyer in Colorado. In the 1990s, he worked for Scott McInnis , a Republican politician in Grand Junction, Colorado . In 1998, he joined Brownstein Hyatt and Farber, a Denver law and lobbying firm . Bernhardt worked for the United States Department of the Interior (DOI) during the George W. Bush presidency . Early in his career at DOI, he was Deputy Chief of Staff and Advisor to then Home Secretary Gale Norton . From 2006 to 2009 he was a solicitor at the ministry.

In 2009, he rejoined the Colorado-based law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. He became a partner in the law firm and chairman of the law firm in the field of raw materials law. He was a lobbyist for various mining and oil companies. He also represented the Westlands Water District (an agricultural region) of the San Joaquin Valley in a lawsuit aimed at reversing court-imposed safeguards on endangered salmon in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Bernhardt remained as a lawyer and lobbyist for the Westlands Water District until the end of 2016 and broke off the list of lobbyists in November 2016 in order not to come into conflict with the new President Donald Trump's ban on including lobbyists in his government. On April 28, 2017, Trump appointed Bernhardt as Deputy Home Secretary behind Ryan Zinke . In 2019, Politico reported that the leaders of the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) lobbying group boasted the oil industry of their ties to Bernhardt. Bernhardt worked for the IPAA as a lobbyist during his career.

Interior Minister Zinke resigned as Interior Minister on January 2, 2019 after personal misconduct became known. On January 2, 2019, Bernhardt was promoted to acting Interior Minister, replacing Ryan Zinke. He was confirmed in this office on April 11, 2019 by the Senate with 56 to 41 votes. Because of its close ties to the petroleum and agricultural industries, the nomination has been criticized by environmental and nature conservationists. Five days after his confirmation in office, an investigation was launched against him for ethical misconduct resulting from his time as a lawyer and lobbyist and his tenure as Vice Minister of the Interior. During Bernhardt's tenure as deputy secretary and acting secretary, the Ministry of the Interior significantly increased the number of permits to mine fossil fuels on public land and initiated a program of deregulation.

Private

He is married and has two children. In his spare time he is a hunter and angler.

Web links

Commons : David Bernhardt  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Mike Soraghan | The Denver Post: Colo. lawyer tapped for Interior post. In: The Denver Post. November 18, 2005. Retrieved December 24, 2019 (American English). 
2. ↑ Jesse Paul | The Denver Post: Colorado native David Bernhardt tapped by Trump for deputy interior secretary. In: The Denver Post. April 30, 2017. Retrieved December 24, 2019 (American English). 
3. ^ Trump Appoints Valley Water District's Lobbyist to Interior Department Post. April 28, 2017. Retrieved December 24, 2019 (American English). 
4. ↑ PN365 - Nomination of David Bernhardt for the Department of the Interior, 115th Congress (2017-2018). July 24, 2017, accessed December 24, 2019 . 
5. ^ Lance Williams: Recording Reveals Oil Industry Execs Laughing at Trump Access. Accessed December 24, 2019 . 
6. ↑ Ian James: Conservationists alarmed by Trump Interior nominee. Retrieved December 24, 2019 (American English). 
7. ↑ Wes Siler: The David Bernhardt Scandal Tracker. April 19, 2019, accessed December 24, 2019 . 
8. ^ The New Acting Interior Secretary Is An Agency Insider And Ex-Oil Lobbyist. Accessed December 24, 2019 .