Washington, D.C. – Joining a growing number of elected officials and organizations calling for an investigation of Trump's Interior Secretary nominee David Bernhardt, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today requested that the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie K. Lu "thoroughly investigate potential civil and criminal violations" of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (LDA) by Bernhardt and his former lobbying firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck.
Wyden’s request follows public reports and media investigations revealing that Bernhardt may have engaged in lobbying activities for the powerful Westlands Water District and others, including multiple direct lobbying contacts, after deregistering as a lobbyist for Brownstein in November 2016, according to Wyden's Office.
“Add these troubling allegations to the long list of reasons why the nomination of David Bernhardt should be stopped, or at minimum delayed, until the Senate and the American people get all of the facts,” said Wyden. “I’m requesting an investigation because of the serious legal questions that remain unanswered.”
A copy of Wyden’s letter to U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia can be found here.
In a tweet today, Wyden added: "David Bernhardt is facing a tsunami of ethics scandals for allegedly using his position at Interior to help his former clients. Now there is evidence that he violated lobbying laws to benefit one of those same clients. I'm calling on the D.C. US Attorney to investigate."
Bernhardt and his former lobbying firm have donated almost $1 million since 2013 to senators who will vote on his confirmation, according to a MapLight investigation: https://maplight.org/story/interior-nominee-and-his-lobbying-firm-have-donated-almost-1-million-to-senators/
"A MapLight review of campaign finance data found that Bernhardt, Brownstein Hyatt employees and the firm’s political action committee contributed more than $225,000 to members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee between 2013 and 2018," MapLight wrote. "The firm and its employees also donated more than $960,000 to current members of the Senate, who will cast the final vote on Bernhardt’s confirmation."
A day after the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted 14-6 to move the nomination of Acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to a floor vote, Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Water, Oceans, & Wildlife Subcommittee Chair Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) on Friday, April 4, launched a new inquiry seeking documents associated with Bernhardt and California’s powerful Westlands Water District, a former client of Bernhardt’s.
You can see the full text of that letter here.