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“Is it common practice at your department to meet with dark money groups off the books and conceal it from the public?” Hawley probed.
Haaland Replied “Senator, thank you for the question, and of course, I can’t answer to, uh, if you’re referring to our former deputy secretary. He’s no longer at the department.”
“Who worked for you,” Hawley fired back.
“He worked for the president. He was appointed by the president,” Haaland said, attempting to to deflect responsibility.
“He’s your deputy secretary,” Hawley said, adding “Are you the secretary of the Department of the Interior? I thought that’s why you were here.”
Hawley then asked “Are you the secretary?” Scolding Haarland for attempting to look to colleagues for assistance.
“Don’t look at her, look at me. Are you the secretary?” he repeated.
“I am,” Haaland responded.
Hawley further asked “Do these people who are sitting here today answering most of your questions, do they work for you? Do they report for you? You’re not in charge?”
“They work with me,” Haaland answered.
“They work with you. So you’re not in charge of the department?” An exasperated Hawley asserted, adding “Oh my gosh, I thought you were in charge! I thought that was why you were here!”
“We work as a team,” Haaland responded,
“Oh, okay. So who’s in charge then?” Hawley demanded.
“Uh, I, I provide the vision, I provide the overall direction and —” Haaland stuttered.
“But you’re not in charge,” Hawley proclaimed, asking “Do you take responsibility for what happens at the Department of the Interior?”
“I take responsibility,” Haaland said.
“Good, then why are your leadership meeting with dark money groups and concealing it from the public? Why are they doing it off the books? How many times did this happen?” Hawley asked, returning to the original question.
“Senator, this is the first I’m hearing of this,” Haaland claimed, adding “I don’t, I didn’t … my deputy secretary is no longer there, and, um, I can’t answer to what he did when he was there.”
