(CNN) An Interior Department official ordered documents about David Bernhardt withheld from the public while the Senate considered his nomination to lead the department, the department's inspector general concluded Tuesday. The documents were due under the Freedom of Information Act to watchdog groups that questioned whether Bernhardt complied with ethics and recusal requirements as deputy secretary, the office he held at the time. A court had ordered the department to review the documents. He submitted to ethics officials a three-page recusal list of companies he would not deal with during his first year or so at Interior. The report says the meeting took place the same month Bernhardt was nominated for promotion to the secretary position.

Source: CNN August 11, 2020 19:30 UTC