WASHINGTON – A source says former North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum’s Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee confirmation hearing on his Interior Secretary nomination is getting pushed back until Thursday over missing paperwork.
Committee Chair Senator Mike Lee of Utah says it happened “to ensure transparency and uphold the integrity of this process.”
This comes after the top Democrat on the committee, New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich, blamed Lee for breaching protocol in holding a hearing before having the appropriate paperwork. He and eight Democrats and an Independent on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee sent Lee a letter requesting he postpone Burgum’s hearing.
“The Committee still has not received the standard financial disclosure report, ethics agreement, or the opinions from the designated agency ethics officer and the Office of Government Ethics stating that the nominee is in compliance with the ethics laws, which are required by law of all nominees for positions that require Senate confirmation. We respectfully request that you postpone the scheduled hearing on Governor Burgum’s nomination for at least a week to give Members sufficient time to receive and review these materials,” the Senators said.
