Trump nominates Project 2025 co-author Dennis Kirk as Interior Department inspector general

Published Aug 10, 09:14 PM UTC

President Donald Trump nominated Dennis Kirk, a co-author of the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, to serve as inspector general for the Interior Department on August 7, 2026. Kirk is reportedly already working in that office as a political appointee, raising concerns about his independence. Former Interior IG Mark Lee Greenblatt, who was fired at the start of Trump's second term, stated that Kirk's political background makes it impossible for him to credibly investigate the administration. Rep. Jared Huffman noted that the office is weighing serious ethics investigations into senior officials. Critics point to statutory requirements that IG appointments be made without regard to political affiliation and federal auditing standards against political bias. Kirk previously served as an adviser to former DNI Tulsi Gabbard and was nominated to the Merit Systems Protection Board during Trump's first term. Two Senate Democrats have also requested an IG investigation into the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool renovation after charges were dropped against vandalism suspects.