Rep Zinke asks Biden's Interior Secretary questions she couldn't answer

Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) who served as Secretary of the Interior under President Donald Trump questioned his successor, Deb Haaland in a brutal exchange during her testimony before the House Interior, Environment Appropriations Subcommittee on Tuesday.

Secretary Haaland failed to provide even one intelligent response to questions about critical minerals that are vital not only to the American economy, but to U.S. national security, as well. She was utterly clueless but at least she fills in the right identity box as a Laguna Pueblo Native American.

The Montana congressman asked Haaland: 

 “Madame Secretary, is it your policy that critical minerals should be sourced from countries that are stewards of the environment like the U.S. and our allies, or sourced from Russia and China that don’t share our same values?”

She tried to do a Katrina Jean Pierre by dodging the question but Zinke chimed in that he would take her misdirection as a "maybe."

He next asked her if she was “aware that China produces more emissions than any other country on the planet?”

Her answer did not enlist much confidence in anyone who was paying attention: “I have probably read that somewhere, yes,” the secretary replied, indicating that she knows how to read.

“Are you also aware that China produces 90 percent of the world’s plastic from four rivers?”

“I will take that as …” Haaland began.

Zinke interrupted, “You also are aware that China is the biggest offender on illegal fishing?”

“Thank you chair – congressman.” Haaland said quietly.

“Have you read the Department of Interior report on critical minerals dated December [20]17?”

She had not.

“Are you aware that China controls by proxy production the supply chain of critical minerals that are critical to both the EV world and defense?” Zinke pressed on.

“Thank you for that information,” she meekly replied, which should scare the crap out of every American who understands what Haaland does not know.

“Are you aware by multiple studies that in order to satisfy the present requirements of EV and critical minerals of defense, it would take an increase of 2,000 percent of mining for twenty years?” asked Zinke.

“Thank you for the information congressman.” More crap being scared out of knowledgeable Americans.

“Are you also aware that northern Minnesota is home to those critical minerals that are necessary for EVs and our Defense Department?” Zinke asked as part of a rapid-fire round of questions.

“I think there are critical minerals across our country,” Haaland answered, hoping she was correct.

The exchange continued on in this breathtaking painful manner as Rep. Zinke seemed to increasingly grow more frustrated by Haaland’s total lack of basic knowledge about the agency she oversees. But to her credit, she is a woman and a Laguna Pueblo woman at that.

Haaland’s embarrassing struggle to answer nearly every question Zinke asked was alarming. Even more concerning is that Haaland’s anemic showing was just one of many similar performances by Biden administration officials and nominees, like judges who didn't know the US Constitution when asked about specific Amendments and laws by Sen. John Kennedy (R-KY) as merely one example.

Biden Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is left completely and totally dumbstruck after being asked a series of simple questions on China and the production of critical minerals. pic.twitter.com/MrJNj6CGlT

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 28, 2023

But this is what we get when an administration is more concerned about skin color, sexual orientation and other identity characteristics of individuals than the qualifications and abilities of individuals themselves.

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