Interior Secretary’s daughter has worked with environmental alliance tied to Cuba solidarity group
- September 19, 2023
An environmental coalition that has worked with Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s daughter and successfully petitioned her mother’s agency to implement a New Mexico oil and gas drilling ban, openly associates with the Venceremos Brigade (VB), a U.S.-based organization that facilitates trips for young Americans to visit Cuba, where they are reportedly greeted and groomed by Cuban intelligence agents, ADN has learned based on a collection of information published online, social media accounts, news stories and official reports.
Deb Haaland’s interaction with her daughter’s employer is already the subject of a recent ethics complaint filed Aug. 17 with the DOI Inspector General. The complaint, which was filed by Protect the Public’s Trust (PPT), a government watchdog group, accused the interior secretary of “apparent ethical breaches.”
The PPT complaint was filed after it was discovered that Deb Haaland participated in a 2022 documentary film aimed at outlawing the development of oil and gas drilling leases near New Mexico’s Chaco Culture National Historic Park (CCNHP). The stated reason for pushing the drilling ban is to preserve Native American land and artifacts.
The complaint says the documentary depicts the former New Mexico congresswoman participating in PAA activities before and after she was confirmed in her current DOI role and requests the agency’s Inspector General to investigate whether Haaland complied with her impartiality and ethics obligations when she exercised her regulatory authority in the matter.