It looks like things are back to normal between Alaska’s U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, at least according to a tweet of the two holding up Alaskan Brewing Company’s Big Mountain Pale Ale. That’s also assuming there was anything wrong in the first place, which both have denied.
I say dinner, she says brews. My friends know me well. 🍻 Thanks @lisamurkowski #Alaska #IPA #MadeInAmerica pic.twitter.com/gc0zo0H5xf
— Secretary Ryan Zinke (@SecretaryZinke) August 3, 2017
The relationship between Murkowski and Zinke—really, between Murkowski and Trump—seemed particularly fraught last week as the Senate pushed ahead with its hastily assembled Obamacare repeal. In addition to a Trump tweet singling out Alaska’s senior senator for voting against the process, Trump reportedly had Zinke relay what was widely reported to be threats to Alaska-based priorities.
Both Murkowski and Zinke never disclosed the specifics of the conversation and Zinke later denied making any threat, but the word got to the press through Alaska’s junior senator, Sen. Dan Sullivan. Sullivan didn’t say what was at stake, but told the Alaska Dispatch News “I fear that the strong economic growth, pro-energy, pro-mining, pro-jobs and personnel from Alaska who are part of those policies are going to stop.”
On Sunday, Zinke told a group of reporters in Nevada that it was “laughable” he would have threatened Alaska over the health-care vote.
The Alaska Dispatch News, which first reported the call, also had this gem from Murkowski from an interview about Zinke’s tweet.
Murkowski said she doesn’t “like to take the private conversations that I have and outline them in the media.”
Perhaps Sullivan could learn something.
Wish she would have dumped it on his noggin.
I’d say she owns him now.