Dem mocks Zinke over updated doors: ‘Think how many dining sets you could have bought’

Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff (Calif.) mocked Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Thursday over the price tag for his upgraded office doors, comparing it to expenditures by other Cabinet officials that have drawn scrutiny.

“What a waste. Just think how many dining sets you could have bought or private jets you could have chartered with that money,” Schiff tweeted about news that the Interior Department spent $139,000 to upgrade the doors in Zinke’s office.

What a waste. Just think how many dining sets you could have bought or private jets you could have chartered with that money. https://t.co/tUgg9BbcHi

— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) March 8, 2018

{mosads}

Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, mocked Zinke while alluding to reports that Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson spent $31,000 last year on a new dining room furniture set for his office.

The custom hardwood furniture for Carson’s office far exceeded the allotted $5,000 for office renovations before congressional approval is required.

An Interior Department spokeswoman told The Associated Press on Thursday that upgrades to three sets of double doors in Zinke’s office were part of a modernization plan ordered by career staff at the agency.

The spokeswoman blamed the cost on purchasing and preservation rules while noting that the upgrade included new security locks for the doors.