- The Washington Times - Thursday, March 2, 2017

Ryan Zinke made a unique choice Thursday morning for his first D.C. commute as interior secretary.

Mr. Zinke, who was confirmed by the Senate Wednesday, rode a horse to work on his first day at the Interior Department. The former Montana congressman, an avid outdoorsman, rode a horse named Tonto across the National Mall to Interior Department headquarters on C Street in Washington.

Sporting a cowboy hat, Mr. Zinke was accompanied by several U.S. Park Police officers, also on horseback.

The department’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement tweeted a photo of Mr. Zinke and his horse on Thursday.

“BSEE is please to welcome the new Department of the Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. Lets get to work!” the agency tweeted.

Mr. Zinke later tweeted that he was “humbled by the warm welcome” that he received on his first day.

An Interior spokeswoman told USA Today later Thursday that Mr. Zinke accepted an invitation from the Park Police to ride the horse and “stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their officers.”

• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.

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