Documents Shed New Light On Interior Official's Growing Ethics Scandal

The Interior Department’s release of Karen Budd-Falen’s ethics documents have sparked renewed calls for an investigation.

This story was co-published with High Country News.

An arial view of the Thacker Pass lithium mine, located in norther Nevada, captured in late February 2025. Photo credit: Lithium Americas

President Donald Trump’s Interior Department is withholding key ethics disclosure information for Karen Budd-Falen, a high-ranking agency appointee who is facing calls…