Interior Department staff's unusual demands -- like freshly baked chocolate chip cookies -- have 'alarmed' officials [View all]

Source: The Independent

Monday 07 April 2025 19:06 BST


Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and his staff have reportedly used his position leading the agency to make a series of bizarre demands from his staff — including that they bake fresh chocolate-chip cookies, according to a report.

Burgum and his senior staff have asked his aides to use the agency’s industrial ovens to cook him chocolate chip cookies, instructed political appointees to work as servers for a multi-course meal and ordered a U.S. Park Police helicopter for personal transport, according to The Atlantic.

One time, his staff even ordered staff to remake a batch of chocolate chip cookies because they were subpar, the outlet reports, citing three people. One source described the secretary as “Doug the Diva,” while another said the behavior is alarming White House officials. Political appointees have also been seen crying as a result of the demands placed on them, according to The Atlantic.

Interior Department spokesperson Katie Martin called the claims “pathetic smears” from “unnamed cowards who don’t know Doug Burgum and are trying to stop President Trump’s Energy Dominance agenda.”

Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/burgum-interior-cookies-helicopter-report-b2728962.html