The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) will look into an accusation of possible wrongdoing by Donald Trump Jr. after it was reported that he killed a rare sheep during a recent trip to Mongolia.
Following a letter from a conservation group requesting an investigation into whether Trump’s actions violated laws, a FWS spokesperson told The Hill in an email that the agency was “in the process of reviewing this matter.”
The review and letter come after ProPublica reported that the president’s son shot and killed an argali sheep in Mongolia and was retroactively given a hunting permit from the Mongolian government.
A spokesperson for Trump Jr. denied accusations of wrongdoing in a statement to CQ Roll Call, which previously reported the review.
“Mr. Trump paid for his trip to Mongolia on his own, flew commercial and timely applied and secured all required permits through a third party outfitter — as is standard in the industry,” the spokesperson said.
The Center for Biological Diversity last week wrote to FWS to alert the agency of “potential legal violations associated with this trophy hunt” and request an investigation.
“We urge you to ensure that the protections in place for argali — including from hunters and poachers — are enforced and special access is not provided for wealthy, white hunters from the West, even if their father is the U.S. president,” the group wrote.
The Palm Beach Post reported that Mongolian officials visited President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort before giving his son the permit.