Energy & Environment

FWS: There’s ‘no basis’ to investigate Trump Jr.’s Mongolian hunting trip

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) found “no basis” to investigate Donald Trump Jr.’s hunting trip to Mongolia after receiving a complaint from a nonprofit organization focused on protecting endangered species.

ProPublica first reported last week that over the summer the president’s son shot and killed an argali sheep in Mongolia and then was retroactively given a hunting permit from the Mongolian government.

{mosads}The Center for Biological Diversity last week sent a letter to FWS to inform the agency about “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. 

However, after reviewing the complaint, FWS decided that the incident didn’t require further investigation.

“Based on the information we have, there is currently no basis for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to look further into this allegation” a FWS official told The Hill on Thursday.

 

Updated: 7:45 p.m.