President-elect Donald Trump has picked a former Navy SEAL commander and first-term Republican United States Representative Ryan Zinke of Montana, as his interior secretary, a senior transition official said.

The 55-year-old Zinke will be nominated to head the Interior Department. The department employs over 70,000 people across the United States and oversees over 20 percent of federal land, including national parks like Yosemite and Yellowstone.

Zinke's pick brings surprise for some Republican officials who, wanted him to challenge Democratic US Senator Jon Tester of Montana in the 2018 elections.

Trump spokesman Jason Miller said that, "Congressman Zinke is a strong advocate for American energy independence, and he supports an all-encompassing energy policy that includes renewables, fossil fuels and alternative energy."

Last week, a Trump aide said that, McMorris Rodgers had been picked for the post, however a source close to the congresswoman said she had never been offered the job.

McMorris Rodgers said in a Facebook post, that, "It was an honor to be invited to spend time with the president-elect, and I'm energized more than ever to continue leading in Congress as we think big, reimagine this government, and put people back at the center of it."

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