WASHINGTON (AP) — Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is strongly disputing a claim by outdoor retailer Patagonia that President Donald Trump "stole" public land by shrinking two national monuments in Utah.
Zinke calls the claim — made in large type on the company's home page — "nefarious, false and a lie."
Zinke says in a conference call Tuesday that "it's shameful and appalling" that Patagonia and other retailers "would blatantly lie in order to get money in their coffers."
Patagonia replaced its usual home page Monday night with a stark message declaring, "The President Stole Your Land." The message called Trump's actions to shrink Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments "illegal" and the largest elimination of protected land in American history.
Outdoor retailer REI also criticized Trump but in less harsh language.