Sen. Josh Hawley questions Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland during a May 2 hearing.

Mineral leases in Minnesota’s Superior National Forest were canceled by the federal government after a left-wing environmental group had off-the-books meetings with officials employed by the U.S. Department of the Interior, according to Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.

In a contentious back-and-forth exchange, Hawley questioned Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland about the canceled mineral leases and undisclosed meetings between federal officials and The Wilderness Society. The exchange occurred at a committee meeting of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

According to Hawley, emails from July of 2021 indicate that The Wilderness Society sought an off-the-books meeting with leadership staff at the Department of the Interior while the environmental group had pending adverse litigation against the department related to the leases. The Missouri senator stated the meetings eventually occurred and were not public knowledge at the time.

Hawley indicated …