Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke allowed his family members to ride with him in government vehicles on multiple occasions despite it being a violation of the department's travel policies, according to a report published Thursday evening.

A forthcoming report from the Interior Department's Office of Inspector General states, "Zinke's wife and other family members had occasionally ridden with him in government vehicles," The Hill reported.

One of the incidents in question involved Zinke and his wife, Lolita, bringing a Park Police security officer on a recent vacation. The move cost the federal government more than $25,000. However, the department does not have an official policy that disallows a secretary from bringing a security detail on a personal trip.

The department's solicitor's office was in charge of approving or denying the family travel and did so "on a case-by-case basis."

The report has not yet been posted on the inspector general website.

A spokesperson for Zinke's office sent the Washington Examiner a letter Deputy Sec. David Bernhardt sent Deputy Inspector General Mary Kendall in response to the report.

The letter said Zinke consulted with his law and ethics teams his first day in office in an attempt to learn what protocols he was expected to follow. Bernhardt also defended his boss from the watchdog's charges.

"For the allegations regarding a spouse accompanying the Secretary in a Department of the Interior vehicle, the determination you reached is unsurprising. As the record reflects, it is a longstanding reality that a Secretary's spouse has occasionally accompanied the Secretary in a Departmental vehicle," he wrote.

Zinke's office looked into whether Lolita could ride with her husband beforehand because there was no policy against it, according to the deputy secretary.

The office moved to change the rules so that there would be no more confusion in the future. In July, the Interior Department updated its Motor Vehicle Management Handbook to allow for such exceptions.

It's not clear what, if any, consequences Zinke could face if determined to be at fault for the travel incidents.