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Exclusive: ‘We will circle all the wagons’ — Newly obtained emails show San Juan County’s push to reduce Bears Ears

Years later, new county leaders want to see the national monument expanded even beyond the original borders.

(Francisco Kjolseth | Tribune file photo) In this Dec. 4, 2017, file photo, President Donald Trump is surrounded by Utah leaders at the Utah Capitol, as well as then-San Juan County Commissioner Rebecca Benally (far left), as he signs the presidential proclamation to shrink Bears Ears national monument. San Juan County hired a law firm that paid several lobbyists to pressure then-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke (center, top) and others in the Trump administration to make the cuts. Newly obtained emails show San Juan County's lobbying effort on Bears Ears.