HELENA, Mont. (AP) Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has closed his congressional campaign account and given nearly all of the fundraising cash that was left to a charitable foundation he started and his wife now runs.

Federal Election Commission reports show that Zinke, a former Republican U.S. representative from Montana, terminated his House campaign fundraising account earlier this month.

The last transaction is a Dec. 8 payment of $11,594 to the Great Northern Foundation.

Zinke founded that nonprofit organization to maintain a park in Whitefish, Montana, his hometown. He is no longer on the foundations board, but his wife Lola is the president of the foundation, previously known as the Great Northern Veterans Peace Park Foundation.

Zinke told The Associated Press in a phone interview on Monday that it was time to close the fundraising account, that not a lot of money was left in it and it was absolutely appropriate to give the fundraising cash to an organization his family runs.

Im not worried about appearances because you do right and fear no one, he said. I cant think of a better place for it to go than a place I helped found where kids can go and sled.