Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden criticized Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross for possible conflicts of interest on Wednesday, saying that questions about Ross’ divestment of his holdings was the latest example of loose financial ethics by Trump administration officials.
Ross did not respond to the Oregon lawmaker’s criticisms, but has previously denied that he violated any ethics rules.
“New developments show that while Secretary Ross was negotiating on trade with China, he may have maintained financial ties with firms connected to the Chinese government. A fund controlled by the Ross family reportedly owns a major international manufacturer of auto parts. And let’s be clear, this isn’t a one-off story,” Wyden said. “You don’t need a thick government rulebook to recognize flagrant conflicts of interest when they’re brought into public view.”
Wyden was referring to reports that Ross had executed a short sale of shares of a company called Navigator Holdings, an international auto parts maker, shortly after after reporters began making inquiries about his ties to the company. Ross said in a statement Tuesday that he thought he had sold all of his shares in the company but belatedly realized he still owned some and sold the remaining stock to remove any appearance of a conflict.
Americans have a right to know that Trump officials are operating in the country’s best interests and not their own when at they are at the negotiating table, Wyden argued. The issue was especially frustrating, the senator said, because he supported many of the administration’s trade policy objectives.
