New financial disclosure documents add to the growing list of ethics questions against Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross

WASHINGTON — A new financial disclosure report reveals Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross failed to relinquish interest in a shipping company fund from which he promised to divest, claiming his promise was not legally binding. Earlier this year, his personal financial form was rejected by a federal ethics agency for an inaccuracy. Following the news, Restore Public Trust Director Lizzy Price released the following statement: 

“Ross is the epitome of the Washington swamp his boss promised to drain,” said Lizzy Price, director of Restore Public Trust. “As this administration reshapes global trade, Secretary Ross is trying to earn money off the shipping policies he oversees. The government has already rejected his financial disclosure forms for dishonesty and falsehoods — now it’s time for Congress to conduct a thorough investigation to understand the full scope of Ross’ lies. If Ross is using his public position to benefit himself, he must resign immediately.”

See below for a roundup of Ross’ misdeeds: 

• Secretary Ross and Attorney General William Barr failed to comply with Congressional subpoenas and refused to fulfill several public records requests following revelations that the administration worked with an expert on Republican gerrymandering to draft the citizenship question that was added to the 2020 Census. Restore Public Trust even filed a lawsuit against the Department of Commerce on the matter.
• Ross’ personal financial disclosures were rejected from the government ethics agency that routinely certifies forms from government officials over inaccuracies, saying Ross was “not in compliance with his ethics agreement at the time of the report.” To date, Ross does not have the required financial disclosures on file, which means we don’t know where his money is.
• It’s been reported the Commerce Department is completely dysfunctional and that Ross is literally falling asleep on the job.
• Ross also used a private email account to talk with a Holocaust denier who’s been called “one of the country’s most notorious Internet trolls.”
• Ross has received many gifts from people who might be trying to buy influence in the administration. These gifts include gold boxes, Romanian gold coins, a dozen gold-covered Zodiac figurines and a crystal business card holder.
• Ross actually made himself and his investors rich by laying off factory workers across the US.
• Ross recently threatened staff at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for contradicting President Trump’s inaccurate claims that Hurricane Dorian could hit Alabama.

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