Ross Not Bothered
Ross said he wasn’t bothered about what the documents show. He also denied any plans to resign after the documents came out.
When asked about resigning he replied “no, that is a silly question. There is nothing wrong with anything that was done.”
The U.S. Department of Commerce responded that Ross “was not involved with Navigator’s decision to engage in business with SIBUR, a publicly-traded company, which was not under sanction at the time and is not currently.”
The statement continued “moreover, Secretary Ross has never met the Sibur shareholders referenced in this story and, until now, did not know of their relationship.”
“The Secretary recuses himself from matters focused on transoceanic shipping vessels, but has been supportive of the Administration’s sanctions against Russian and other entities,” the statement added.
But Sen. Richard Blumethal said “in concealing his interest in these shipping companies and his ongoing financial relationship with Russian oligarchs Secretary Ross misled me, the Senate Commerce Committee, and the American people.”
He also said “Secretary Ross’ financial disclosures are like a Russian nesting doll, with blatant conflicts of interest carefully hidden within seemingly innocuous holding companies.”
From the look of it Ross has nothing to worry about but time will tell . The same might not be true for some of the other well known names found in the documents.
