and

7. Todd Ricketts withdrew his nomination as he was "Unable to untangle his complex financial holdings to the satisfaction of the Office of Government Ethics"

wow. what a mess.

7. Or perhaps Todd just lacked the Russian ties required for Trump's DOC's secretary position...

"Wilbur Ross, the commerce secretary, retained investments in a shipping firm with business ties to Russian President Vladimir V. Putin’s inner circle."

www.nytimes.com/2017/11/05/world/wilbur-ross-russia.html

@bilingualexpat: I am not an English teacher, but isn't it the convention that the use of quotes("...") implies, well a quote? The correct NYT quote is:

"Wilbur L. Ross Jr. retained investments in a shipping firm he once controlled that has significant business ties to a Russian oligarch subject to American sanctions and President Vladimir V. Putin’s son-in-law, according to newly disclosed documents."

One need not be an English teacher to read the title of the NYT article:

"Commerce Secretary’s Offshore Ties to Putin ‘Cronies’

Wilbur Ross, the commerce secretary, retained investments in a shipping firm with business ties to Russian President Vladimir V. Putin’s inner circle."

And to your point Geezer, let us quote the first two paragraphs to minimize any quote mining scenarios:

"After becoming commerce secretary, Wilbur L. Ross Jr. retained investments in a shipping firm he once controlled that has significant business ties to a Russian oligarch subject to American sanctions and President Vladimir V. Putin’s son-in-law, according to newly disclosed documents.

The shipper, Navigator Holdings, earns millions of dollars a year transporting gas for one of its top clients, a giant Russian energy company called Sibur, whose owners include the oligarch and Mr. Putin’s family member. Despite selling off numerous other holdings to join the Trump administration and spearhead its “America first” trade policy, Mr. Ross kept an investment in Navigator, which increased its business dealings with Sibur even as the West sought to punish Russia’s energy sector over Mr. Putin’s incursions into Ukraine."

drain the swamp drain the swamp drain the swamp

Has this thread gone a bit off topic?