Wilbur Ross and Hilary Geary Ross at a celebration of the life of Mario Buatta at Park Avenue ArmorySecretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross discussed “competitive issues facing the U.S.
Ross promised to get rid of dozens of assets that could cause conflicts of interest, including the Boeing shares, within 90 days of his confirmation. He also pledged to recuse himself from narrow issues impacting those investments until he divested, unless he received a written waiver. The commerce department did not respond to a question about whether the commerce secretary had gotten such a waiver.
A spokesperson for the commerce department, meanwhile, suggested Ross followed the law. “The secretary has not taken any action that has a direct and predictable effect on his holdings,” the spokesperson said. “He has sought guidance from career ethics officials and did so for this meeting with Boeing at the beginning of his tenure at the department.”
Austell explained how the Canadian government was supporting Bombardier, a Boeing competitor, and claimed that was jeopardizing American jobs. As a result, Austell informed Teramoto that Boeing was about to ask the department of commerce to launch an investigation. Austell then suggested that Ross may want to be personally involved.