Reports: Leaked Files Show Wilbur Ross, Putin’s Son-In-Law Share Business Ties

Meeting of technology leaders - Commerce Secretary nominee Wilbur Ross Donald Trump transition meetings, New York, USA - 14 Dec 2016 (Rex Features via AP Images)
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Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross owns holdings in a shipping company that has business ties to a Russian gas company part-owned by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s son-in-law, according to several reports published Sunday.

The Guardian reported, citing documents and public filings from the Paradise Papers, a trove of 13.4 million files leaked from offshore law firm Appleby, that Ross has a stake in the shipping company Navigator, which operates a partnership with Russian gas company Sibur.

Putin’s son-in-law Kirill Shamalov is Sibur’s second-largest shareholder.

NBC News reported, citing documents from the Paradise Papers, that Sibur is Navigator’s second-largest client.

According to the Guardian, Ross retained his holdings in Navigator after joining Trump’s cabinet.

Ross in February did not answer questions from six Democratic senators who asked him to disclose “the full extent” of his “connections to Russia.”

Hours after Trump nominated Ross to his cabinet in November 2016, Navigator’s CEO David Butters said Ross assured him their interests were aligned.

“Your interest is aligned to mine,” Ross said, according to Butters’ account to Bloomberg Businessweek. “The U.S. economy will grow, and Navigator will be a beneficiary.”

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Notable Replies

  1. Avatar for krux krux says:

    So, everyone’s in bed with Russia. Must be a pretty big bed.

  2. Avatar for ghost ghost says:

    Shipping company, Bank of Cyprus … Wilbur has his fingers in dozens of different pies. Or should I say, blini.

  3. But, but Hillary wanted veto power over DNC staffing selections. The planet could have been doooomed.

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