Trump Commerce Secretary Pick Fired Undocumented Employee Before Hearing

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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President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary said he fired an undocumented household employee prior to his confirmation hearing Wednesday.

Wilbur Ross told the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on Wednesday that as part of his confirmation process he had asked everyone he employed to produce paperwork verifying their immigration status, “in order to verify the legality of the employment.”

He continued by saying that “this one employee was unable to and therefore was terminated.”

The confirmation processes of two of President Bill Clinton’s nominees for attorney general, Zoë Baird and Kimba Wood, were derailed one after the other in 1993 following revelations that they had hired undocumented immigrants as nannies in what became known as “Nannygate.”

Reuters reported Tuesday that Ross, dubbed the “King of Bankruptcy” by some for his pattern of buying up troubled companies, had eliminated 2,700 U.S.-based jobs since 2004 as a result of his decisions to move various companies’ production overseas.

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Notable Replies

  1. In other words, you were perfectly happy to take advantage of them up until the very day when they might have become an inconvenience to your ambitions. Sounds about right for a Republican nominee.

  2. Did he pay the appropriate taxes? Funny how the documentation is only important now. Deplorable.

  3. Ross eliminated 2,700 U.S.-based jobs since 2004 as a result of his decisions to move various companies’ production overseas.

    60 million chickens voted for Colonel Sanders.

    And now it’s dinner time.

  4. Avatar for j.dave j.dave says:

    This is a really really big problem that can totally derail your confirmation.

    If you’re a Democrat.

  5. I know, it’s a problem. This morning I asked my dog to produce her papers and she couldn’t, so back to the shelter.

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