Todd Rickets, whose family owns the Chicago Cubs, has withdrawn from his nomination to be the deputy secretary of the Commerce Department.
“I am deeply honored that President Trump nominated me to serve as Deputy Secretary of Commerce,” he told the Chicago Sun-Times. “I offer my continued support for President Trump and his administration, and the important work they are doing to promote economic opportunity. I hope there are other opportunities to contribute to his administration in the future.”
Ricketts withdrew his nomination because he was unable to untangle his finances to meet the Office of Goverment Ethics’ requirements, according to several reports.
“Mr. Ricketts has informed President Trump that he will be unable to serve as Deputy Secretary of Commerce,” a spokesman for Ricketts told the Chicago Tribune. “The scope of issues that face the Department of Commerce is very broad, and these issues potentially could touch many of Mr. Ricketts’ family’s current financial interests.”
“Mr. Ricketts is mindful of his obligation to avoid even the appearance of conflict and therefore decided not to pursue this opportunity at the Department of Commerce,” the spokesman added.
Ricketts was nominated for the position on Nov. 30 but a hearing for his nomination was never scheduled because the Office of Government Ethics had not yet approved his financial filings, per CNN.
