Cubs owner Todd Ricketts withdraws name for spot in Donald Trump's cabinet
Todd Ricketts got a World Series ring, but he won’t get a spot in president Donald Trump’s cabinet. Guess you can’t win ’em all.
The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that Todd Ricketts, one of the members of the mighty Ricketts clan and thus a co-owner of the Chicago Cubs, was forced to withdraw his name from consideration for the Deputy Commerce Secretary post because he was unable to untangle his “complex financial holdings” enough to please the Office of Government Ethics.
Here’s more from The Sun-Times:
“I am deeply honored that President Trump nominated me to serve as Deputy Secretary of Commerce,” Ricketts told the Sun-Times in an email. “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.”
Other Trump administration posts — not in Commerce – may present potential conflict-of-interest issues that are more easily resolved for Ricketts.
Trump nominated Ricketts on Nov. 30 Ricketts filed a required financial disclosure statement with the Senate Commerce Committee, but the panel would not set a hearing date until Ricketts obtained clearance from the Office of Government Ethics – which oversees the executive branch, with the exception of the president.
Among Ricketts’ portfolio: He’s co-owner of the Cubs, of course, and part of the TD Ameritrade board, the company which his father Joe Ricketts founded. Todd, 47, owns a pizzeria and a chain of bike shops in the Chicago area. He’s also followed in his father’s footsteps by overseeing the family political super pac.
Notably, the Ricketts family donated $3 million to another super pac that was running anti-Trump ads before he secured the Republican nomination for president. Trump then threatened to expose Ricketts family secrets if they weren’t careful. When Trump won the Republican nomination, the Ricketts family then donated $1 million to his campaign.
Had Todd Ricketts been appointed Deputy Commerce Secretary, his job would have been to advocate for business interests within Trump’s cabinet. He’d have been a rung below Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who was appointed in February.
Politics is an even bigger part of the Ricketts family than baseball. Pete Ricketts, Todd’s brother, is the governor of Nebraska. Tom Ricketts, Todd’s other brother, is the chairman of the Cubs, overseeing day-to-day operations.
More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:
– – – – – –
Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
