Wilbur Ross Twice Told Ethics Officials He Divested Stock When He Had Not

U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross twice gave ethics officials sworn statements saying he had sold stock in a bank holding company that he actually still owned, according to the Center for Public Integrity. A disclosure cited by the Center for Public Integrity on Wednesday reportedly shows that Ross ultimately admitted to ethics officials that he had not divested his stock in BankUnited—valued at $15,000—when he was supposed to, despite his earlier assertions to the contrary. Ross reportedly submitted inaccurate disclosures in both May 2017 and August 2018 before finally acknowledging in October that he had still owned the stock until Oct. 1, 2018. He was required to divest in that stock 90 days after his Senate confirmation, or in May 2017. In comments to the Center for Public Integrity, he chalked the inaccurate disclosures up to a “mistaken belief that the agent executed my sell order on that date.” Ross also maintained that he thought the stock was sold on May 31, 2017, when he was supposed to divest in accordance with his federal ethics agreement.