Wilbur Ross: ‘Evil’ to say I didn’t disclose Russian-linked investments

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a new interview that it is “evil” to say he failed to disclose holdings in a shipping firm with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s family.

Ross told the BBC there is “nothing whatsoever improper” about the business links.

“The fact that [Sibur] happens to be called a Russian company does not mean there’s any evil in it. Where there is evil, is the misstatement that I did not disclose those holdings in my original form,” he said.

“If our government decided to sanction [Sibur], that would be a different story,” Ross added.

{mosads}Ross still has an interest in Navigator Holdings, which was partially owned by his investment company, according to documents obtained by several news organizations.

The company gets millions of dollars from Sibur, a Russian energy company. Sibur’s owners include Putin’s son-in-law and a Russian oligarch subject to American sanctions, according to The New York Times.

According to the documents, Ross did not disclose the shared business interests with Putin’s family during his confirmation process.

The new revelations come less than a week after the first indictments were handed down in special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russia’s election interference.