WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) called on President Donald Trump to withdraw his nomination of Todd Ricketts to serve as Deputy Secretary of Commerce, saying that Ricketts’ “actions to date suggest he is unfit to be confirmed.” In calling for the nomination to be withdrawn, the senators cited Ricketts’ failure to respond to their inquires into his reported heavy involvement with a Super PAC and associated dark money group that have spent millions on behalf of President Trump’s nominees, including a recent advertisement supporting Judge Neil Gorsuch to be confirmed as Supreme Court Justice. The senators also sent a copy of their letter to Ricketts himself.

As the senators have noted and has been widely reported, Ricketts plays a leadership role in both the Super PAC Future45 and its dark money counterpart, the 45Committee, the group behind millions of dollars in spending for pro-Trump ads in several states. Most recently, the group funded an ad supporting Neil Gorsuch in his highly publicized and controversial confirmation battle before the Senate. However, Ricketts did not acknowledge his involvement with these groups in his questionnaire submitted to the Commerce Committee. In February, the senators wrote to Ricketts requesting information about his role in the partisan Super PAC and its dark money counterpart, but Ricketts has not responded. 

The senators wrote that Ricketts’ reported involvement in highly partisan political fundraising activities – as well as his failure to disclose or respond to the senators’ inquiries about these activities – raises serious questions about potential conflicts of interest and his ability to be a fair and honest Deputy Secretary of Commerce for all Americans. 

"After you submitted Mr. Ricketts’ nomination to the Senate on November 30, 2016, he provided a questionnaire to the Senate Commerce Committee that may include incomplete, misleading or false statements,” the senators wrote to President Trump. "In particular, he did not disclose involvement with a variety of political organizations to which he has been frequently publicly linked. These organizations were not only active during the Presidential campaign, but have continued to raise and spend money on political advertising in support of your Cabinet nominees, and the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Gorsuch.”

"We wrote Mr. Ricketts on February 7, 2017, to request more information about his involvement in political organizations he did not disclose to the Senate Commerce Committee,” the senators continued. "This information is necessary for us to be able to evaluate any conflicts of interest Mr. Ricketts may have and whether he should recuse himself from particular matters that may come before him as Deputy Secretary. Mr. Ricketts has never responded to this letter, nearly two months later, raising serious questions about whether he sought to mislead the Senate Commerce Committee, his competency for the position and if he could put the public interest first at the Department of Commerce.”

The full text of the letter can be found below and here.

Dear President Trump,

We write to urge you to withdraw the nomination of Todd Ricketts to be Deputy Secretary of Commerce.

Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution provides that the President of the United States, “shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint…officers of the United States[.]”  As members of the Senate Commerce Committee, we are deeply concerned that Mr. Ricketts’ actions to date suggest he is unfit to be confirmed. 

After you submitted Mr. Ricketts’ nomination to the Senate on November 30, 2016, he provided a questionnaire  to the Senate Commerce Committee that may include incomplete, misleading or false statements.  In particular, he did not disclose involvement with a variety of political organizations to which he has been frequently publicly linked. These organizations were not only active during the Presidential campaign, but have continued to raise and spend money on political advertising in support of your Cabinet nominees and the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Gorsuch.

Mr. Ricketts’ active political fundraising of course does not disqualify him from holding public office, but it does raise questions about whether he will be able to discharge his duties fairly on behalf of all Americans, including those without the wherewithal to contribute to causes or candidates they support.  While he disclosed his leadership positions at Ending Spending, Inc., a non-profit group that advocated for shrinking important federal programs, Mr. Ricketts did not disclose widely-reported work he did for the Super PAC Future45 or its dark money 501(c)(4) counterpart, the 45Committee.  The transparency group Center for Responsive Politics notes that these two groups together spent over $40 million in the 2016 presidential election, and the 45Committee has since spent millions supporting your nominees, including most recently on an ad supporting Neil Gorsuch to be confirmed Supreme Court Justice.

We wrote Mr. Ricketts on February 7, 2017, to request more information about his involvement in political organizations he did not disclose to the Senate Commerce Committee.   This information is necessary for us to be able to evaluate any conflicts of interest Mr. Ricketts may have and whether he should recuse himself from particular matters that may come before him as Deputy Secretary. Mr. Ricketts has never responded to this letter, nearly two months later, raising serious questions about whether he sought to mislead the Senate Commerce Committee, his competency for the position and if he could put the public interest first at the Department of Commerce.

The Deputy Secretary of Commerce has the important job of helping manage a diverse collection of agencies to promote job creation, economic growth, sustainable development, and improved standards of living for Americans.  The Department of Commerce has wide jurisdiction and power over the American economy, business and communities, from international trade to domestic manufacturing to wireless spectrum and coastal fisheries. It can positively or negatively impact individuals' jobs and companies' bottom lines. The person in this position must be able to put the public interest above private interests, and above all be honest with Congress and the American people.

Since he failed to respond to these important questions, we therefore urge you to withdraw Mr. Ricketts’ nomination and submit another nominee to be Deputy Secretary of Commerce forthwith. Thank you for your consideration and reply.

Sincerely,