Sen. Tammy Duckworth met Tuesday with Chicago Cubs co-owner Todd Ricketts, President Donald Trump’s nominee for deputy commerce secretary.
Duckworth will participate in Ricketts’ confirmation hearing as a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The senator said she had a “good conversation” with Ricketts Tuesday about supporting small businesses and creating good-paying jobs in Illinois.
“His family knows as well as any the kind of investments that were needed to turn the Cubs into World Series champions,” Duckworth said in a statement. “Mr. Ricketts should recognize that Illinois’ economy and our nation’s economy need similarly large scale investments to ensure the economic growth President Obama’s administration helped launch continues.”
Trump nominated Ricketts in November for the role of deputy commerce secretary. Ricketts, who lives in suburban Chicago, backed Trump’s presidential candidacy after initially raising money for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who dropped out early in the Republican primary. Ricketts hosted a fundraiser for Trump in September alongside former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka.
Ricketts’ confirmation hearing has yet to be scheduled. Nevertheless, Duckworth signaled a working relationship with the nominee despite expressing concerns over potential conflicts of interest.
“If he is confirmed, I am confident we can work together to support Illinois’ agricultural exports, enhance the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center and strengthen programs that help minority-owned businesses grow,” Duckworth said.
“As with many of this president’s nominees, the American people deserve a full and transparent accounting of how Mr. Ricketts will eliminate any potential conflicts of interest and I look forward to hearing him address those and other issues more thoroughly during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee,” she added.
