WASHINGTON, D.C. — President-elect Donald Trump is likely to pick Chicago Cubs co-owner Todd Ricketts to be deputy secretary of the Commerce Department, according to two sources.
Ricketts hails from a family of powerful conservative donors, led by parents Joe and Marlene Ricketts. He has been a prolific donor, too, running a conservative super PAC that aided Trump in the waning days of the race.
CNN has reported that financier Wilbur Ross is a leading candidate to head the Commerce Department.
But the Ricketts family has had a rocky past with Trump. Todd Ricketts had been an early supporter of former Trump opponent Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, co-chairing his campaign last year.
After Walker dropped from the race, Marlene Ricketts poured millions into Our Principles PAC, an anti-Trump effort aimed at defeating the billionaire businessman during the GOP primaries.
In February, Trump fired back, alleging that members of the Ricketts family “have a lot to hide.”
Trump later accused the family of doing a “rotten job” running the Cubs — before they won the World Series — when asked by The Washington Post what he meant by the February accusation.
Ricketts’ possible move to the Commerce Department continues Trump’s recent trend of selecting top-level mainstream Republicans and mega-donors, part of a strategy of outreach to his former rivals, but one which also goes against his promise to box out powerful players.
