Politically, this is significant for several reasons. First, Ross is involved in deals concerning maritime freight, an industry – at least insofar as the U.S. is concerned – he is responsible for regulating as commerce secretary. Second, he is tasked with administering the “America First” trade policies Trump promised to his voters – yet at the same time, he profits from Russian competition on the energy market. And third, Navigator’s business partner Sibur is controlled by multiple oligarchs close to Putin who have Western sanctions in place against themselves or their companies. The connection is also problematic considering that hardly any other issue has dogged Trump’s presidency as much as his alleged contacts to the Russian government, particularly in the run-up to the election. A special counsel is currently investigating whether Moscow illegally supported Trump during his campaign. The first charges have already been filed and the first arrests made, including that of Trump’s former campaign manager, Paul Manafort.

They called him King of Bankruptcy

With such a large number of potential conflicts of interest, the U.S. Congress and the American public might have appreciated being informed that the designated commerce secretary played a role in the Russian gas business. No one seemed to have been aware of this fact when, in early 2017, Ross sailed through his Senate confirmation hearings. Informed by journalists about the revelations, Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal called for an investigation after saying Ross had misled Congress.

When contacted for a response last week, a Commerce Department spokesman did not dispute that Ross draws earnings from the Russian gas business, but he ruled out the possibility that this investment could have any influence on the commerce secretary’s mandate. He also confirmed that Ross served on Navigator’s board from 2012 to 2014. He said the decision to lease several ships to Sibur happened before that time and noted Sibur was not under sanctions when the contract was signed and that it is still not under sanctions today. The spokesman said Ross had never met the oligarchs Mikhelson, Timchenko or Shamalov.

To say Ross is a savvy businessman would be a gross understatement. The son of a lawyer and a teacher from New Jersey, Ross initially aspired to be a writer but discovered a passion for making money during an internship on Wall Street. For two decades, he managed Rothschild Inc.’s bankruptcy advisory business before striking out on his own. He bought up foundering companies, many in the steel and coal sectors, which he then restructured and sold. His skills earned him the moniker, the “King of Bankruptcy.”

In the eyes of many workers and even labor unionists, Ross was seen more as a savior who prevented worse things from happening at struggling companies than as a predator. Ross himself likes to boast that he has created or saved as many as 100,000 jobs. “There is virtually no part of the American economy in which he has not created jobs,” Republican Sen. Marco Rubio said at Ross’ Senate confirmation hearing last January. “This includes industries such as airplanes, apparel, auto parts, beer, banking, cards, electric utilities, food service, mortgages, oil and gas, rail manufacturing, shipping, textiles and trucking.”