As Senate Weighs Biden’s Commerce Pick, Here’s What to Watch

Delving into Ms. Raimondo’s past

Like some of Mr. Biden’s other nominees, Ms. Raimondo has faced a bit of backlash from progressive Democrats, who have criticized her close ties with venture capital and big tech firms. Before running for political office, Ms. Raimondo was a founding employee at the investment firm Village Ventures, which was backed by Bain Capital, and co-founded her own venture capital firm, Point Judith Capital.

Some progressives have also condemned certain actions she took as governor of Rhode Island, including clashing with unions during an overhaul of the state’s pension plans and extending some liability protections to nursing homes and health care facilities during the pandemic. But Democrats, who will support Ms. Raimondo’s speedy confirmation, are unlikely to press too hard on these issues, if at all.

Some Republicans have pointed to an ethics complaint filed against Ms. Raimondo by the Rhode Island Republican Party, which complained that the state had granted a $1 billion contract to a gaming company called International Global Solutions Corporation without a competitive bidding process. A lobbyist for the group was also an officer with the Democratic Governors Association, which Ms. Raimondo led. But that complaint was dismissed in 2020, and Raimondo’s press office has described the issue as a partisan attack.

Over all, Ms. Raimondo’s potential controversies appear tame compared with her predecessor, the financier Wilbur Ross, who became enmeshed in scandal over his role in the department’s calculation of the census and weather forecasting, and myriad investment ties to foreign firms.

Ms. Raimondo’s financial disclosure forms, released this month, also appear uncontroversial, showing an annual salary of $150,245 from the state of Rhode Island and between $2.9 million and $7.5 million in cash, investment accounts and other assets, mainly mutual funds.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/26/business/economy/gina-raimondo-commerce.html