2/3/2017

CABINET/NOMINATIONS/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Vincent Viola, a billionaire Wall Street trader and President Trump’s nominee for secretary of the Army, abruptly withdrew his name for the post on Friday night after concluding it would be too difficult to untangle himself from his business ties, two government officials said…
A former Pentagon official and close friend said Mr. Viola was devastated over having to withdraw from what he described as a lifelong dream job. But the former official said Mr. Viola felt he was unable to sell his interest in some of his holdings because doing so could have destroyed those companies. His decision followed weeks of negotiations between his lawyers and the government as they sought to find a solution. Ultimately, they could not.”

 – Susanne Craig, “Vincent Viola, Nominee for Army Secretary, Drops Out,” The New York Times online, Feb. 3, 2017