Bryce McFerran, President Donald Trump's nominee for first vice president of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, has withdrawn his nomination following revelations about his family ties to a Russian businessman, The Washington Post reported.
McFerran was scheduled to testify before the Senate on Thursday at his confirmation hearings. However, a White House spokesman, responding to questions from The Washington Post about McFerran's ties to Russia, said he had decided to withdraw his nomination.
According to government ethics experts, McFerran's family ties create conflict-of-interest risks in the department, which has access to confidential data of American companies and manages multibillion-dollar export financing.
According to the newspaper, McFerran is married to Elena Shatirova, the daughter of former Federation Council senator Sergei Shatirov. His son-in-law, Alexander Shatirov, holds a senior position at the investment fund "Roscongress".