Commerce Inspector General Finds Wilbur Ross Lied to Congress About Census Citizenship Question

The Commerce Department Inspector General found that Secretary Wilbur Ross lied to Congress about multiple issues, including the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 Census and his divestment of Navigator Holdings stock. Ross twice told Congress the addition of the citizenship question was based solely on a request from the Justice Department, but the IG found Ross “misrepresented the full rationale” behind the decision. The IG presented its findings to the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section of the Criminal Division, but DOJ declined to pursue prosecution despite evidence of false statements to Congress.

Background

Ross’s pattern of deception extended to his financial holdings and conflicts of interest. After the Paradise Papers revealed his stake in Navigator Holdings - a shipping company doing business with Russian oligarchs close to Putin - Ross promised Senate Democrats he would divest the holdings. However, Ross held the stock for over a year after his confirmation, continuing to make policy decisions that could affect his financial interests. The Commerce IG investigation, stemming from a 115-page complaint filed by the Campaign Legal Center, took more than two years to complete and ultimately confirmed Ross violated ethics rules designed to protect public trust in government.

Regarding the census citizenship question, internal documents and testimony revealed Ross began pushing for the question’s inclusion months before the Justice Department formally requested it, contradicting his sworn testimony to Congress. Ross’s false statements were part of a deliberate strategy to conceal the political motivations behind adding a citizenship question that experts warned would lead to an undercount of immigrant communities and reduce Democratic representation in Congress.

Significance

The Commerce IG’s findings documented systematic dishonesty by a Cabinet secretary about both financial conflicts of interest and policy decisions with major constitutional implications. Ross’s lies to Congress about Navigator Holdings demonstrated consciousness of guilt about his Russian financial ties. His false testimony about the census citizenship question represented an attempt to disguise partisan manipulation of the constitutionally mandated decennial census. The Justice Department’s refusal to prosecute Ross for lying to Congress - despite the IG presenting evidence of false statements - exemplified the broader pattern of impunity for Trump administration officials who committed perjury and ethics violations. This double standard for political appointees versus ordinary citizens undermined the rule of law and accountability mechanisms designed to prevent corruption.