Economics
Trump Trade Nominee Lighthizer Needs Waiver Over Work for China and Brazil
- Lighthizer represented foreign governments in trade disputes
- Hatch says Lighthizer will need House and Senate to waive ban
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President Donald Trump’s nominee to become the nation’s top trade official will need a special congressional waiver to take his post because of previous work he’s done on behalf of foreign governments, said Senator Orrin Hatch, who chairs the committee handling the confirmation process.
Robert Lighthizer, Trump’s pick as U.S. Trade Representative, represented an entity controlled by the government of China in a trade dispute with the U.S. in 1991, according to filings with the U.S. International Trade Commission. He also worked on behalf of Brazil in 1985, according to disclosures filed with the Justice Department required by the Foreign Agents Registration Act.