President Obama nominated longtime fundraiser and hotel magnate Penny Pritzker as commerce secretary. If confirmed, Pritzker, the daughter of the co-founder of the Hyatt hotel chain and a successful investor in her own right, would become the richest secretary in Obama’s Cabinet and potentially the richest Cabinet secretary in U.S. history. She has a net worth of $1.85 billion, according to Forbes magazine, making her the 277th wealthiest person on the Forbes 400 list. NO LOVE LOST From BuzzFeed, “Commerce Sec.-designate Penny Pritzker’s appointment imports a Chicago rivalry to DC … between Pritzker and WH senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, who “tried to torpedo the appointment.” DIVERSITY The president promised more diversity and it came: women at Commerce, EPA and Interior; an Hispanic at Labor; and an African-American at Transportation.
05
May 2013
