Vincent Viola Withdraws from Trump’s Army Secretary Candidate

Local Editor

Vincent Viola, an infantry veteran and founder of a high-speed trading firm nominated by Donald Trump to be secretary of the Army, had withdrawn his name from consideration.

"Mr. Viola has informed President Trump that he will be unable to accept his nomination to serve as secretary of the Army as the challenges of separating Mr. Viola from the organizations that he has built over the last thirty-five years have proven insurmountable," a statement from Viola's team on Friday evening said.

"I am deeply honored to have been considered for this post, and appreciate the confidence President Trump showed in me," Viola said. "I offer my continued support for President Trump and his administration, and look forward to re-doubling my efforts to support the Army and its veterans as a private citizen."

A Pentagon statement said war secretary James Mattis was "disappointed but understands and respects" Viola's decision," adding that it would make another recommendation soon.

The Military Times, which first reported the news, cited Viola's inability to get around war department rules concerning his family businesses as the reason for withdrawing his name.

Viola is a former chairman of the New York Mercantile Exchange and is a leader in electronic trading. Along with Virtu chief executive Douglas Cifu, he bought the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League in 2013.

Were he to go through the confirmation process, his finances would have been subject to Senate scrutiny and disclosure requirements.

Viola is one of a handful of billionaires Trump had nominated to serve in his administration who had faced intense pressure over potential conflicts of interest. Trump himself had received similar scrutiny and criticism, although as President, he does not face the kind of disclosure rules as Senate-confirmable positions.
If confirmed by the Senate, Viola would have served as Army secretary under War Secretary James Mattis.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team