President Donald Trump nominated Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s brother-in-law, Gordon Hartogensis, on Tuesday to serve as the director of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation at the Department of Labor.
Hartogensis is married to the sister of McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao. Chao is also the secretary of transportation in Trump’s Cabinet.
In the notice of intent to the Senate, the White House said Hartogensis was “an investor and technology sector leader with experience managing financial equities, bonds, private placements, and software development” but did not reveal his connections to the McConnell family.
Bloomberg reports that Hartogensis is the CEO of Auric Technology, a software company.
A White House official told CNBC Hartogensis is “uniquely qualified” to run the agency.
If confirmed by the Senate, Hartogensis would replace the retiring director of the pension agency, W. Thomas Reeder Jr., who resigned.
The pension agency runs an insurance program, paying retirement benefits to retirees whose pension plans have failed.
The Chinese government has also appointed McConnell’s in-laws to important positions, as detailed in author Peter Schweizer’s book Secret Empires.
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