Pritzker likely to decline Cabinet post

Published: Nov. 20, 2008 at 10:41 AM

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Sources say Penny Pritzker, who chaired Barack Obama's campaign financing operation, will drop out of contention for the job of U.S. Commerce Secretary.

The Washington Post said Wednesday that the feeling within the president-elect's camp is that Pritzker, a billionaire heiress, has too many business dealings and not enough government experience to win confirmation for the post.

CNN said Pritzker was ready to accept the nomination. However, the Post said she would instead remove her name from contention sometime this week.

"The issue is whether she ultimately wants to do this, and it may be -- and probably will be -- possible that for business reasons, she probably can't do it," said a Democratic source familiar with Obama's Cabinet selection process told the Post.

Pritzker seems to have an eye for business. She oversaw a financing organization that set records and is heiress to a Hyatt hotel fortune that has made her a billionaire at 49.

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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