A top Treasury Department official who left his post after reportedly clashing with the White House over a crackdown on alleged fraud in Minnesota’s Somali immigrant community is expected to be nominated as U.S. representative to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, two people familiar with the matter said.
John Hurley, who served as Treasury’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence until stepping back from the role in February, privately raised concerns with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent about the administration’s push to enhance federal monitoring of international payments from the Minneapolis area, The Washington Post has previously reported. Hurley raised privacy concerns about the plans that put him at odds with White House officials who viewed the crackdown as a priority, The Post reported.
For weeks, administration officials had been weighing a new role for Hurley, who is well-liked within the administration. They included a possible ambassadorship in Europe. The OECD role is not final and could change, said the two people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deliberations are not public.
Hurley did not respond to a request for comment. A White House spokesman said any reporting about personnel decisions, unless officially announced, “should be considered baseless speculation.”
The OECD, founded in 1961 and based in Paris, is an intergovernmental organization of more than 30 democracies with market-based economies dedicated to promoting economic growth.
Hurley is a former hedge fund executive and decorated Army veteran who was a major donor to President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign before his Senate confirmation to the Treasury post in July. Hurley’s departure was the latest senior-level exit at the department, which has seen the departure of two chiefs of staff under Bessent, as well as the resignation of his top deputy in August.
A senior administration official said in February that Hurley was being considered for “an important new role” in which he would “continue to faithfully serve in the Trump Administration.”
Though Hurley had initially turned down an opportunity to serve as ambassador to Germany, The Post reported, Hurley was more open to the idea as February, before apparently settling on the OECD role.
Two separate people familiar with Hurley said he has stepped back from his day-to-day responsibilities at Treasury while preparing for his next role. Gene Lange, counselor to Bessent, is performing the duties of undersecretary in the interim, said these two people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters not yet publicly disclosed.
Trump directed Cabinet officials to prioritize cracking down on fraud after the issue was reignited by viral videos and federal charges this fall against men of Somali descent accused of running fraudulent safety-net programs. In particular, the issue has captured the attention of the president’s Make America Great Again base, which has demanded accountability and consequences for those allegedly involved in the fraud schemes.
Separately on Tuesday, the Justice Department announced that federal law enforcement officers had conducted raids on more than 20 businesses in Minneapolis, many with ties to the Somali immigrant community, as part of an investigation into misuse of federal funds.
Sheila Regan, Annie Gowen and Jeremy Roebuck contributed to this report.
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