Example Vincent Viola and Scott Pruitt appointments

Example Vincent Viola and Scott Pruitt appointment

Trump nominated Vincent Viola as Secretary to the Army- he withdrew after it became clear that SEnat hearings would focus on conflicts of interest in his business career- Is this an example of a check on the president's appointment power working?

However: Almost all of Trump's cabinet was appointed without being blocked by the Senate including Scott Pruitt as Direct of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Feb 2017-July 2018 -Pruitt denies climate change.

New York Times Article

Vincent Viola, a billionaire Wall Street trader and President Trump’s nominee for secretary of the Army, abruptly withdrew his name for the post on Friday night after concluding it would be too difficult to untangle himself from his business ties, two government officials said.

Mr. Viola is an owner of the Florida Panthers hockey club and a majority shareholder in Virtu Financial and Eastern Air Lines, among a number of other business interests. This week The New York Times reported that Mr. Viola had been negotiating to swap his stake in Eastern Air Lines for a stake in Swift Air, an airline with government subcontracts.

If his nomination had continued, he would have faced certain scrutiny for potentially becoming a government official who benefits from federal contracts.