Trump surgeon general nominee discloses tobacco, pharma investments

President Trump’s pick for U.S. surgeon general, Nicole Saphier, disclosed investments in the tobacco company Philip Morris International and in several major beverage firms, according to financial paperwork released Thursday. The holdings were listed in an ethics agreement filed as part of the nomination process.

The ethics filing indicates Saphier has pledged to either fully or partially divest from the companies identified. The disclosure does not provide additional details in the material provided here about the size or nature of the investments or the specific timetable for divestiture.

Those filings are standard for executive-branch nominees and are intended to identify potential conflicts of interest. In this case, the assets named include a multinational tobacco firm and large consumer beverage companies, which are business areas that can intersect with public-health policy.

The public release of the disclosures and the commitment to divest are steps the nominee and the administration can use to address ethics questions as Saphier’s nomination proceeds through whatever confirmation process applies.