Costco adds Gina Raimondo to board after Trump tariff suit
US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo speaks on the first day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on August 19, 2024.
Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images
“We are very pleased to nominate Secretary Raimondo for election to our Board,” Costco Chairman Tony James said in a statement.
“Her vast experience in global business, politics and international security at the highest level will add an important dimension to our current expertise,” James said. “We look forward to her contributions.”
Raimondo previously was Rhode Island’s treasurer. Before that, she worked in venture capital.
The Supreme Court last month heard arguments by the Trump administration, which is seeking to reverse lower court rulings that the wide-ranging tariffs imposed by the president this year under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act are illegal.
Costco’s lawsuit asks the U.S. Court of International Trade to order that the money it has paid for those tariffs to date should be returned now, without waiting for the Supreme Court to rule on their ultimate legality.
The retailer said that without such an order, there is a risk it will not be able to get back that money even if the Supreme Court agrees that Trump did not have the authority to implement the tariffs without congressional authorization.
On Wednesday, the Court of International Trade granted a motion to consolidate Costco’s lawsuit with similar suits filed by 19 other companies in the same court.
