Trump Nominates Malpass to Lead WB, Uproar Stirred

By: Yassmine ElSayed

CAIRO, Feb. 7 (SEE) - US President Donald Trump has nominated David Malpass, senior Treasury Department official, to lead the World Bank.

At a press conference in Washington, Trump praised Mr. Malpass, 62, as a "strong advocate for accountability at the World Bank for a long time".

If approved, he is expected to push the bank to narrow the focus of its lending to the world's poorest countries, among other changes, BBC reported.

The president, who frequently criticises multilateral institutions, said he expected Mr. Malpass to ensure that the bank's dollars "are spent effectively and wisely, serve American interests and defend American values."

White House officials said Mr. Malpass, a long-time Republican, would be a "pro-growth reformer".

Mr. Malpass, a Trump loyalist, was a senior economic adviser to the US president during his 2016 election campaign. He has served as the Treasury Department's undersecretary for international affairs since August 2017.

According to BBC, His nomination has stirred debate, as some worry that Mr. Malpass, a critic of the bank for being "intrusive" and "entrenched", will seek to reduce its role.

He has also pushed the bank to reduce its lending to China, which he says is too wealthy to deserve such aid, and deploys harsh practices when lending to other countries.