Maryland Gov. Wes Moore recuses himself on vote, works on blind trust

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Maryland Gov. Wes Moore recused himself from a vote on a state panel Wednesday, saying he's finalizing arrangements to create a blind trust for his assets "to prevent any financial conflicts during my tenure as governor."

Moore, who chairs the three-member Board of Public Works, turned the meeting over to Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller when an extension for a warehouse lease agreement for Under Armour Inc. came before the panel.

"My team and I have been in regular consultation with the ethics commission to ensure that we follow the spirit and the letter of the laws, and therefore I'm heeding their advice and counsel and recusing myself from the discussion and vote of one of the items in the DGS agenda," Moore said, referring to the Maryland Department of General Services agenda.

Moore served on Under Armour's board of directors starting in October 2020. He stepped down soon after he won the election in November from the position at the Baltimore-based company, which produces athletic performance apparel.

Moore, who worked as an investment banker earlier in his career, has a variety of investments and business interests.

He officially became Maryland's governor on Jan. 18.