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Malpass, a former Bear Stearns and Co chief economist who
advised Trump's 2016 election campaign, was nominated by the
Republican president for a five-year term at the helm of the
multilateral development bank and approved by the bank's board
in April 2019.
In a letter sent Thursday and seen by Reuters, Malpass expressed
deep concern about Wednesday's assault on the U.S. Congress and
assured staff the bank was working to ensure their security.
"Like many of you, I have been following the disturbing events
in Washington, D.C. closely. It is hard to express the depth of
concern about developments in recent years," Malpass said. "I
was deeply appalled by what happened yesterday, and I spoke to
the Board of Directors this morning."
Trump is under mounting pressure to resign two days after he
urged supporters to fight the result of the Nov. 3 election that
he lost and march on the U.S. Capitol, shortly before hundreds
of people broke into the seat of Congress as lawmakers were
preparing to certify the election of Democrat Joe Biden as
president.
Images of protesters breaking windows and scaling the walls of
the Capitol triggered shock and dismay around the world, with
many world leaders faulting Trump for helping foment the attack.
The World Bank often underscores the need for the rule of law
and good governance in its work with developing countries.
Some 16,000 Washington-based staff at the World Bank and its
sister organization, the International Finance Corp, have been
working mostly remotely since March, the start of the pandemic
lockdown.
Bank staff welcomed the message from Malpass, according to a
source familiar with the matter. Malpass has been providing
regular updates throughout the year, including during protests
in Washington this summer after the killing of a Black man under
the knee of a white police officer in Minneapolis.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal)
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