“These reports are a fundamental component of our government’s transparency and accountability framework, and their absence undermines public trust in the integrity of this Administration.”
“No new entrant reports for any senior White House officials have been made available for public disclosure, despite legal requirements under the Ethics in Government Act and the clear public interest in the financial disclosures of senior executive branch leaders…”
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) sent a letter to White House Chief of Staff Susan Wiles and White House Counsel David Warrington urgently demanding the Trump administration release financial disclosure reports from senior White House officials, as required by law. This follows a bicameral letter Senator Schiff led with 25 members of Congress in April calling on the White House to release all periodic financial transaction reports filed by senior White House and executive branch employees since the start of the Trump administration. The White House has yet to disclose any financial disclosure or transaction reports, even after widespread concern of potential insider trading following President Donald Trump’s sudden pause of sweeping tariffs in early April.
Under federal ethics laws, senior executive branch officials – including senior White House employees and certain Special Government Employees – must file public annual financial disclosure documents, including a new entrant report, within 30 days of assuming their duties. While reasonable extensions of up to 90 days may be granted by the White House’s supervising ethics official for good cause, the administration has now surpassed the maximum allowable filing period to submit new entrant reports for individuals who began their service at the outset of the administration.
“Public financial disclosures serve as a vital check against self-dealing, influence peddling, and corruption at the highest levels of government, allowing the American people and Congress to assess whether senior officials are making decisions in the public interest, rather than to advance their own private financial gains. For decades, administrations of both parties, including the first Trump Administration, have fulfilled this obligation, recognizing that public trust in government depends on robust, enforceable transparency standards. However, senior officials in this Administration have repeatedly failed to disclose assets and business entanglements, as well as potentially misused their official positions for personal gain,” the Senator continued.
“Transparency and compliance with ethics laws are essential. The American public deserves to know that those serving at the highest levels of government are free from financial conflicts of interest and have complied with the laws designed to safeguard the integrity of public service. I look forward to reviewing your responses,” the Senator concluded.
The full text of the letter can be found here and below:
Dear Ms. Wiles and Mr. Warrington:
I write to express my continued and growing concern regarding the Administration’s failure to submit any financial disclosure reports for senior White House officials to the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) within the statutorily mandated period. As noted in an April 28 letter from 25 Members of Congress, which remains unanswered, these reports are a fundamental component of our government’s transparency and accountability framework, and their absence undermines public trust in the integrity of this Administration.
Under federal ethics laws, senior executive branch officials – including senior White House employees and certain Special Government Employees – must file public annual financial disclosure documents, including a new entrant report, within 30 days of assuming their duties. While reasonable extensions of up to 90 days may be granted by the White House’s supervising ethics official for good cause, we are now beyond the maximum allowable filing period to submit new entrant reports for individuals who began their service at the outset of the Administration. According to OGE’s disclosure database to date, no new entrant reports for any senior White House officials have been made available for public disclosure, despite legal requirements under the Ethics in Government Act and the clear public interest in the financial disclosures of senior executive branch leaders, raising questions as to whether the required public reports have yet to be submitted to OGE for certification.
Public financial disclosures serve as a vital check against self-dealing, influence peddling, and corruption at the highest levels of government, allowing the American people and Congress to assess whether senior officials are making decisions in the public interest, rather than to advance their own private financial gains. For decades, administrations of both parties, including the first Trump Administration, have fulfilled this obligation, recognizing that public trust in government depends on robust, enforceable transparency standards. However, senior officials in this Administration have repeatedly failed to disclose assets and business entanglements, as well as potentially misused their official positions for personal gain.
This Administration’s prolonged and unexplained failure to comply with well-established statutory obligations raises grave questions. While the President purports to demand “radical transparency” from the federal government, his top advisors refuse to assure the American people that they are not profiting from their positions or concealing serious conflicts of interest. Additionally, it remains unclear whether any disciplinary action, including assessment of late filing fees, has been initiated for those who have failed to produce the required disclosures.
Therefore, I request the following information no later than June 10, 2025:
- a list of all White House officials required to file new entrant reports;
- an explanation for the failure to transmit any new entrant reports to OGE for second-level review and certification;
- the current status and anticipated timeline for the submission and public posting of all overdue disclosures;
- a list of any filing extensions requested and granted by designated White House ethics officials and the duration of those extensions; and
- whether any late filing fees have been imposed for delinquent filings, as required by law.
Transparency and compliance with ethics laws are essential. The American public deserves to know that those serving at the highest levels of government are free from financial conflicts of interest and have complied with the laws designed to safeguard the integrity of public service. I look forward to reviewing your responses.
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