Protect the Public’s Trust probes U.S. Interior Department Secretary’s instant millionaire marriage
- May 31, 2022
Juliette Fairley, Legal Newsline
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has entered a rags-to-riches marriage and a federal watchdog wants to know more.
As previously reported in Politico Pro, prior to marrying Skip Sayre, Secretary Haaland reported an estimated zero net worth, but after her wedding, federal financial disclosures show a stunning increase of up to $2.125 million, plus the value of two personal residences now owned by Haaland and Sayre, neither of which was apparent on previous disclosures.
The U.S. Department of Interior was sued on April 14 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after there was no production of documents in response to Protect the Public’s Trust (PPT)’s Sept. 2, 2021 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking information about wedding gifts and attendees.
“There are restrictions on gifts that political appointees and cabinet members are able to accept and with good reason because giving a gift is an opportunity for an entity that may have business before the department or may be subject to oversight or may apply for grants from an agency to potentially unduly influence a high-level government official,” said Michael Chamberlain, director of PPT.