New Financial Disclosure Could Explain Haaland’s Issues with Successfully Completing Her Previous Disclosures

Interior Secretary’s reported assets on financial disclosures go through the roof after wedding to “long-time partner”

Today, federal watchdog Protect the Public’s Trust commented on enlightening revelations contained in Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s most recent financial disclosure.

The Secretary’s 2022 annual financial disclosure report (Form 278e), obtained by E&E News, both rekindles old questions regarding Ms. Haaland’s financial reporting prior to her confirmation and could help explain her troubles with accurately completing them. During the confirmation process, she amended her 2019 House ethics report multiple times such that questions remain whether the public was provided the full picture. Secretary Haaland’s latest 278e indicates that even the full picture with the information existing at that time did not tell the entire story.

Upon her marriage last year to her longtime partner, the cabinet member with “an estimated net worth of $0” became an instant millionaire. Simply by saying, “I do,” the net worth reported on her federal financial disclosure skyrocketed to between $970,000 and $2.125 million, not including the value of two personal residences owned by the Secretary and her husband, neither of which was apparent on previous disclosures. One of these is presumably the New Mexico home worth more than $1 million that she reported as her residence for purposes of voter registration. Having a millionaire partner could help explain the haphazard manner in which she appears to have handled her previous financial disclosures as well as her ability to engage in a congressional campaign with little to no reported assets or income.

“Secretary Haaland’s latest financial disclosure is very revealing,” Michael Chamberlain, Director of Protect the Public’s Trust stated. “The reality was quite different than the story around her financial situation. She struggled to get previous financial disclosures correct and reported virtually no assets or income while living in a million-dollar house with a millionaire partner. As recently as 2019, she went so far as to claim she didn’t even have a savings account. Upon seeing the full picture, it confirms the reason why most Americans have such deep cynicism toward public officials.”

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