White House officials released dozens of financial disclosure forms Friday evening, revealing the past business ties and millions of dollars in assets of some of the highest-ranking aides in the West Wing.
Staffers are required by law to fill out the disclosure documents and submit them to the Office of Government Ethics. White House press secretary Sean Spicer had touted the release of the forms earlier Friday as a signal of the administration’s commitment to transparency.
However, the White House did not publish the forms — many of which were signed days or weeks ahead of their release — until late Friday evening, preventing the information within the documents from getting as much media scrutiny as they would have had they been published during the business day.
Here’s what the forms revealed about some of President Trump’s key aides:
Steve Bannon, White House chief strategist
Bannon’s financial disclosure form showed the former Breitbart chairman earned at least $1.3 million last year, and could have earned well over $2 million. Bannon’s income, like that of other officials, was reported in ranges.
Bannon held positions in Cambridge Analytica, a data company backed by a donor to Trump, Robert Mercer, as well as several film companies.
Reince Priebus, chief of staff
Priebus earned a $225,000 salary last year from the Republican National Committee, where he served as chairman. He also pocketed a $75,000 “salary bonus” as well as $90,542 in additional income from the RNC.
His largest listed pay-out came from Michael Best & Friedrich, a law firm where he had served as a partner since 2008, although he had taken a leave of absence to serve as chairman of the RNC. That firm paid Priebus $450,000 to buy out his stake last year.
Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president
Conway’s form said she holds up to $31 million in assets, much of which is in retirement accounts from when she was CEO of the Polling Company.
That’s also where most of her recent income came from. The document showed $800,000 in income last year.
It said she holds up to $25 million in assets in a money market fund.
Jared Kushner, senior adviser
Jared Kushner resigned from 267 positions in various groups, including dozens of real estate groups, in order to join the White House as Trump’s senior adviser, according to disclosure forms released Friday night.
Kushner has more than $50 million in assets under the Ivanka M. Trump Business Trust, and more than $380 million more in other companies and funds.
Sean Spicer, press secretary
White House press secretary Sean Spicer earned $260,000 as chief strategist for the Republican National Committee from February 2011 to January 2017.
He also worked as a board member on the Washington International Trade Association and National Defense Foundation, but did not report income from either group.
Spicer has seven loans, totaling between $535,000 and $1.08 million. Between $20,002 and $30,000 is his credit card debt, while he had between $15,001 to $50,000 in liabilities from a personal loan.
Stephen Miller, policy director
After leaving Sen. Jeff Sessions’ office to join the Trump campaign, Miller earned $124,885 for his efforts to get Trump elected last year.
Miller listed his “unpaid and advisory” position on his “family’s real estate management company,” California Villages, as one of his business ties.
Marc Short, legislative director
Most of Short’s income last year came from his role as president of Advance Strategies, a consulting firm, which paid him $378,595. Short also earned $78,000 as president of FreedomWorks, according to his disclosure forms.
Trump’s legislative director took in at least $5,000 each from a number of other consulting contracts — including one with Sen. Marco Rubio’s failed presidential bid.
Short earned money consulting for former Rep. Mike Pompeo’s Kansas congressional bid. Pompeo now serves as Trump’s director of the CIA. He also consulted for Vice President Mike Pence’s gubernatorial campaign, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, General Electric and Club for Growth.
K.T. McFarland, deputy national security adviser
K.T. McFarland, deputy national security adviser, listed 16 income sources, the majority of which were honorariums. McFarland’s main compensation was from Fox News, which paid her $63,518 for her contract as a national security analyst on the cable news network.
The 14 honorariums were between $6,750 and $16,000 each. She received $42,500 from a book advance for her book Turning Point: Reclaiming an America We Can Believe In.
Sebastian Gorka, national security adviser for terrorism
Deputy Assistant to the President Sebastian Gorka disclosed $63,000 in income from the Institute of World Politics, $67,500 from the Marine Corps University Foundation, $38,200 in consulting fees for Breitbart, formerly run by Steve Bannon, and only $4,320 in compensation from Fox News for his talking head duties.
He also disclosed a $25,000 royalty payment from conservative Regnery Publishing for the book Defeating Jihad: The Winnable War and another $40,000 advance in the offing for another book that is not yet completed.
Jessica Ditto, deputy communications director
Jessica Ditto serves as deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of communications at the White House. Prior to joining the Trump campaign in September last year, she worked for newly elected Gov. Matt Bevin, R-Ky., from December 2015 to September 2016. She earned $82,500 with an additional $8,000 in earned comp time and unused benefits hours.
Ditto also invested between $3,700 and $8,500 in IRA and equity funds.
Boris Epshteyn, assistant communications director
Boris Epshteyn works alongside Ditto in the communications office as assistant director. Epshteyn made $49,500 working on the Presidential Inauguration Committee from November through January. He pulled in another $30,000 as senior adviser for Trump’s campaign from August to November.
Prior to the election, Epshteyn received an annual income of $226,800 from TGP Securities Inc. and $240,000 in consulting fees from Prime Health Services.
Hope Hicks, director of strategic communications
Hicks, 28, started working as director of communications for the Trump Organization in October 2014. She made $71,689 per year in that position and saw her salary more than double when she was tapped for press secretary of Trump’s campaign.
She made $141,417 as the media liaison during the campaign and another $21,830 as press secretary of Trump for America, Inc., during the transition period.
Omarosa Manigault, communications director for the Office of Public Liason
Manigault, who became a household name as a fiesty contestant in Trump’s first season of “Apprentice,” now serves as director of communications for the Office of Public Liason.
Manigault was one of the lowest-paid current White House staffers compared to others. Unlike many other White House staffers, the 43-year-old reported $50,001-$100,000 in debt from a 20-year consolidated federal student loan that was taken out in 1998.
Manigault received between $1 million and $5 million from her late husband’s administrative trust.
She worked for Trumps’ campaign from July to November and received $28,000. She collected $18,000 as an executive committee member during the transition.
Manigault also collected $25,000 in cohosting and appearance fees from various companies. Howard University School of Business paid her $1,500 for her position as an adjunct professor. Her personal company Arise Virtual Solutions Inc. shelled out $4,860 and 44 Blue Production, Inc. paid her $5,000 as an appearance fee.
Julia Hahn, deputy policy strategist
Julia Hahn, 25, has worked as a producer for radio host Laura Ingraham; press secretary for Rep. David Brat, R-Va.; and then joined Breitbart News as a reporter in 2015. At Breitbart, the young writer made nearly $120,000. Hahn, now special assistant to the president, also owns less than 1 percent in Cherrywood Partnership, a residential rental firm in Pennsylvania.
Thomas Bossert, Homeland Security adviser
Trump’s homeland security adviser Thomas Bossert received $161,396 from Civil Defense Solutions. He consulted on the side for Obsidian Analysis Inc., The Cadmus Group Inc., and Raffetto Herman Strategic Communications.
Bill McGinley, Cabinet secretary
Among the highest-paid White House staffers is Bill McGinley. The man who helps manage Trump’s Cabinet made $1.5 million when he worked as partner with the Jones Day law firm. McGinley also received payment for legal services he provided to the presidential campaigns for Donald Trump and N.J. Gov. Chris Christie, as well as House and Senate campaigns.
