In March 2026, ProPublica made public a trove of nearly 3,200 financial disclosure records covering more than 1,500 officials appointed by President Trump, along with records for Trump and Vice President JD Vance, in a searchable online tool. “The documents reveal a web of financial ties between senior government officials and the industries they help regulate,” ProPublica wrote.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg oversees the office in charge of the Golden Dome missile-defense project. At least four companies awarded Golden Dome contracts so far (North Wind, Stratolaunch, Red River Technology and NetCentrics) are owned by or majority-held by Cerberus Capital Management, the private equity firm he founded. Feinberg filed paperwork saying he divested from Cerberus, but his ethics records let him keep contracting with the firm for tax compliance, accounting and health care coverage, “a financial relationship that documents show could continue indefinitely.” A Cerberus spokesperson told The Guardian that Feinberg divested and “is not involved with the operations of Cerberus or any of its portfolio companies in any way.” Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote that “The award of contracts to Cerberus-linked companies raises serious conflicts of interest concerns.”
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche owned at least $159,000 in crypto-related assets when he shut down Justice Department investigations into crypto companies, dealers and exchanges. In April 2025 he disbanded the department's National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team “effective immediately.” A department spokesperson said his crypto orders were “appropriately flagged, addressed and cleared in advance.” ProPublica's disclosures also showed officials including Attorney General Pam Bondi making well-timed trades, at times selling stocks just before tariff announcements sent markets down. Bondi sold at least $1 million in Trump Media shares on April 2, 2025, the day Trump announced sweeping tariffs; the stock fell more than 10% the next day before recovering. The officials either did not respond or said they had no insider information.
The disclosures arrive after the ethics safeguards were weakened. On his first day back, Trump rescinded the Biden order requiring appointees to sign an ethics pledge. On January 24, 2025, his administration fired about 17 independent inspectors general, and on February 10 he removed David Huitema as director of the Office of Government Ethics. ProPublica reported that the office was still without a head or a chief of staff.
Correction (October 2, 2026): This entry previously said Trump fired 17 inspectors general and removed the head of the Office of Government Ethics on his first day back. The inspector general firings came on January 24, 2025, and the ethics director was removed on February 10, 2025; on his first day Trump rescinded the Biden ethics-pledge order. The entry also called Cerberus a defense contractor and said Feinberg kept ties “despite ethics rules requiring divestiture.” Cerberus is a private equity firm whose companies hold Pentagon contracts, and Feinberg certified that he divested, with an ethics clause letting him keep using the firm for tax, accounting and health care services. The title's “insider trading” was replaced because ProPublica described well-timed trades and the officials said they had no insider information.