WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - A federal watchdog has filed a complaint accusing Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Debra Haaland of having potentially violated reporting requirements on a financial disclosure report.
Protect the Public’s Trust filed the 4-page complaint on July 20 with Mark Greenblatt, Inspector General for the U.S. Department of the Interior.
“In light of multiple public filings by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Debra Haaland providing scant information about her actual net worth prior to her marriage last August, we believe the circumstances warrant a deeper review of whether assets ostensibly relied on to support Secretary Haaland were all properly disclosed,” wrote Michael Chamberlain, executive director of PPT, in the letter.
At issue is Haaland’s Form 278e, a financial disclosure that is required of all political appointees.
“These are requirements under federal law for political appointees to comply with so this would be potentially a violation of federal law and we think that it needs to be investigated,” Chamberlain told Legal Newsline. “The truth needs to come out and needs to be revealed in this case.”
The DOI did not respond to requests for comment about why Haaland did not list a bank account on her Form 278e.
Although Haaland received an annual salary of $174,000 working as a congresswoman in New Mexico from January 2019 to January 2021, she lists no bank account and reports no assets except for an annual payment of $175 from Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico.
“What was she doing with the money, especially as most employers, including federal employers, require that employees have an account for direct deposit and direct deposit their paychecks,” Chamberlain said. “Was she just cashing all of her checks and keeping money under a mattress and only dealing in cash?”
As previously reported in Legal Newsline, prior to marrying Skip Sayre, Haaland reported an estimated zero net worth, but after her wedding, federal financial disclosures show an increase of up to $2.125 million, plus the value of two personal residences now owned by Haaland and Sayre.
“As a result of her marriage, Haaland’s financial situation changed and she was required to report more items,” Chamberlain said. “It revealed some things that we hadn't known in the past.”
In his first month in office in January of 2021, President Biden signed an executive order outlining ethics rules for appointees designated during his administration.
“If the Biden administration claims to be the most ethical and transparent in history, this is an opportunity for them to bring some more transparency to this situation,” Chamberlain added.