Trump submits financial disclosure; release expected soon

The Associated Press
Wednesday, May 16, 2018 12:21 a.m. | Wednesday, May 16, 2018 12:21 a.m.

AFP/Getty Images

President Trump walks across the South Lawn upon return to the White House in Washington on Mary 15, 2018. Trump returned from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after visiting First Lady Melania Trump who underwent surgery in what aides called a 'benign' kidney condition.

WASHINGTON — President Trump has submitted his annual financial disclosure to the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, and it is expected to be released publicly in the coming days.

Trump's disclosure, which includes all of 2017 and part of 2018, is being closely watched to see whether it will disclose the $130,000 paid to porn star Stormy Daniels on his behalf by his attorney Michael Cohen. Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani said during a Fox News interview that the president had repaid Cohen.

Trump files annual financial disclosure form https://t.co/OXqTATapD3 pic.twitter.com/4ATtUT8ycg

— The Hill (@thehill) May 16, 2018

Ethics experts say that if that money isn't disclosed, Trump could be in violation of ethics laws for failing to disclose a reportable item, a violation for which others have been prosecuted.

The White House confirmed that Trump and Vice President Mike Pence filed their financial disclosures Tuesday, along with the reports of some 25,000 senior executive branch officials, but declined to comment further. The Office of Government Ethics said the president's report is under review.

As we ponder whether President Trump will file his financial disclosure report tomorrow, here are the signature lines from every annual financial disclosure report that George Bush and Barack Obama filed as President.All of them were filed on or before the May 15 deadline. pic.twitter.com/C3esUt8gaH

— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) May 14, 2018

Trump's disclosure will also be the first extended look at how his businesses have performed since he became president in January 2017. When Trump took office, he refused to fully divest from his global business, instead putting his assets in a trust controlled by his two sons and a senior executive. Still, Trump can take back control of the trust at any time and he's allowed to withdraw cash from it as he pleases.

Trump's previous report, covering January 2016 through the first few months of 2017, showed he had at least $1.4 billion in assets and at least $594 million in income.

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