Democracy Defenders Fund on Thursday obtained United States Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff’s public financial disclosure report from the Office of Government Ethics.  The report remains uncertified more than seven months after Witkoff filed the report, a red flag that at a minimum suggests unresolved conflicts of interest.

“If OGE has not signed Witkoff’s report, it suggests that they can’t certify that they believe he was in compliance with all applicable laws,” said Virginia Canter, chief counsel and director of ethics and anti-corruption at Democracy Defenders Fund. “OGE would not decline to certify a financial report unless there was an indication of potential past misconduct or a failure to comply with necessary corrective action to avoid a future conflict of interest.”

Why this matters:

Top government officials are required to disclose their finances so the public can trust they are making decisions in the national interest and not for personal profit. These reports are usually certified by ethics officials within 60 days of their filing.

Witkoff reported holding significant shares in World Liberty Financial, Inc., a company he co-founded with the Trump family. The company reportedly took in $500 million in January 2025 from a UAE investment fund. And last May, it entered into another $2 billion deal with MGX, a separate UAE investment fund, as part of a deal with Binance, one of the world's largest crypto exchanges. President Trump subsequently agreed in November 2025 to transfer advanced AI technology to the UAE.

In other words, Witkoff is a special envoy to the Middle East at the same time that Middle Eastern government officials have a significant stake in a company he founded. At a minimum, these relationships deserve greater scrutiny.

“Unlike the president, Witkoff is subject to criminal conflict of interest laws, and the public deserves to know whether Witkoff held an interest in World Liberty Financial while he was engaged in Middle East peace negotiations involving the UAE or had other unresolved conflicts of interest,” Canter said.

Read Witkoff’s public financial disclosure here.

Read Trump’s Crypto Connections.

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Democracy Defenders Fund brings together a nonpartisan team to work with national, state and local allies across the country to defend in real-time the foundations of our democracy.