The State Department's independent inspector is reviewing a request from two Democratic senators to determine whether Trump aides Steve Witkoff and David Sacks breached ethics rules over transactions tied to the United Arab Emirates, Semafor reported on Monday. The review could lead to a formal inquiry examining whether federal ethics or disclosure rules were violated. Reuters could not immediately verify the Semafor account.
State Department Watchdog Weighs Request To Probe Trump Aides' UAE Deals, Semafor Says
Steve Witkoff, U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East, speaks during the America Business Forum at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, U.S. November 6, 2025. REUTERS/Marco Bello
The U.S. State Department's independent inspector is reviewing a request from two Democratic senators to investigate whether Trump aides Steve Witkoff and David Sacks violated ethics rules in connection with transactions tied to the United Arab Emirates, Semafor reported on Monday.
The review under consideration could lead to a formal inquiry into whether the officials' private dealings with foreign entities breached federal ethics or disclosure requirements. Semafor said the request prompted the watchdog to look into the matter, but provided no details about the specific transactions under scrutiny.
What Is Known
Who: The subjects named in the request are Steve Witkoff and David Sacks, described in reports as aides or associates of former President Donald Trump.
David Sacks speaks to the media outside the White House ahead of a White House Crypto Summit in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 7, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
What: A request from two Democratic senators asking the State Department inspector to examine possible ethics violations tied to deals connected to the United Arab Emirates.
Source And Verification: Semafor first reported the story; Reuters could not immediately verify the account.
Next Steps
If the inspector's office accepts the request, it could open a formal review to determine whether ethics statutes or disclosure rules were violated. Any such process would likely involve document review and requests for testimony or records from relevant parties.
(Reporting by Chandni Shah in Bengaluru; Editing by Alison Williams)
