D.C. Delegate Candidate Robert White Amends Personal Financial Disclosure

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly reported that D.C. delegate candidate Robert White was required to report a mortgage loan on a personal residence on a federal personal financial disclosure. In fact, federal rules exempt congressional candidates who don’t already hold office from the mortgage debt disclosure requirement.

D.C. Councilmember Robert White’s congressional campaign told NOTUS on Thursday that it has filed an amended personal financial disclosure that includes his position as an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University.

White’s November disclosure to Congress did not include his position at Georgetown Law, which he did include on his separate 2025 councilmember financial disclosure filed in early November. White disclosed earning between $1,001 and $15,000 for his role.

NOTUS also reported on Wednesday that White had failed to disclose mortgage debt on his personal residence, which federal law requires federal officeholders to include on their personal financial disclosures.

However, federal rules exempt congressional candidates who are not currently federal officeholders from this disclosure requirement.

At the time, the White campaign told NOTUS that “omission [of the position and debt] was unintentional and is regretted” and that White’s campaign would file an amendment within 48 hours.

But on Thursday, the White campaign said that it would not be disclosing the mortgage information because congressional candidates who do not already hold office are exempt from doing so.

White, a D.C. native who has served as the at-large councilmember since 2016, is a frontrunner in a crowded Democratic field to succeed D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton. Norton announced last week that she would not seek reelection for a 19th term as the District’s nonvoting representative on Capitol Hill.

All federal candidates are required to file a financial disclosure with Congress detailing personal income, assets and debt within 30 days of becoming a candidate, or after raising or spending $5,000.

White’s campaign initially missed its filing deadline, in violation of federal ethics law, according to OpenSecrets.

White ultimately filed in early November, and in his report, he disclosed between $159,011 and $485,000 in assets, including mutual funds, retirement accounts and life insurance. (Candidates are only required by law to report the values of their assets and liabilities in broad ranges, making it difficult to precisely calculate their net worth.)

White also disclosed between $85,002 and $180,000 in liabilities. That includes his wife’s $100,000 in student loan debt and as much as $65,000 in credit card debt, according to the report. White himself disclosed carrying between $10,000 and $15,000 in credit card debt.

Fellow D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto filed her certified financial disclosure with Congress after requesting and receiving a 90-day extension. Pinto disclosed assets between $1.6 million and nearly $3.7 million, including bank accounts, retirement accounts and mutual funds. Pinto reported no liabilities.

The race to succeed Norton is on track to be one of the most expensive in D.C. history, with three fundraising frontrunners pulling ahead in the crowded field of Democratic candidates.

Pinto’s campaign reported an early financial lead, raising more than $843,000 between Aug. 1 and Dec. 31 and ending the period with $608,867 in cash on hand.

White’s campaign reported raising $230,399 between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31 as well as $151,819 in cash on hand and $87,250 in debts and obligations, according to federal campaign finance disclosures filed last week with the Federal Election Commission.

The campaign for Kinney Zalesne, former deputy national finance chair of the Democratic National Committee, reported raising $158,000 — including a $50,000 loan from Zalesne — and $445,192 in cash on hand as of Dec. 31.

Zalesne filed her congressional candidate financial disclosure in August. She disclosed joint assets valued collectively between $7.6 million and $30.4 million and no liabilities.