President Donald Trump has not yet disclosed the Super Bowl ring he was gifted from the New England Patriots on mandatory financial forms.
Last year news leaked that Trump had been gifted one of the 2017 championship rings worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to the Boston Globe.
However, the impressive bauble was not listed on the financial disclosure forms he was required to filed last month – drawing concern from experts who’ve said his failure to report it could be seen as an ethical red flag.
President Trump has not yet disclosed the 2017 Super Bowl ring he was given by the New England Patriots on mandatory financial forms, which has drawn ethical concern given that the white-gold, 5.1-karat bauble is valued at an $40,000
Under federal law, each spring presidents are required to disclose any gifts they’ve received that are valued above a certain amount – currently set at $390 – but only if they choose to keep them for themselves.
They also have the option of setting gifts aside for their eventual presidential library, which transfers ownership to the federal government.
However, the White House has said that the president has decided to postpone his decision regarding gifts, which would explain why last year’s form only notes two sets of golf clubs.
While officials confirmed that Trump has received thousands of gifts during his term, the Patriots ring is notable because of its estimated value.
The Patriots visited the White House in April 2017 to gift Trump with his own jersey – also quietly passing along the impressive ring
The ring is the largest one in Super Bowl history, made of 10-karat white gold and 283 diamonds for players or 265 diamonds for friends and family.
The White House and the team had tried to keep the exorbitant gift under wraps, but former communications chief Anthony Scaramucci exposed it in a tweet months later.
The Patriots have not disclosed the actual value of the ring but experts estimate that its worth tens of thousands of dollars and could be sold for hundreds of thousands on the open market.
It was made by the same jeweler who designed the team’s rings in 2015.
That year’s ring cost $36,500 and was encrusted with only 205 diamonds.
In February one of the rings with 265 diamonds sold at auction for a whopping $345,000.
In February one of the rings sold at auction for a whopping $345,000.
‘Normally, people give you a jersey — but a football jersey wouldn’t present the same optics issue that a $35,000 or $40,000 ring does,’ former White House lawyer Virginia Canter told the Boston Globe.
‘When you start getting into very expensive jewelry, it’s a much more expensive gift and it requires more scrutiny.’
Trump’s rocky relationship with the NFL could also be influencing his decision on whether or not to take the ring.
The president has been very critical of the league after players have made a habit of kneeling during the national anthem as a form of political protest.
However, he was all smiles when the team visited the White House in April of last year to gift him with a jersey.
He has also historically been good friends with Patriots owner Bob Kraft, coach Bill Belichick and star quarterback Tom Brady.
The team has declined to comment on the ring, as has the Office of Government Ethics, an independent agency that oversees the financial disclosure process.