John Bartrum
The data on this page comes from a financial disclosure filed by John Bartrum, who was picked to be: Undersecretary for Health, Department of Veterans Affairs. It is part of a collection of thousands of ethics documents ProPublica has been collecting from across the Trump administration.
Roles Outside Government
Officials are required to disclose paid or unpaid positions they hold or recently held outside the federal government, including roles as officer, director, trustee or employee. (Form 278e, Part 1)
| Organization | Position held | Endnote | Line No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| J&G Real Estate Investments, Inc (S Corporation) | President (unpaid), 5/2005 - Present | 1 | |
| Brightstar Innovations Group, LLC | Chief Executive Officer, 6/2019 - 1/2025 | Operation Nitrile was a subpart of Brightstar Innovations Group | 2 |
| GanD, Inc (Biomedical Start-up) | Board Member, 6/2019 - 1/2025 | 3 | |
| Hessian Labs, Inc (Start -up - Development of Diagnostic Test) | Board Member (unpaid), 11/2021 - 1/2025 | 4 | |
| Operation Nitrile | Managing Member, 10/2024 - 1/2025 | Entity of Brightstar Innovations Group that never transacted and transferred position with sale of Brightstar Innovations Group. No interest remains, no revenue, no income, and no future arrangement. | 5 |
| Gladstone Special Acquisition Corp | Board Member, 10/2022 - 8/2023 | Not paid nor any stock plan | 6 |
| National Academy of Public Administration | Fellow (unpaid), 10/2020 - Present | 7 |
Employment Assets
Officials are required to disclose assets associated with their employment, including salary, retirement accounts, stocks, intellectual property and awards or prizes. (Form 278e, Part 2)
| Description | Value | Income | Income Type | Endnote | Line No. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brightstar Innovations Group, LLC (Strategic Advisor - Consulting Business) | $376K | Salary | 1 | ||
| GanD, Inc, vested restricted stock | $100K - $250K | None (or less than $201) | 2 | ||
| GanD, Inc (Biomedical Start-up) | $50,000 | Director Fees | 3 | ||
| Hessian Labs, Inc, vested restricted stock (Start -up - Development of Diagnostic Test) | None (or less than $1,001) | None (or less than $201) | 4 | ||
| Sep IRA | 5 | ||||
| SPDR S&P 500 ETF TRUST (SPY) | $100K - $250K | None (or less than $201) | 5.1 | ||
| Brightstar Innovations Group, LLC (Strategic Advisor - Consulting Business) | None (or less than $1,001) | $3,500 | Sale Proceeds | 6 | |
| Operation Nitrile (Exploring Mfg) | 6.1 |
Employment Agreements
Officials are required to disclose agreements relating to other jobs, including what will happen with any small businesses they own during government service and any continued health care coverage, planned leaves of absence, severance or bonuses. (Form 278e, Part 3)
| Organization | Agreement | Endnote | Line No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| GanD, Inc | Restricted Stock - Privately Held -- value based on most recent valuations. Shares vested prior to entering government. I will retain my vested restricted stock. (2019-06-01) | 1 | |
| Hessian Labs, Inc | Restricted Stock -- Privately Held -- Shares vested prior to entering government. I will retain my vested restricted stock. (2021-11-01) | 2 |
Compensation
Officials are required to disclose the sources of any compensation above $5,000 in a year. (Form 278e, Part 4)
| Organization | Description | Endnote | Line No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brightstar Innovations Group, LLC (Strategic Advisor - Consulting Business) | Services as Chief Executive Officer | 1 | |
| GanD, Inc | Services as Board Member | 2 | |
| Komodo Health, Inc | Consulting Services (client of Brightstar Innovations Group, LLC) | 3 | |
| Molnlycke Health Care US, LLC | Consulting Services (client of Brightstar Innovations Group, LLC) | 4 | |
| Nephron Nitrile, LLC | Consulting Services (client of Brightstar Innovations Group, LLC) | 5 | |
| Semler Scientific, Inc | Consulting Services (client of Brightstar Innovations Group, LLC) | 6 | |
| Smith & Nephew, Inc | Consulting Services (client of Brightstar Innovations Group, LLC) | 7 | |
| Spectrum Medical, Inc. | Consulting Services (client of Brightstar Innovations Group, LLC) | 8 | |
| Texas A&M Health Science Center | Consulting Services (client of Brightstar Innovations Group, LLC) | 9 | |
| Vibrant Gastro Inc | Consulting Services (client of Brightstar Innovations Group, LLC) | 10 |
Other Assets and Income
Officials are required to disclose other assets and sources of investment income belonging to them, their spouse or their dependent children. These include annuities, bonds, cash, college savings plans, farms, precious metals, real estate, stocks, trusts and wills. (Form 278e, Part 6)
| Description | Value | Income | Income Type | Endnote | Line No. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fidelity Advisor Delaware 529 Plan #1 -- Fidelity Advisor 529 Equity Growth Portfolio - Class A | $1,001 - $15,000 | None (or less than $201) | 1 | ||
| Fidelity Advisor Delaware 529 Plan #2 Fidelity Advisor 529 Equity Growth Portfolio - Class A | $1,001 - $15,000 | None (or less than $201) | 2 | ||
| Virginia College Savings Plan #1 Pre-paid 529 | $15,001 - $50,000 | None (or less than $201) | 3 | ||
| Virginia College Savings Plan #2 Prepaid 529 Plan | $15,001 - $50,000 | None (or less than $201) | 4 | ||
| US credit union account (Cash Account) | $500K - $1M | $5,001 - $15,000 | Interest | 5 | |
| US bank account (Cash Account) | $1,001 - $15,000 | None (or less than $201) | Interest | 6 | |
| Transamerica Life Insurance Company, fixed annuity | $15,001 - $50,000 | None (or less than $201) | 7 | ||
| Whirlpool Corp (WHR) | $1,001 - $15,000 | $201 - $1,000 | Dividends | 8 | |
| Franklin Mutual Beacon Fund Class Z Shares (BEGRX) | $100K - $250K | $1,001 - $2,500 | 9 | ||
| SPDR S&P 500 ETF TRUST (SPY) | $1M - $5M | $5,001 - $15,000 | 10 | ||
| Schwab Value Advantage Money Fund Investor Class Shares (SWVXX) | $100K - $250K | $201 - $1,000 | 11 | ||
| brokerage account #1 | 12 | ||||
| SPDR S&P 500 ETF TRUST (SPY) | $1,001 - $15,000 | None (or less than $201) | 12.1 | ||
| Schwab Value Advantage Money Fund Investor Class Shares (SWVXX) | None (or less than $1,001) | None (or less than $201) | 12.2 | ||
| brokerage account #2 | 13 | ||||
| SPDR S&P 500 ETF TRUST (SPY) | $1,001 - $15,000 | None (or less than $201) | 13.1 | ||
| Schwab Value Advantage Money Fund Investor Class Shares (SWVXX) | None (or less than $1,001) | None (or less than $201) | 13.2 | ||
| U.S. bank (cash) - CD | $50,001 - $100K | None (or less than $201) | Interest | 14 | |
| U.S. Treasuries | $15,001 - $50,000 | $1,001 - $2,500 | Interest | 15 | |
| Federal Farm Credit Bonds | $50,001 - $100K | $2,501 - $5,000 | Interest | 16 | |
| U.S. bank (cash) - CD | $50,001 - $100K | $201 - $1,000 | Interest | 17 | |
| U.S. bank (cash) - (CD) | $15,001 - $50,000 | None (or less than $201) | Interest | 18 | |
| J&G Real Estate Investment Inc, S-Corp | $100K - $250K | $201 - $1,000 | Dividends | 19 | |
| Two adjacent parcels of land, Evansville, IN | 19.1 |
Liabilities
Officials are required to disclose their liabilities totaling more than $10,000, as well as any linked to their spouse or dependent children. These include mortgages, credit card debt and student loans. The interest rates and loan repayment terms are also required. (Form 278e, Part 8)
| Creditor | Description | Endnote | Line No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Department of Education | type: Student Loan, amount: $50,001 - $100,000, year-incurred: 2024, rate: 9.08, term: 45 months | 1 |
About the Data
Most political appointees and senior officials in the executive branch are required by law to file public financial disclosure reports. These are documents that detail their financial holdings, positions they hold outside government, their spouse’s holdings, their liabilities and their recent financial transactions (such as buying or selling stock) during a defined reporting period.
The most senior officials file their disclosures with an agency called the Office of Government Ethics, and others file them with a designated ethics official within their agency. The Ethics in Government Act allows members of the public and the press to request these documents.
We’re publishing this information to give the public an important glimpse into the financial ties of a powerful and often hidden cadre of presidential appointees within the federal bureaucracy.
The main document type included in the database is the OGE Form 278e, which appointees must file when they are nominated (for Senate-confirmed appointees) or when they enter government (all others), and then annually while in the position. Another common document included is the OGE Form 278-T, also known as a periodic transaction report, which all public filers must submit within 30 days of a transaction. We are also making other ethics documents available, such as ethics agreements, certificates of divestiture and other documents we have obtained under the Ethics in Government Act.
Join us on Wednesday, April 8 for a walkthrough of ProPublica's new database of financial disclosures from Trump appointees and any potential conflicts they reveal. Register here.
