Jonathan O'Connell

Washington, D.C.

Reporter

Education: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Jonathan O'Connell is a reporter focused on investigations. He has covered economic development, commercial real estate and President Donald Trump's business. He joined The Post in 2010.
Latest from Jonathan O'Connell

Police records reveal new details about sexual assault allegation against Pete Hegseth

The incident has roiled Donald Trump’s transition team since the former president announced Hegseth as his pick for defense secretary.

November 21, 2024
Pete Hegseth gets on an elevator after arriving at Trump Tower in New York in 2016. (Evan Vucci/AP)

Trump tried to limit financial conflicts in 2017. This time could be different.

Trump will take office with extraordinary wealth at a time when the government’s ability to monitor his ethics is far weaker than in his first presidency.

November 19, 2024
Donald Trump speaks after being declared the winner during an election night watch party at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, in the early hours of Nov. 6.

Defense pick Hegseth paid accuser but denies sexual assault, attorney says

Documents obtained by The Post provide extensive detail about an allegation that Pete Hegseth sexually assaulted a woman in 2017.

November 16, 2024
Pete Hegseth on Dec. 31, 2021 in Nashville.

Trump team weighs Pentagon pick after sexual assault allegation surfaces

Trump’s pick for secretary of defense was investigated in a 2017 incident in California, Monterey police said. Hegseth’s lawyer said police found “no evidence” of wrongdoing.

November 15, 2024
“Fox & Friends” weekend co-host Pete Hegseth at Goolee's Grille in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on April 26, 2019.

Treasury probe of cryptocurrency could pose conflict for Trump aide

Howard Lutnick, Trump’s transition co-chair, has talked up Tether, which the government is looking into.

November 9, 2024
Howard Lutnick, CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, speaks at the 2024 Bitcoin Conference in Nashville in July.

Conservative group’s ‘watch list’ targets federal employees for firing

Donald Trump has pledged, if reelected, to purge the government of bureaucrats suspected of being insufficiently loyal to him and his agenda.

November 2, 2024
Tom Jones, a political activist and former aide to Republican senators, said his goal with the list was to expose people whom he deemed had “long-standing and deep bias” on immigration policy.

Trump’s business has expanded since 2016 — and so have his potential conflicts

As president, Trump could shape policy on cryptocurrency and social media, two industries in which he has new financial interests.

October 17, 2024
Donald Trump proposed crypto-friendly policies at a bitcoin conference in Nashville over the summer.

Harris launches unscripted interview blitz after cautious roll-out

In a neck-and-neck race, Harris is leaning more into unscripted question-and-answer sessions.

October 7, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris answers questions last month during a conversation with members of the National Association of Black Journalists.

Meet Barbara Jones, the ex-judge now policing Trump’s business moves

No other court-appointed monitor has been tasked with keeping tabs on the financial transactions of a former and perhaps soon-to-be-sitting president.

September 26, 2024

Montana GOP Senate candidate touts his business. It’s losing millions.

As Montana Republican Tim Sheehy campaigns on the success of his aerial firefighting business, records show it has suffered millions in losses.

August 10, 2024
Tim Sheehy, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Montana, resigned from the board of the firefighting business he co-founded, Bridger Aerospace, saying he couldn’t devote enough time to running the company. Several directors have resigned from the company amid a severe cash crunch and questions about internal accounting.