Kari Lake benefited from several streams of media-related income around or during the time she served — illegally, a federal court ruled — as de facto leader of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, according to a new federal financial disclosure.
As a book author, Lake reported earning between $5,001 and $15,000 in royalties from her 2023 tome “Unafraid: Just Getting Started.” The book is published by Winning Team Publishing, which Donald Trump Jr. co-founded — Charlie Kirk, Jeanine Pirro and President Donald Trump himself are among others who’ve worked with the label.
As a recording artist, Lake reported earning $200 or less in royalties from her 2023 song, “81 Million Votes, My Ass,” which mocks the validity of the 2020 presidential election’s results.
On social media, Lake disclosed making $23,352 from monetizing her X account, which has 3.1 million followers.
Trending
Lake, who lost in Arizona’s 2022 gubernatorial race and 2024 U.S. Senate race, also disclosed making a little over $3,000 from “fees collected for email and mailing list rental” to a conservative mailing list management company.
The financial disclosure examined by NOTUS covers Lake’s income and liabilities from March 2025 to March 2026.
In total, Lake made a minimum of $42,000 from her side hustles during that time, according to her disclosure.
Lake is now awaiting confirmation as Trump’s U.S. ambassador to Jamaica.
Earlier this month, Lake signed an ethics agreement for her potential appointment. In it, she agrees not to receive compensation for work through her company, Awake Media LLC, while noting she’ll continue using the company to earn mailing list rental fees. She also said she’d keep accepting book royalties.
As part of the agreement, Lake plans to divest from several stocks and sector funds that could present a conflict of interest. She also said she would demonetize her X account, if appointed. The White House declined to answer questions from NOTUS about Lake’s finances.
“Kari Lake will make an incredible ambassador to the great country of Jamaica, and the White House looks forward to her swift confirmation,” Taylor Rogers, a White House spokesperson, told NOTUS in an emailed statement.
Lake did not respond to a request for comment from NOTUS.
“Jamaica is a country I know very well, full of incredible people, and if confirmed by the Senate, I look forward to strengthening the partnership between our nations, advancing America’s interests abroad, and building on the deep friendship shared by the American and Jamaican people,” Lake said in an X post.
According to the court judgment that ruled Lake’s position at the U.S. Agency for Global Media unlawful, Lake received a “delegation order” in March 2025 to perform the vast majority of the agency’s leadership functions under the title “senior advisor.”
By July 2025, she assumed the title “deputy CEO.” She served as “acting CEO” from July 2025 until November 2025. During her tenure, Lake sought to dismantle the agency, which is the parent organization of international broadcaster Voice of America. But upon Lake’s departure in March, a federal judge reinstated more than 1,000 agency employees.
The court ruled in March 2026 that Lake’s position at the agency was illegal as she was never confirmed by the Senate to take over the agency, even in an “acting” or interim role. High-level, Senate-confirmed officials typically sign ethics agreements detailing how they will conduct their personal finances while serving in a public leadership position. Lake did not sign an ethics agreement while at the U.S. Agency for Global Media.
Author
