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Trump Corruption in Spotlight as Top Aide Implicated in Alleged 'Shakedown Scheme'
"When the person at the top is as corrupt as Trump, everyone else becomes corrupt, because otherwise you're a sucker," wrote one journalist.
Nov 26, 2024
Boris Epshteyn, a leading adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, allegedly sought payments in the tens of thousands of dollars in exchange for promoting candidates for top positions in the incoming administration, a scheme that observers saw as further evidence of the corruption pervading the Republican leader's inner circle.
Multiple news outlets reported Monday that the top attorney on Trump's transition team investigated Epshteyn—who helped represent the former president during his effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election—over accusations that he requested payments from people seeking roles in the incoming administration.
Scott Bessent, Trump's pick to lead the Treasury Department, was among those Epshteyn pushed for payments , according toThe Associated Press.
The Washington Postreported Monday that Epshteyn asked Bessent for "a monthly stipend of at least $30,000" in exchange for promoting him for the Treasury role, an offer Bessent declined. Epshteyn "later asked Bessent to invest $10 million in a three-on-three basketball league," according to the Post, which cited an internal legal review.
Epshteyn called the accusations "fake" and "defamatory."
Reports of Epshteyn's scheme came amid broader concerns about glaring conflicts of interest within Trump's transition team and incoming administration, both of which are teeming with lobbyists and executives who stand to benefit from the president-elect's second term.
"In any organization, when the person at the top is as corrupt as Trump, everyone else becomes corrupt, because otherwise you're a sucker," journalist Jon Schwarz wrote Monday.
In what one watchdog group called "a highly unprecedented move," Trump has thus far refused to sign a legally required ethics pledge and other documents necessary to formally set the transition in motion. By not signing the ethics pledge, Trump has been able to conceal the names of individuals and corporations financing his return to power, allowing them to contribute unlimited sums.
"This resistance to commit to ethical conduct while serving as president is a red flag pointing to nothing so much as greed and corruption and an intention to enrich himself and/or his family through the extensive powers of his office," Virginia Kase Solomón, president and CEO of Common Cause, said in a statement Monday. "Americans expect and deserve a president who prioritizes the nation's well-being over personal gain. They will not tolerate a president who abuses the powers of his office to line his own pockets."
During his first term, according to a recent analysis by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, Trump "likely benefited from $13.6 million in payments from foreign governments" to his companies.
Trump, granted sweeping immunity by the conservative-dominated Supreme Court, is poised to enrich himself further during his second term. As the Postnoted last week, the president-elect "has made no promises to divest from any of his financial interests, which have now soared to include a cryptocurrency business and a stake valued at $3.76 billionin a social media company, in addition to his family firm's growing number of foreign deals."
"The unprecedented scenario of a president holding a single company's shares worth billions of dollars—as Trump does in Trump Media & Technology Group Corp., the parent company of Truth Social—is unanticipated by existing law," the Post added.
Delaney Marsco and Maha Quadri of Campaign Legal Center wrote earlier this month that "in the absence of swift, concrete action by the president-elect to signal his dedication to ethics standards, all signs point to a second term that will prioritize personal interest over public good, and a declining trust in public institutions."
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Trump Cabinet of Villains Grows With Gabbard for DNI, Gaetz for AG
"The most adept satirist could not create a more shameful lineup of Cabinet secretaries," said one critic.
Nov 13, 2024
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump continued to stoke global fears for the future on Wednesday by announcing more picks for top leadership positions in his next administration: former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Republican Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz for attorney general.
The president-elect also confirmed his widely reported plan to name Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) as secretary of state. The Associated Pressnoted that "the choices continued a pattern of Trump stocking his Cabinet with loyalists he believes he can trust to execute his agenda rather than longtime officials with experience in their fields."
The announcements have provoked comparisons to blockbuster villains. One social media user quipped that "Trump's Cabinet is shaping up like Dr. Evil's collection of henchmen," while Justin Jones—a Tennessee Democrat expelled from the state Legislature over a gun violence protest but then reinstated last year—pointed to Voldemort, the leading antagonist in the Harry Potter book and film series.
Gabbard was deployed to Kuwait and Iraq as a member of the Hawaii Army National Guard. She represented the state as a Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2013 to 2021. During the 2020 cycle, Gabbard launched a longshot presidential bid but ultimately backed President Joe Biden. The "dark horse" ditched the Democratic Party in 2022 and, as Politicoput it, "became a fixture in conservative media." After endorsing Trump in August, she hit the campaign trail.
The ex-congresswoman, who officially joined the Republican Party last month, has been a longtime critic of U.S. foreign policy. Opponents of her selection on Wednesday highlighted her history of being "extremely sympathetic" to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen called her forthcoming nomination "a coup for the Kremlin."
Paul Eaton, a retired U.S. Army major general and a senior adviser to VoteVets, said in a statement that "putting Tulsi Gabbard in charge of our intelligence, which keeps Americans safe here and abroad, is dangerous and reckless. In Gabbard, Trump has a complete and total loyalist who will use and wield our intelligence to Trump's benefit, not to protect America and our Constitution."
"In combination with many of Trump's other appointments and nominations, we see a picture coming together of an administration made up of unqualified, marginal zealots who will constantly be trying to please their leader rather than fulfill their oath to put the Constitution and the safety of the American people above the president's ego," he added. "Many warned that Trump would dispense of all guardrails in a second term, so every whim of his would be carried out without question or protest. We are now seeing exactly what that looks like."
Journalists and other political observers were quick to note that Gabbard and Gaetz would be "tough" nominees to get even a Republican-controlled Senate to confirm.
"Oh, for f*ck's sake," Food & Water Watch managing director of policy and litigation Mitch Jones said of Gaetz's selection. "The Senate should overwhelmingly reject this nomination."
However, there are mounting fears Trump will try to force through his most controversial picks—including Pete Hegseth, the Army veteran, lobbyist for war criminals, and "Fox & Friends" host set to lead the Pentagon—with recess appointments.
Economics reporter Joseph Zeballos-Roig wrote on social media Wednesday that "Trump nominating Gaetz, Gabbard, and Hegseth in a 24-hour period for key government posts suggests he doesn't see limits for what a GOP Senate will swallow."
Recalling a historic lie from one of Trump's former press secretaries, New York Times opinion columnist Ezra Klein said: "Demanding Senate Republicans back Gaetz as attorney general and Hegseth as defense secretary is the 2024 version of forcing Sean Spicer to say it was the largest inauguration crowd ever. These aren't just appointments. They're loyalty tests. The absurdity is the point."
"It also reflects a difference between Trump in 2020 and Trump in 2024: In 2020, Trump didn't have the pull with Senate Republicans... to impose this kind of loyalty test," Klein added. "He didn't even have it with many of his own appointees. Now, well, we'll see."
Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) declared that "Matt Gaetz is unconfirmable, he is the canary in the recess appointment coal mine."
Gaetz is a Trump loyalist known for ousting former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) last year. Some of his critics on Wednesday directed attention to an ongoing House Ethics Committee probe into allegations of sex trafficking. A U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation ended with no charges and the congressman has denied any wrongdoing.
The president-elect is particularly hostile toward the Department of Justice, due to the two federal cases he faced for trying to overturn his 2020 loss to Biden and taking classified materials to Mar-a-Lago, his Florida resident.
"Trump's desire to nominate Gaetz for attorney general marks an effort to simultaneously degrade and weaponize the DOJ, subverting its mission of principled, nonpartisan law enforcement while punishing those who pursued charges against Trump (and, perhaps, against Gaetz himself)," wroteSlate's Mark Joseph Stern.
"It is a shocking choice, surely by design, that reflects an obvious desire to corrupt the agency from the top down," he added. "If Gaetz is confirmed, it's no exaggeration to say that the Justice Department will be permanently damaged, as civil servants flee (or face termination), partisan loyalists take their place, and the entire agency reorients around settling old scores against Trump's perceived enemies."
Robert Weissman, co-president of Public Citizen, similarly warned in a Wednesday statement that the graduate of William & Mary Law School "would lead a vengeful, authoritarian, and lawless Department of Justice."
"As a member of Congress, Gaetz has demonstrated contempt for the rule of law, truth, and decency," Weissman asserted. "He is singularly unqualified to lead an agency that enforces civil rights laws and environmental protection statutes. Under Gaetz, we'd have every reason to expect an America where corporate criminals walk free but immigrants and people of color are harassed or rounded up with minimal pretext."
Drop Site News' Ryan Grim acknowledged that Gaetz is "good" on some issues—like press freedom and surveillance—but critics like Common Cause President & CEO Virginia Kase Solomón stressed that he "has consistently worked against democracy and accountability."
On January 6, 2021, Gaetz "supported efforts to overturn the 2020 election and has since continued to shield those who attempted to subvert our democratic processes," Kase Solomón said. "His anti-voter agenda includes pushing legislation that would strip eligible voters from the rolls, even threatening government shutdowns to enforce voter suppression. Beyond that, his rhetoric and actions reveal a troubling history of encouraging violence against racial justice protesters and promoting dangerous white supremacist ideologies. This is not a candidate who values equality, justice, or the rights of all Americans."
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced that Gaetz resigned from Congress Wednesday evening, allegedly due to concerns over accumulating too many absences. AP 's Farnoush Amiri reported that "the House Ethics Committee's ongoing probe into allegations of child sex trafficking ends as does his tenure, and no report will be issued."
In addition to Gaetz, Gabbard, Hegseth, and Rubio, Trump has chosen GOP South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem for homeland security secretary, former Congressman John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) for Central Intelligence Agency director, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) for United Nations ambassador, and ex-Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) for Environmental Protection Agency administrator.
Trump has also selected multiple people whose posts don't require Senate confirmation: former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Tom Homan for "border czar," first-term adviser Stephen Miller for deputy chief of staff for policy, Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) for national security adviser, and longtime GOP strategist Susie Wiles for White House chief of staff.
The president-elect further announced Tuesday that billionaire campaign surrogates Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will lead the yet-to-be-created Department of Government Efficiency to gut regulations and federal agencies.
Meanwhile, to track and challenge the incoming administration's attacks, the watchdog Accountable.US on Wednesday announced the Trump Accountability War Room and two Democrats launched Governors Safeguarding Democracy.
This post has been updated to include Rep. Matt Gaetz's resignation from Congress.
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House Dem Launches Push to Overturn Supreme Court Immunity Ruling
"It is incumbent upon Congress to fix this problem, and with his proposed constitutional amendment, Rep. Joseph Morelle is taking the first step," said the head of one group backing the effort.
Jul 25, 2024
The top Democrat of the Committee on House Administration on Wednesday proposed an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would reverse the Supreme Court's recent decision to grant presidents "absolute immunity" from criminal prosecution for "official acts."
Led by Chief Justice John Roberts, the court's right-wing members ruled in favor of former President Donald Trump, the GOP nominee for the November election, triggering a wave of warnings, including from liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who wrote in her early July dissent that "the president is now a king above the law."
Congressman Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.) is leading the fight for an amendment to reverse that ruling. He said in a statement that the high court "undermined not just the foundation of our constitutional government, but the foundation of our democracy."
"At its core, our nation relies on the principle that no American stands above another in the eyes of the law," he continued. "I introduced this constitutional amendment to correct a grave error of this Supreme Court and protect our democracy by ensuring no president is ever above the law. The American people expect their leaders to be held to the same standards we hold for any member of our community. Presidents are not monarchy, they are not tyrants, and shall not be immune."
Morelle proposed an amendment that would make clear "there is no immunity from criminal prosecution for an act on the grounds that such act was within the constitutional authority or official duties of an individual," and presidents may not pardon themselves.
"The Roberts Court, in a fit of neomonarchical enthusiasm for Donald Trump, has tried to lay out the red carpet for a lawless autocratic president."
The effort is backed by over 40 other House Democrats, including Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, a constitutional law scholar.
"We must do everything in our power to reverse the Supreme Court's outrageous betrayal of more than two centuries of constitutional law in America," said Raskin. "Nothing has been more sacred to American constitutional jurisprudence than the idea that no one is above the law, but the Roberts Court, in a fit of neomonarchical enthusiasm for Donald Trump, has tried to lay out the red carpet for a lawless autocratic president."
"We should do everything we can in a statutory way to repair the damage," he argued, "but ultimately, this will require some kind of constitutional amendment to block a fundamental change in American constitutional and political culture."
Advocacy groups are also supporting Morelle's proposal and highlighting what the recent ruling could mean for the future.
"The Supreme Court's decision in Trump v. United States has imposed serious obstacles to holding Trump accountable for his role in the violence on January 6 and the attempt to stop the peaceful transfer of power," said Public Citizen co-president Lisa Gilbert. "As Justice Sotomayor wrote in her dissent, under the holding of Trump v. United States, a president could order the assassination of a rival, take a bribe for pardons, or order a military coup and—in each case—be immune from criminal liability."
"It is incumbent upon Congress to fix this problem, and with his proposed constitutional amendment, Rep. Joseph Morelle is taking the first step to right an obvious constitutional wrong," she continued. "By design, it's not easy to pass a constitutional amendment. But it can be done—and in this case, it must be done. Public Citizen strongly supports this amendment, and along with our allies in the Not Above the Law coalition are committed to ensuring its passage, to restore presidential accountability and basic democratic norms."
People for the American Way president and CEO Svante Myrick stressed that "big problems need big solutions, and the Supreme Court's ruling granting presidents unprecedented immunity is a big problem. Not just now, in the specific case involving Donald Trump, but in countless foreseeable and unforeseeable ways in the future."
"Our democracy is built on the principle that nobody is above the law," he added. "People For the American Way is proud to support this proposed amendment to strengthen and shore up that principle at this critical moment in our history."
Common Cause has also endorsed the effort. Virginia Kase Solomón, the group's president and CEO, called the court's decision "dangerous" and a departure from "what the framers intended."
"We thank Congressman Morelle for his leadership to uphold the rule of law and ensure accountability for all Americans, and we urge Congress to quickly pass this constitutional amendment," she said.
In the United States, constitutional amendments may be proposed either by Congress with two-thirds majority support in both chambers or by a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of the state legislatures.
Although Morelle's proposal lacks the support it would need to get through Congress, it sends a clear signal to voters going into the November election, when control of both chambers is up for grabs and the American people will likely get to choose between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee.
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