Post #44574 by wzambon on the US Policy board

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Systemic, gargantuan, in your face corruption….

They’re not even hiding it, though many continue lame efforts to excuse it.

Introducing the Kleptocracy Tracker

Last week I published Kleptocracy Inc, an article describing the range and scale of the Trump administration conflicts of interest and corruption. I argued that America is beginning to resemble countries such as Russia and China, “where the rulers’ conflicts of interest are simply part of the fabric of the system.” This week I am starting the Kleptocracy Tracker which will, I hope, provide regular updates. Here’s the first edition:

April 19

The White House announced that it would be soliciting corporate sponsors for its annual Easter Egg Role for the first time ever, presenting a new opportunity for business interests to purchase influence with the Trump administration. Meta, which is currently on trial for antitrust violations, was listed as one of the sponsors.
April 21

Cryptocurrency firms are pushing deeper into the US banking system – some seeking bank charters that would allow them to take deposits and offer loans – amid the friendly regulatory environment Trump has created. Trump’s crypto business interests mean these developments necessarily enrich him and his family.
Trump, it emerges, raised $239 million for his inauguration, shattering historical fundraising norms for the ceremony. Many big ticket donations came from corporate interests looking to purchase favor with the president, including $50 million in contributions from firms under investigation or facing federal enforcement actions.
Allegedly the Kremlin is dangling, once again, the prospect of a Trump Tower in Moscow to entice the president into a grand US-Russia bargain. Readers may remember that this was Trump’s own idea, well before the 2016 election, but it never got off the ground. Note that have already shown their willingness to play political games in countries where they have real estate deals: Jared Kushner’s hotel project in Serbia has coincided with Don Trump Jr’s visit to Serbia, during which he expressed his support for the prime minister, “a trip that offered perhaps the most explicit mixing so far in President Trump’s second term of U.S. foreign policy and the Trump family’s financial interests” according to the New York Times.
April 22

Trump-linked lobbying firms reported massive Q1 profits after organizations – including those targeted by the Trump administration and those seeking tariff carveouts – sought inroads to influence the president. For instance, Ballard Partners and Mercury Public earned $14 million and $5.1 million, respectively, last quarter alone, compared to total annual revenues of $19.3 million and $11.4 million each in 2024.
Firms that are politically connected to the administration, like Reyes Holdings – the owners of which have donated millions of dollars to Republican causes – are reportedly receiving tariff exemptions from the Trump administration.
Trump Media announced an agreement with Crypto.com and Yorkville America Digital to launch a series of exchange traded funds (ETFs) for investment products, including cryptocurrency. Remember, this is a sitting president, allegedly pursuing the public interest, continuing to enter business deals which enrich himself.
April 23

Trump announced that he would host a private dinner at his members-only Virginia golf club, followed by a tour of the White House, for the top 220 investors of his memecoin, $TRUMP. This is access, pure and simple, in exchange for money. Trump’s continued crypto-self-enrichment scheme comes as Paul Atkins – a friend to the cryptocurrency industry – was sworn in as SEC chairman this week.
April 24

Trump ordered the DOJ to launch an investigation into ActBlue, the Democratic Party’s core fundraising platform. This is an abuse of a government agency for the president’s personal political purposes, a classic example of state capture.
Roger Ver, a crypto entrepreneur known as ‘Bitcoin Jesus,’ facing federal fraud and criminal tax charges, paid Roger Stone Jr. $600,000 to lobby Trump to eliminate the tax provisions at the center of his indictment.

https://open.substack.com/pub/anneapplebaum/p/gula...

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