Tag

#corruption

Abuse of public office for private gain, including bribery, embezzlement, trading in influence, conflicts of interest, and nepotism. Violations of anti-corruption treaties and domestic ethics laws.

26 incidents

Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power

Trump's Bank Regulator Grants Conditional National Bank Charter to Trump Family's Crypto Venture (August 2026)

A federal bank regulator run by a Trump appointee conditionally approved a national bank charter for the Trump family's crypto company, World Liberty Trust, to issue the USD1 stablecoin and custody digital assets. The president's family holds a reported 38% stake. Watchdogs said the OCC cannot impartially supervise a bank partly owned by the president who appoints and can remove its head. The approval is conditional, and the bank cannot open until it meets further requirements.

Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power

Pay-to-Play: Trump's Dell Stock Precedes $9.7B Pentagon Deal, White House Ballroom Donors Win $50B in Contracts

Trump bought Dell stock, then the Pentagon gave Dell a $9.7 billion contract two weeks later. Separately, 14 of 27 corporate donors to Trump's White House ballroom project won a combined $50 billion in new federal contracts within six months of giving. Ethics watchdogs call both pay-to-play; no formal violation has been charged.

Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power

CFPB Dismantlement While Musk Launches Competing XMoney Payment Service

Musk used his government role leading DOGE to dismantle the CFPB, the agency positioned to regulate his XMoney digital payments platform, while gaining access to competitors' confidential financial data — a conflict of interest that ethics watchdogs and senators have flagged as potentially criminal under 18 U.S.C. 208. No charge or official finding has been made.

Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power

Systematic Pardons of Political Allies and Financial Criminals — $1.3 Billion in Victim Restitution Erased

A systematic pattern of pardons benefiting political allies, donors, and financial criminals. Over half of 88 clemency grants went to white-collar offenders, erasing $1.3 billion in victim restitution. Twenty corrupt politicians were pardoned. The DOJ's Public Integrity Section — responsible for investigating corruption — has been largely dismantled, and the head of the Pardon Attorney's office was fired and replaced with a political loyalist.

Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power

Trump Emoluments: Foreign Government Payments Through Business Deals, Gifts, and Cryptocurrency

An unprecedented pattern of foreign government payments flowing to the president's personal businesses and financial ventures, including real estate deals in Vietnam, Serbia, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf states, the LIV Golf partnership, a $400 million Qatari jet, and cryptocurrency schemes — prompting multiple Senate resolutions, introduced but not passed, that characterize the arrangements as Emoluments Clause violations.

Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power

Presidential Pardons: Political Allies and Corrupt Officials Pardoned

Trump granted clemency 237 times in his first term (144 pardons and 94 commutations), including 143 grants on his last full day in office. Analysts documented that a disproportionate share of Trump's pardons went to political allies, relatives of political allies, or individuals whose cases were connected to Trump's political interests. The pardons of Manafort, Stone, Flynn, and Bannon were specifically notable because each had been convicted or charged in connection with conduct related to Trump's political activities, and each received executive clemency. The final day pardons also included Steve Bannon, who was awaiting trial.

Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power

Paul Manafort: Bank and Tax Fraud Convictions, Conspiracy and Witness-Tampering Plea — Pardoned

Prosecutors alleged Manafort was paid more than $60 million between 2010 and 2014 by Ukrainian sponsors for political work for Viktor Yanukovych, the pro-Russian Ukrainian president later forced from office and who fled to Russia. Manafort hid the income in offshore accounts and spent lavishly while lying on tax returns and bank loan applications. Mueller's investigation documented that Manafort had also shared internal Trump campaign polling data with Konstantin Kilimnik, whom the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report (Volume 5, August 2020) characterized as a 'Russian intelligence officer', calling Manafort's activities a 'grave counterintelligence threat'.

Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power

Veterans Affairs: Mar-a-Lago Members Shaped Policy, VA Secretary Firing

The ProPublica investigation documented a 'shadow VA' in which the three Mar-a-Lago members — who paid $200,000 entry fees — exchanged hundreds of calls and emails with VA officials, reviewed candidates for top positions, pressed for months for additional vetting of a $10 billion electronic health records contract with Cerner, and shaped the VA's strategic direction without any official appointment. VA Secretary Shulkin had cooperated with the arrangements. He was fired amid internal feuding; Trump nominated his personal physician Ronny Jackson as replacement; Jackson withdrew after Senate investigators documented allegations of drunk driving, overprescribing, and creating a 'toxic work environment.'

Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power

Kushner Security Clearance Override: Intelligence Community Rejected, Trump Overruled

Kushner's initial SF-86 security clearance form, filed in January 2017, omitted more than 100 foreign contacts, including meetings with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak and Russian banker Sergey Gorkov. He amended the form multiple times. Career intelligence and law enforcement officials raised concerns about his business's financial entanglements with foreign nationals, including a $1.4 billion loan his family company received from Qatari-linked investors, and meetings he had had with foreign officials during the transition. Chief of Staff John Kelly wrote an internal memo stating he personally overruled the career professionals' recommendation against granting clearance. Trump later denied to journalists that he had ordered the clearance, contradicting Kelly's memo.

Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power

Mike Pompeo: State Department Staff Used for Personal Errands, Spouse Events Charged to Taxpayers

The State Department OIG's April 2021 report on the investigation begun by Linick found more than a hundred improper requests by Pompeo or his wife to department staff, including mailing personal holiday cards, caring for family pets and planning personal events. Trump removed Linick on May 15, 2020; Trump's letter cited lost confidence, and Pompeo later said the decision to remove Linick was his. Linick testified to Congress in June 2020 about the circumstances of his firing, including the errands investigation and alleged bullying by Pompeo aide Brian Bulatao over a separate review of emergency arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Pompeo denied wrongdoing.

Grade 1 of 5: Significant Democratic Concern

Ben Carson HUD Furniture: $31,000 Dining Set Ordered Above the $5,000 Limit, Then Cancelled

The $31,561 dining set — table, chairs, and hutch — was ordered in September 2017 for Carson's HUD suite. A career HUD employee, Helen Foster, filed a complaint alleging she was reassigned after she raised concerns about the legality of the purchase. Foster said she was told by HUD leadership that the order would go forward and that 'someone' had ordered it who outranked her. After the purchase became public in February 2018, Carson and his wife initially disputed involvement; email communications later showed that Carson and his wife had selected the set, and Carson testified in March 2018 that he had 'left it to my wife, you know, to choose something.' The order was cancelled. The HUD inspector general's September 2019 report cleared Carson of misconduct.

Grade 1 of 5: Significant Democratic Concern

Steve Mnuchin: Requested Military Jet for Honeymoon, Flew Air Force Jet to Kentucky on Eclipse Day

The Treasury Inspector General opened an inquiry after criticism of the Kentucky trip. Mnuchin denied the trip was related to the eclipse ('Being a New Yorker, I don't have any interest in watching the eclipse'), and reimbursed the government $595 for Linton's travel out of a total cost of $26,900. The inquiry revealed the honeymoon jet request, which Mnuchin had withdrawn. The IG's October 4, 2017 report found 'no violation of law in these requests and uses' of government aircraft, but expressed concern about a 'disconnect' between the required standard of justification and the proof Treasury provided and the White House accepted. It reviewed nine military-aircraft requests since March 2017; the seven trips taken cost $811,800. Linton's Instagram post — tagging designer brands and replying dismissively to a critic — became a symbol of administration attitudes toward wealth and public service.

Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power

Tom Price: $1 Million in Private Jet Travel as HHS Secretary, Resigned After Public Disclosure

Price's private jet use was revealed by Politico, which reported in September 2017 that he had taken multiple private charter flights at costs far exceeding commercial alternatives — including a $25,000 flight from Washington, D.C. to Philadelphia, a route served by Amtrak trains for under $80 and commercial flights for under $200. After the initial Politico report, additional flights were disclosed including trips to Europe, Africa, and Asia on military aircraft. Trump initially said he was 'not happy' about the reports while keeping Price in office, then accepted Price's resignation on September 29, 2017. Price offered to reimburse approximately $52,000 — the cost of his seat only on the flights — but not the full charter costs.

Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power

Ryan Zinke's Interior Department: Ethics Violations, Developer Deals, Land Monuments Gutted

Zinke took a $12,375 charter flight from Las Vegas to Montana after speaking to the Vegas Golden Knights, a hockey team owned by a major campaign donor; the Interior Inspector General found the speech was not official business. A foundation he created was involved with Halliburton chairman David Lesar in a development project in his hometown of Whitefish, Montana. Two Connecticut tribes said Interior refused to sign off on their casino project after lobbying by MGM Resorts International and two Nevada Republican lawmakers. He reduced Bears Ears National Monument by 85% and Grand Staircase-Escalante by nearly half — the largest rollback of protected federal land in U.S. history. He resigned in December 2018; Interior's Inspector General had referred his conduct to the Justice Department in October 2018.

Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power

Scott Pruitt: EPA Corruption, Tactical Security Detail, and Regulatory Rollbacks

Pruitt's tenure combined serious corruption with aggressive deregulation — two goals that reinforced each other. His round-the-clock security detail cost more than $4.6 million by June 2018; an internal EPA intelligence assessment found no specific credible threats justifying its expansion. He flew first class, citing security, over the reluctance of the lead agent of his own detail. He rented a condo from a lobbyist couple at $50/night while their firm had clients regulated by the EPA. He raised the salaries of two aides by about $56,765 and $28,130 using a Safe Drinking Water Act hiring provision after the White House had rejected the increases. He was ultimately undone by the accumulation of scandal but had already implemented dozens of deregulatory actions.

Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power

Emoluments Violations: Profiting from Foreign and Domestic Governments While President

Unlike every president in modern history, Trump refused to divest from his businesses, instead placing them in a trust managed by his sons. Foreign governments and domestic government agencies spent millions at Trump properties during his presidency. Courts dismissed emoluments cases on procedural grounds rather than merits; a January 2024 House Oversight Democrats report documented more than $7.8 million in payments from at least 20 foreign governments to Trump businesses during his presidency.

Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power

Systematic Hatch Act Violations: Using Government Resources for Political Campaigns

The Office of Special Counsel — an independent federal watchdog — found that at least 13 senior Trump administration officials violated the Hatch Act before the 2020 election, mostly by promoting Trump's reelection in official-capacity interviews; Pompeo by changing State Department policy to speak at the RNC; and Wolf and others by orchestrating a naturalization ceremony to create RNC content. Each could only have been disciplined by Trump, who took no action. Earlier, in May 2019, Conway responded to Hatch Act criticism: 'Let me know when the jail sentence starts.'

Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power

Inaugural Committee: $107 Million Raised, Federal Investigations Into Corruption

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan subpoenaed the inaugural committee in February 2019. Prosecutors subpoenaed records investigating potential coordination with foreign nationals and possible misuse of nonprofit funds. Tom Barrack, who chaired the fundraising effort, was indicted in July 2021 on charges of acting as an unregistered foreign agent of the UAE, obstruction of justice, and making false statements. The indictment alleged Barrack had used his position in the Trump campaign and inaugural committee to influence U.S. policy and public statements in favor of the UAE. Barrack was acquitted at trial in November 2022. Prosecutors were reported in December 2018 to be examining whether Middle Eastern foreigners used straw donors to funnel money to the committee; no such finding has been made public.

Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power

Presidential Conflicts of Interest: Trump Refused to Divest from Business Empire

Prior presidents had either sold their business assets or placed them in blind trusts managed by independent trustees. Trump placed his holdings in a revocable trust managed by his sons Donald Jr. and Eric, with Trump retaining the ability to revoke the trust at any time and receiving financial reports about the businesses. The Office of Government Ethics stated the arrangement was insufficient to prevent conflicts. The Trump International Hotel in Washington, housed in a federally-owned building under a lease Trump's own government administered, became a center of lobbying activity, with foreign governments and domestic interest groups booking events and rooms to seek favorable treatment. Saudi Arabia spent more than $270,000 at the hotel in a single year.

Grade 1 of 5: Significant Democratic Concern

Trump Tower Moscow: Active Negotiations During 2016 Campaign, Covered Up

The Trump Tower Moscow project involved Cohen emailing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov's office in January 2016 seeking Putin's personal assistance advancing the project. Trump signed a letter of intent in October 2015. Negotiations continued through June 2016. Cohen testified to Congress in 2017 that negotiations ended in January 2016 — a lie he later admitted under oath. The project would have been the largest Trump deal ever, potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars and requiring Russian government approval. Throughout this period, Trump repeatedly denied any Russian business dealings and publicly advocated for lifting sanctions on Russia.

Outside the grading scale: Pre-Office Conduct

Trump University: Defrauding Thousands of Students Through a Fraudulent 'Education' Scheme

Trump University promised to teach students Trump's real estate 'secrets' through courses taught by his handpicked instructors. In practice, it was found to be a high-pressure sales operation that extracted money from vulnerable people — including elderly retirees — through a series of escalating upsells. New York's attorney general sued for $40 million; a California class action settled for $25 million in 2016.

Outside the grading scale: Pre-Office Conduct

Trump Airlines, Trump Steaks, Trump Magazine: Serial Business Failures

Trump purchased the Eastern Air Shuttle for $365 million in 1988 and renamed it Trump Shuttle. Unable to make debt service payments on the junk bonds used to finance the purchase, Trump lost control of the airline to creditors in 1992 — it operated for only four years. Trump Steaks were sold through The Sharper Image beginning in 2007 and discontinued within two months due to poor sales. Trump Magazine was launched in 2007 and folded within five months. Trump Vodka was launched in 2005 and discontinued by 2011. The pattern across these ventures was consistent: launch with celebrity promotion, heavy licensing of the Trump name, and eventual failure attributed to market conditions.

Outside the grading scale: Pre-Office Conduct

The Art of the Deal: Tony Schwartz's Public Repudiation of Ghostwritten Book

Tony Schwartz spent 18 months with Trump to research and write The Art of the Deal. By his account, Trump's attention span was limited, he rarely focused on any topic for more than a few minutes, and most of what appeared in the book was invented or shaped by Schwartz from fragments of Trump's statements. The book created the public image of Trump as a brilliant real estate dealmaker — an image Trump leveraged throughout his political career as evidence of his fitness for office. Schwartz's 2016 interviews in The New Yorker and subsequent public statements described the book as a fabrication of Trump's public identity and said he feared Trump becoming president.

Outside the grading scale: Pre-Office Conduct

Tax Returns Investigation: $1 Billion in Losses, Tax Avoidance Schemes Documented

The 2019 NYT investigation used IRS data from 1985-1994, finding Trump declared $1.17 billion in losses — an average of $117 million per year — largely from casino and real estate failures. The losses were so large that Trump paid no income tax in eight of the ten years. The 2020 investigation of complete tax returns found Trump paid $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and $750 in 2017 through aggressive deductions, carried-forward losses, and tax credits. Trump had for decades refused to release his tax returns, claiming he was under IRS audit. He remained the only presidential candidate in modern history to refuse release until his returns were eventually obtained by courts after litigation.

Outside the grading scale: Pre-Office Conduct

Vietnam Draft Deferments: Five Deferments Including Bone Spurs, While Calling Others Cowards

The four student deferments were legal and widely used by college students of the era. The 1968 bone spurs medical deferment, obtained after Trump's student deferments expired at graduation, came from Dr. Larry Braunstein, a podiatrist in Jamaica, Queens — a building owner named Fred Trump. Braunstein's daughters told the New York Times in 2018 that their father provided the diagnosis as a 'favor' to Fred Trump, the landlord. Trump has described his bone spurs in varying ways over the years, at times saying they had healed on their own and at other times appearing not to remember which foot was affected. He has praised military service at Veterans events while criticizing specific veterans including John McCain for being captured.