On This Day In 2018
An extraordinary number of Trump's staffers are corrupt
More than 20 members of his cabinet or close advisors had to resign under pressure, compared to two so far from Biden’s team.
OTDI 2018, @amprog gave us an excellent analysis of the harm that the corruption of Trump’s staffers did to American society. They began with:
“Since taking office less than a year ago, President Donald Trump has created the most corrupt administration in modern American history. He has used his position to enrich himself and his family, filled his administration with former industry lobbyists, and sought to prevent an investigation into his shady business practices. The American people have noticed…. Most Americans believe President Trump has broken his promise to combat corruption.”
Failure at the top trickles down through his Cabinet, and through his Party--and eventually infects all levels of American society. We encourage you to read the full piece. But here are two key ways they were abusive:
People close to Trump suspiciously benefitted. Jared Kushner got help from overseas governments to support his struggling real estate business. Paul Manafort gave a secret briefing to Russian oligarchs he owed money to, and they probably used that info to influence the 2016 election. Michael Flynn got half a million dollars as an agent of the Turkish government. Flynn and Manafort were convicted for putting their personal interests over that of the country; but, of course, Trump pardoned them both.
Lobbyists love him: Trump “fostered a culture of corruption throughout the government.” He put lobbyists in charge of the very agencies they had previously tried to influence, so they’d be in a position to put their corporate interests above those of the American people.
Do you think 2025 would be any different? First-term Trump was somewhat constrained by his desire to appear honest; many of his accused advisors were forced to resign once their corruption was exposed. But how much would a re-elected Trump, full of spite and grievance, care about corruption in a second Administration?
Center for American Progress published their analysis here: https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/democracy/news/2018/01/16/444997/cost-corruption-waste-abuse-president-trumps-cabinet/
@kdtenpas at @BrookingsInst tracked the resignations and departures: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/tracking-turnover-in-the-trump-administration/
An extraordinary number of Trump's staffers are corrupt
