Counsel in the Elections and Government Program @BrennanCenter, working to address money in politics and public corruption. Opinions my own.
Washington, DC
Joined February 2024
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Eric Petry retweeted
BREAKING: Today Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is introducing legislation that would create a powerful new federal enforcement agency to fight political corruption.
Two stories this week point to the same pattern: private money flowing into the executive branch, including from companies seeking contracts or favorable decisions in matters pending before regulators.
Outrage at excesses and abuses during the Gilded Age and Watergate sparked sweeping reforms that helped clean up government. We're at a similar moment now: 92% of voters across parties call corruption a big problem and want big solutions.
brennancenter.org/our-work/a…
The problems we're seeing are structural and need structural solutions: close the loophole exempting presidents from ethics rules, ban donations from government contractors, give enforcers real teeth, and more. Read how in our report:
brennancenter.org/our-work/r…
Another day, another story detailing how Trump's businesses are profiting from his presidency. The White House says the president wasn't involved in the specifics, but this same pattern keeps emerging, from crypto, to real estate, to other ventures.
nytimes.com/2026/07/14/us/po…
Trust in government requires leaders acting in the people's best interests. The people are fed up with corruption and self-dealing, and they want solutions. They want a government that works!
brennancenter.org/our-work/a…
To help rebuild public trust, an obvious place for Congress to start is by banning presidential conflicts of interest so there's never a question who stands to profit.
brennancenter.org/our-work/r…
The egregious slush fund is on ice, and the courts are enforcing basic ethical rules that apply to all lawyers (incl government attorneys!) to prevent abuses. But Trump's IRS immunity deal still hasn't been rescinded. We shouldn't lose sight of that.
apnews.com/article/trump-irs…
This happened because loopholes in federal ethics law left room for it. Congress should close those loopholes and make clear that presidents must govern in the public interest, not for their personal profit.
brennancenter.org/our-work/r…
There’s always been self-dealing in government, but not like this.
nytimes.com/2026/07/02/world…
The good news is this doesn’t have to be the new normal. Congress can close the loopholes in federal ethics law that made this possible. Here’s how:
brennancenter.org/our-work/r…
The financial disclosures Pres. Trump released this week are stunning. No president has cashed in on the White House on this level before—over $2B last year, including $1.4B from crypto alone.
nytimes.com/2026/06/30/us/po…
As our paper shows, it doesn’t have to be this way. Congress can fix this by closing the presidential ethics loophole, strengthening enforcement, and implementing other anticorruption solutions.
The public wants these reforms. Voters are furious about corruption. They see how it causes ineffective and unresponsive government, and they want change.
brennancenter.org/our-work/a…
BREAKING: In NRSC v. FEC, the Roberts Court again strikes down campaign finance limits, continuing its 16-year drive to dismantle anticorruption guardrails under a radically wrong interpretation of the First Amendment.
This underscores the need for bold reform. The American public overwhelmingly wants reasonable limits on money in politics. They’re fed up with corruption and want a government that works.
brennancenter.org/our-work/a…
Congress must act to curb the corrosive influence of money in politics and restore Americans’ faith in government.
brennancenter.org/our-work/r…