Sen. Mazie Hirono is right: FBI Director Patel took an oath to uphold the Constitution. Instead, he's ignoring evidence of corruption at the highest levels. #Corruption #KashPatel #FBI #Activism

This is a pattern we keep seeing in this administration: insiders get extraordinarily rich while wielding enormous government power. It looks more and more like how a mafia operates: insiders win, and make sure they keep on winning.

The New York Times reported that Lutnick’s kids, who now control his firm Cantor Fitzgerald, have earned significant fees advising on data center deals – after their dad used his role to push countries into financing the deals. nytimes.com/2025/11/20/us/po…

The biggest reason for this is Lutnick’s indirect stake in crypto giant Tether. Forbes estimates that stake is now worth $5.4 BILLION – up from $1.7 billion in early 2025. That’s a $3.7 BILLION increase while Lutnick has been serving as Commerce Secretary.

Howard Lutnick’s family fortune has more than DOUBLED since he joined Trump’s cabinet. Forbes estimates the Commerce Secretary and his family are now worth around $7.3 BILLION. forbes.com/sites/saradorn/20…

Hunter has a long history of questions about whether he used his family name for profit when his father was Vice President. The standard definition of corruption is using public office for private gain. That’s no laughing matter, and it’s not ok, no matter which party is involved.

Hunter may think turning his name and notoriety into a memecoin is funny, especially because the Trump family has been profiting so much from crypto. But coming from him, it isn't. reuters.com/legal/pivotal-mo…

Hunter Biden just launched a memecoin named $LAPTOP. Within minutes, its price jumped from $37.26 to $222.75 before crashing more than 95% within hours. Biden hasn’t said whether or how he’ll personally benefit, but memecoin creators can profit from transaction fees or increases in tokens they own. nytimes.com/2026/09/09/us/po…

Hunter has a long history of questions about whether he used his family name for profit when his father was Vice President. The standard definition of corruption is using public office for private gain. That’s no laughing matter, and it’s not ok, no matter which party is involved.

Inspectors general are supposed to independently investigate waste, fraud and abuse – not protect the administration they’re supposed to keep accountable. Congress needs to investigate what is happening with IG offices, and ensure independent oversight.

This is part of a bigger pattern we keep seeing: remove independent checks on power, replace them with allies, and then use that control to intimidate opponents and make accountability harder.

Inspectors general across agencies issued 15% fewer audits and 25% fewer investigative reports in the first half of FY2026 compared with the previous five-year average. The offices hit hardest by staffing cuts saw the steepest decline in investigations.

The New York Times reports that in at least some cases, Trump put Trump supporters and conservative political operatives in charge who are directing investigations away from his administration and toward Trump's political opponents.

This story isn't just about fundraising or the usual money in politics. It's about a broader pattern that sounds to us a lot like a protection racket, with the president using his political power and influence to entice or force others to give him what he wants. Congress needs to investigate this mafia-like behavior and fix the structural problems allowing it to happen.

Some donors have been offered White House dinners and meetings with the president. Some said that when Trump called them after a donation, it was only to ask for even more money. Trump has raised more than $800 million for pet projects like the White House ballroom since returning to office. The WSJ describes it as “a staggering fundraising and influence operation.”

Companies are paying attention. TikTok, Lockheed Martin, SoftBank, and more have all reportedly donated millions to Trump's projects while his admin becomes more involved in making decisions that directly affect them. Several CEOs and board members told the WSJ they believe there is a connection between making contributions and getting access to Trump.

The Wall Street Journal reports that President Trump is personally directing what a former staff member calls a “corporate shakedown” from the White House. He personally pushes his fundraiser, Meredith O’Rourke, to demand huge checks from companies even as he has become much more personally involved in regulatory decisions that used to be made by independent agencies. wsj.com/politics/policy/trum…

For 16 years, billionaires have enjoyed a "right" to unlimited Super PAC donations — thanks to a 2010 court ruling that simply got it wrong. A federal appeals court will hear arguments July 29 on a case to fix this mistake and restore contribution limits. Learn more: equalcitizens.us/against_sup…

How can we trust that military decisions are being made in the national interest when the president could profit from the success of his favored defense contractors? Americans deserve to know, and Congress needs to dig into what is happening here. It also needs to push for stronger ethics laws to prevent those conflicts of interest.

President Trump has not placed his assets into a blind trust, which would be best practice to ensure he has no knowledge of his investments. His brokers make the trades, but Responsible Statecraft reports that Trump could still know what stocks he owns while making policy decisions that affect those same companies.