‘The first year of the Trump administration has been a year of greed. . . . So much for “draining the swamp”’

Senators point to major victories in battle against shameless self-dealing in the Trump administration

Washington, D.C. – Today, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Tom Udall (D-NM), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) sent a report to the White House on the serious ethical breaches and special interest self-dealing that has characterized the first year of Donald Trump’s presidency.  Their report details how the President and his cabinet have gained personally from the Executive power they wield; how the President’s billionaire friends and associates have attempted to raid the federal government and win special treatment from the Trump administration; and how dark money has infiltrated our politics and government like never before.  However, while the efforts to corrupt the federal government have been brazen, the Senators point out that, more often than not, such efforts have been exposed or failed outright.  The report also offers proposals from Senate Democrats to safeguard our government from future corruption and instill greater transparency and accountability in the Executive Branch.

“The first year of the Trump administration has been a year of greed.  The President and his family profit from his office.  The President’s wealthy friends secretly work behind the scenes to install their lackeys, extract profitable carve outs in laws and regulations, and win special deals from the federal government.  Big businesses fund legislation and judicial efforts to gut rules that protect Americans’ health and safety.  So much for ‘draining the swamp,’” the Senators write. “The good news is that President Trump and his friends have not been as successful as they hoped.”

Full text of the report is below.  A PDF copy is available here.