"Every time Donald Trump has run for president, he has vowed to drain the swamp in Washington. But ever since he returned to the White House, not only has he not even tried to drain the swamp, he has pushed to gild it. Trump has used all the gold and glitz he can to cover up an increasingly putrid swamp a morass filled with million-dollar donors scrambling for access, criminals seeking to buy pardons, corporate executives appointed to high-level government jobs and billionaire sycophants sucking up to Trump."
"Making the swamp smell even worse, the president and his sons have somehow managed, through crypto and other means, to increase their wealth by an estimated $4bn since Trump won a second term. At this point, we should probably call Trump's Washington not a swamp, but a colossal cesspool. For the sake of accuracy, Trump should put a big neon sign outside the White House saying: Conflicts of Interest R Us."
"Trump pardoned a crypto billionaire who, through some behind-the-scenes maneuvering, helped increase the value of the Trump family's crypto company, World Liberty Financial, by roughly $2bn. After Trump's campaign and affiliated Pacs received a gusher of donations from oil and gas companies, an estimated $75m, Trump gutted environmental regulations that the fossil fuel industry disliked, while also pushing to undermine electric vehicles as well as solar and wind power."
"The Trump family's conflicts of interest have escalated during the US war with Iran. Trump's oldest sons, Don Jr and Eric, are investors in a drone manufacturer that has sought to sell drones to Gulf states that have faced attacks from Iran and depend on the Trump administration for military aid. In a move that several Democrats called corruption in plain sight, the Pentagon awarded a $24m contract last month to a robotics startup Eric is the company's chief strategy adviser to test an android with the US Marine Corps."
Trump has returned to the White House without attempting to drain Washington’s swamp and has instead increased its gilded appearance. The environment is described as filled with wealthy donors seeking access, criminals seeking pardons, corporate executives moving into government roles, and billionaire supporters. The president and his sons are said to have increased their wealth by about $4bn since a second term began, including through crypto. A crypto billionaire was pardoned after actions tied to boosting the value of the Trump family’s World Liberty Financial by about $2bn. Oil and gas donations are linked to gutting environmental regulations and undermining electric vehicles, solar, and wind. Conflicts are also tied to the war with Iran through investments and Pentagon contracts involving companies connected to Trump’s family.
#conflicts-of-interest #trump-administration #crypto-and-wealth #environmental-deregulation #us-military-contracts
Read at www.theguardian.com
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