Trump Corruption

“The president was already asked and answered this question this week and he said if Elon Musk comes across a conflict of interest with the contracts and the funding that DOGE is overseeing, then Elon will excuse himself from those contracts. And he has again abided by all applicable laws.” – White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, after a reporter …

The Washington Post reports: President Donald Trump today signed an executive order banning transgender athletes from competing on girls’ and women’s sports teams. Speaking at the White House to a crowd of supporters, Trump said he’s been “waiting a long time for this.” “It was so ridiculous, but here we are. And this doesn’t have to be long, it’s just …

Axios reports: President Trump’s stunning declaration that the U.S. could “take over” Gaza surprised many of his own advisers, thrilled right-wing Israelis, and deeply alarmed the governments in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan. Trump’s plan to displace two million Palestinians came at a very sensitive point of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage deal. It could even embolden both Hamas and …

The New York Post reports: President Trump proposed a US takeover of the Gaza Strip Tuesday — shortly after proposing removing “all” Palestinians living there. “The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a good job with it too,” Trump said at a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “We’ll own it and be …

“One of the things I want to investigate rapidly – because I’ve never seen anything to this extent – the train that’s being built between Los Angeles and San Francisco, is the worst managed project I think I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen some of the worst. We’re gonna start a big investigation on that because it’s– I’ve never seen …

The Huffington Post reports: Labor unions sued the federal government Tuesday over President Donald Trump’s controversial “deferred resignation” program, saying the effort to nudge government workers out of their jobs violates the law. Officials have told federal employees in a series of emails that they can submit a September resignation now and still receive pay and benefits while doing little …

Fox News reports: President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday ceasing U.S. engagement with the U.N. Human Rights Council and banning funding for the U.N. relief agency for Gaza. The order came as the president is set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump said on Tuesday while signing the executive order, which calls for a review …

The Associated Press reports: President Donald Trump will attend the Super Bowl in New Orleans on Sunday. Trump’s trip to see the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles was confirmed Tuesday by a White House official. It will be his first time attending the game as president. Trump is also scheduled to sit for an interview with Fox …

Via press release from GOP Rep. Michael Cloud: Congressman Michael Cloud (TX-27) and Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) have introduced the Dismantle DEI Act, a bill to codify into law President Trump’s agenda dismantling so-called Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs across the federal government. This legislation ensures that Trump’s actions are permanently enshrined in law, preventing future administrations from reviving …

Politico reports: FBI agents who worked on cases stemming from the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol — or the criminal investigations of President Donald Trump — have filed a class action lawsuit to block Justice Department leadership from assembling lists of agents they say will be used as part of a retaliation campaign. The agents, who brought the federal …

NewsNation reports: The Trump administration on Tuesday began flying immigrants who entered the country illegally to Guantanamo Bay amid plans to use the facility in Cuba to house thousands of migrants. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the first flights from the U.S. to Guantanamo Bay carrying “illegal migrants” were underway. “President Trump is not messing around, and …

The Washington Post reports: The assistant commissioner of a division of the General Services Administration told staff early this week that layoffs across the federal government are “likely” after the deferred resignation offer expires Thursday, according to an email obtained by The Washington Post — the sharpest move yet toward forcibly removing many of the 2.3 million civilian federal employees. …

Talking Points Memo reports: Overnight, Wired reported that, contrary to published reports that DOGE operatives at the Treasury Department are limited to “read only” access to department payment systems, this is not true. A 25-year-old DOGE operative named Marko Elez in fact has admin privileges on these critical systems, which directly control and pay out roughly 95% of payments made …

The Huffington Post reports: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) on Monday appeared to strike a nerve with the Trump White House over his criticism of newly-titled “special government employee” Elon Musk, aka the richest man in the world. Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee, wrote on X that the social media platform’s billionaire owner “is a terrible president.” White …

NPR reports: A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has issued a temporary restraining order against a Trump administration effort to freeze funding for federal grants and other programs. Monday’s order by U.S. Judge Loren AliKhan comes in response to a memo released by the Office of Management and Budget last week directing the funding pause. The memo spurred a legal …

The New York Post reports: President Trump may use his executive powers to gut the Department of Education and then push for legislation to abolish it as part of his administration’s efforts to shrink the size of government, according to a report. Trump administration officials are reportedly in talks about using an executive order to shut down nearly all of …

Raw Story reports: Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo issued a “read-out” of her call with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday — but her list of what the two leaders agreed to is different from his in one major respect: guns. Washington Post staff writer Meryl Kornfield pointed out on X that in Sheinbaum’s list of things the U.S. had …

“Elon’s got access only to letting people go that he thinks are no good — if we agree with him, and it’s only if we agree with him. He’s a very talented guy from the standpoint of management and costs, and we put him in charge of seeing what he can do with certain groups and certain numbers.” “The numbers, …

It just gets more and more stupid by the minute: Elon Musk has accused an X user of committing a crime for listing the names of alleged DOGE employees who helped Musk access the US Treasury payment system. News of Musk’s access to the closely-guarded Treasury data system—which controls and distributes trillions of dollars a year—raised alarm over the weekend. …

The Washington Post reports: President Donald Trump on Monday appointed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as the acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a powerful watchdog agency whose oversight and enforcement actions Bessent immediately halted in a move that delighted big banks and enraged public-interest groups. In an email to agency staff, Bessent ordered the bureau to cease all …