Trump Fills The Swamp

stumbler · Jul 17, 2018

U.S. Treasury Exempts Some Nonprofits From Identifying Donors

The U.S. Treasury announced Monday that it would free some politically active nonprofit groups from a requirement to identify their financial donors, a move critics fear will allow organizations like the NRA to receive “dark-money” contributions without scrutiny. Under the new rules, labor unions, issue-advocacy organizations, veterans groups, and other organizations that do not receive tax-exempt funds will not be required to identify their donors to tax authorities. “Americans shouldn’t be required to send the IRS information that it doesn’t need to effectively enforce our tax laws, and the IRS simply does not need tax returns with donor names and addresses to do its job in this area,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement announcing the move.
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submissively speaking · Jul 17, 2018

Posted in the wrong spot, darn it.

stumbler · Jul 21, 2018

Trump’s adult sons are costing taxpayers a fortune as they gallivant around the world doing private business deals

Eric and Donald Trump Jr. cost taxpayers $250 000 in one month of travel last year in Dubai.

The information was gathered by the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) using Secret Service documents that the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requested.

Tracking and monitoring presidential travel expenses has become more commonplace since Bill Clinton’s presidency. As traveling abroad for business trips and meetings increased with the advances in air travel, presidents and their families came under increased public scrutiny for the cost of their travel at taxpayer expense.

Although the purpose of the trip was for the Trump family business — with money spent primarily on hotels, airfare — Secret Service protection for President Donald Trump’s adult sons comes at a cost for taxpayers. That same month, Eric Trump traveled to the Dominican Republic to potentially relaunch a failed Trump-branded resort project. The FOIA documents show that around $20 000 was spent on airfare, hotel rooms, auto rental and additional expenses.

The Trump family’s spending is on track to be the highest for any family in the White House to date. In the president’s first 80 days in office he spent over $20 million when visiting his private club in Florida. President Trump is projected to quickly outspend Obama in travel in his first four years of his presidency.

President Trump has often negatively compared President Obama and his families’ expenses to his presidential predecessors in order to degrade Obama’s public image.

He tweeted dozens of times on Obama’s travel, often saying, “President Barack Obama’s vacation is costing taxpayers millions of dollars — unbelievable!” Politico reports.

While trips have been recording since Eisenhower, travel comparisons between President George W. Bush, President Clinton and President Obama show that Obama took 45 trips abroad, two more than Bush and two fewer than Clinton. That totals to Obama spending 185 days abroad, which is second to Clinton’s 206 days abroad.

However, it wasn’t only Obama who drew condemnation.

When Michelle Obama was first lady, her travel expenses drew scorn from her conservative pundits, boasting she traveled more than the previous first lady’s – Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush. Her rivals personally attacked her annual family ski trips to Aspen, which cost around $88 thousand per trip, to smear her character. But the majority of her trips abroad were in support of her Let Girls Learn program, which began in 2015, Washington Post reports.

In actuality, Hillary Clinton holds the record for trips, country visits and days spent abroad, with Laura Bush following closely behind.

But in the three-month tenure of President Trump, first lady Melania Trump took 21 flights aboard Air Force jets that cost more than $675, 000. The Wall Street Journal reported in 2017. Before moving to the White House residence, the first lady was residing in Trump Tower, costing exponentially more with the Secret Service than previous first ladies who moved in the White House immediately. The cost of travel for Michelle Obama was $350,000 annually, which is half the amount Melania Trump traveled in those three months, Newsweek reported.
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stumbler · Jul 21, 2018

Halliburton probe makes 11 federal investigations into Interior secretary’s decisions
Scott Pruitt holds the record, but Zinke's not far behind.

More than 10 federal investigations have now been opened into Secretary of the Interior Department Ryan Zinke’s financial and ethical decisions during his tenure with the Trump administration.

The agency’s internal watchdog announced an eleventh investigation on Wednesday evening, drawing further attention to Zinke’s behavior while running the department, and in this case, his connections to one of the world’s most powerful oil companies.

The Department of the Interior’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) launched a formal probe into Zinke’s real estate dealings backed by a Halliburton chairman mid-week after indicating the watchdog would do so earlier last month. Deputy Inspector General Mary Kendall wrote to Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee, confirming the investigation.

“You expressed special concern about the reported funding by a top executive at Halliburton and assuring decisions that affect the nation’s welfare are not compromised by individual self enrichment,” wrote Kendall. “My office opened an investigation into this matter on July 16.”

Zinke has been under fire for his role in a land deal linked to Halliburton chairman David Lesar. A Politico report in June revealed that a foundation established by Zinke and his wife, Lola, is linked to a multimillion dollar real estate deal in the secretary’s hometown of Whitefish, Montana.

The project is backed by Lesar and referred to as 95 Karrow. In August 2017, Zinke reportedly met with Lesar and his son, along with Casey Malmquist, the 95 Karrow project developer, in his agency office in Washington, D.C. They later had dinner together away from the department.

Democrats called for an investigation into those revelations, noting that Zinke’s possible opening of some of the 500 million acres of public lands he oversees for oil drilling would directly benefit companies like Halliburton. Lesar and his wife in the past donated the maximum campaign contribution to Zinke’s first congressional campaign.

During his time as secretary, Zinke has faced at least 13 federal investigations or requests for investigation, with 11 formally opened. According to the Center for Western Priorities, Zinke is currently the subject of seven open investigations, with another four opened and closed.

Apart from Zinke’s ties to Halliburton, those that are currently open include investigations into allegations of scrubbing climate change from government reports, a decision to halt studies on the impact of drilling and mining, the improper use of agency vehicles, a Connecticut casino expansion, and two separate violations of the Hatch Act. That law prohibits most executive branch employees from engaging in certain political activities, something Zinke may have done with, among other things, a pair of socks.

A third investigation into a possible Hatch Act violation was opened and closed. Other closed investigations into Zinke’s actions involve improper use of chartered flights, senior staff reassignments, and alleged threats made to Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s office over the Affordable Care Act.

That investigation was closed due to a lack of cooperation from Interior officials. Thomas Armstrong, general counsel for the Government Accountability Office, wrote senior House Democrats at the time that, “Interior did not provide us with any information on the substance of the telephone calls. In light of this, we lack the requisite facts on which to base a legal opinion.”

Requests for investigation over a fourth potential Hatch Act violation, along with investment in a fire arms company and a U.S. Geological Survey science data ethical breach, are still pending.

In a statement released following the announcement on Wednesday, Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) linked Zinke’s behavior to that of former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) head Scott Pruitt, who remains the subject of more than a dozen ongoing federal investigations. Beyer serves on the House Committee on Natural Resources, which has jurisdiction over the Interior Department.

“Scott Pruitt clearly was not the only member of Trump’s Cabinet with multiple, serious ethics problems,” said Beyer. “Unfortunately, as in Pruitt’s case, many of Secretary Zinke’s issues stem from ignoring ethics guidelines while empowering industry. The rampant corruption in the Trump Administration is the product of a president who sets the worst possible example and a Congress which shrugs off its oversight duties. The American people deserve better.”

Pruitt resigned earlier this month amid uproar over his spending and ethical decisions as EPA administrator. President Trump had repeatedly expressed support for Pruitt. The president has yet to formally comment on the mounting investigations surrounding Zinke.
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stumbler · Jul 29, 2018

New EPA chief is already facing calls for an ethics investigation
Andrew Wheeler brings many conflicts of interest to his new role of acting EPA administrator.

After less than a month on the job, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) acting administrator Andrew Wheeler is already facing a call for an ethics investigation into allegations that he met with former lobbying clients when he was serving as deputy administrator.

Wheeler, a long-time coal and industry lobbyist, met with former clients at least three times after being sworn in as deputy EPA administrator on April 20, E&E News reported Thursday. The meetings appear to break promises Wheeler made to avoid conflicts of interest. They also may violate the Trump administration’s ethics pledge, which Wheeler signed.

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) on Friday led a group of House Democrats in sending a letter to the Office of Government Ethics asking it to conduct an investigation to determine whether Wheeler violated his ethics pledge. Beyer is the second-ranking Democrat on the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee and the ranking member of its subcommittee on oversight.

The House members asked the Office of Government Ethics to investigate Wheeler’s involvement with past lobbying clients to determine whether his previous meetings may have violated his ethics pledge. They also asked the Office of Government Ethics to clarify which clients — and which regulatory matters affecting them — merit future recusals by the office in order to comply with the ethics rules.

“Andrew Wheeler is the Acting Administrator of the EPA because of the departure of Administrator Scott Pruitt, which occurred under a cloud of ethical controversy and scandal that tarnished the reputation of the Agency,” the letter states. “That context, Wheeler’s past work as a coal lobbyist, and the many conflicts of interest which that work naturally presents to his leadership of the EPA demand that his meetings and communications be carefully scrutinized so that he is held to the highest ethical standard.”

Along with Beyer, the letter was signed by Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), and Jamie Raskin (D-MD).

President Donald Trump on July 5 named Wheeler to serve as acting administrator of the agency, replacing Pruitt, who at the time of his resignation was facing more than a dozen investigations.

Wheeler pledged to avoid his former clients for two years — until April 20, 2020 — or only meet with them in large settings. “I will not for a period of two years from the date of my appointment participate in any particular matter involving specific parties that is directly and substantially related to my former employer or former clients,” says the Trump ethics pledge Wheeler signed upon taking office.

Wheeler’s public calendar, however, shows he participated in a “stakeholder meeting” with Darling Ingredients, a former Wheeler client, on June 26. The biodiesel producer paid Wheeler’s firm more than $1.4 million over nine years for his and the firm’s lobbying services.

He also had a May 24 stakeholder meeting with Archer Daniels Midland Co., which paid Wheeler’s former lobbying firm more than $5,000 in 2017 for his “strategic advice and consulting.” Another stakeholder meeting was held on June 22 with the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), a California regulatory agency that paid Wheeler’s firm at least $600,000 for lobbying between 2010 and 2012, E&E News reported.

“As a former coal lobbyist, and as the successor to scandal-tarred Scott Pruitt, Andrew Wheeler should know better than to break his ethics pledge,” Beyer said Friday in a statement emailed to ThinkProgress. “If these reports are true, he did so repeatedly. This is a matter which the Office of Government Ethics should examine.”

Wheeler did not personally provide any services to Archer Daniels Midland, Darling Ingredients, or SCAQMD for two years prior to joining the EPA, an agency spokesperson said Friday in an email to ThinkProgress. By not lobbying on behalf of these companies within two years of joining the EPA, these former clients are outside of the scope of the Trump ethics pledge, the spokesperson said.

In June, Wheeler told Bloomberg News that he would try to avoid meetings with clients he’s lobbied for before. “If I lobbied on something, I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to participate,” he said.
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stumbler · Aug 7, 2018

Report: Wilbur Ross Accused of Stealing Over $120 Million

Wilbur Ross could be “among the biggest grifters in American history,” according to Forbes magazine, amid new allegations that he may have wrongly siphoned off more than $120 million from business associates. An investigation, citing 21 people who have worked with the man who is now President Trump’s commerce secretary, claims Ross stole “a few million here and a few million there” from various companies. Forbes reports: “All told, these allegations—which sparked lawsuits, reimbursements, and a Securities and Exchange Commission fine—come to more than $120 million.” Ross’ former colleagues offer very unkind words about him. “He’ll push the edge of truthfulness and use whatever power he has to grab assets,” said New York financier Asher Edelman, while another of Ross’ former colleagues said: “He’s a pathological liar.” They say he is obsessed with money, with two former colleagues recounting that he took handfuls of Sweet’ N Low packets from a restaurant near his office, so he didn’t have to go out and buy some for himself. (A Ross spokesman disputed that claim—and denied that he sweetens his coffee.)
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stumbler · Aug 8, 2018

Report: Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Cronies Secretly Shape VA Policies

Three of President Trump’s cronies from his Mar-a-Lago resort, including the reclusive Marvel Entertainment Chairman Ike Perlmutter, have been quietly pulling the strings at the Department of Veterans Affairs for months, according to documents and interviews cited by ProPublica on Tuesday. Documents obtained by the news site via the Freedom of Information Act reportedly show the three men exercising unprecedented influence over the VA, including by shaping policies, making personnel decisions, and speaking with top VA officials on a daily basis. Perlmutter, a longtime Trump acquaintance, is reportedly joined by a lawyer named Marc Sherman and a Palm Beach doctor by the name of Bruce Moskowitz in leading the behind-the-scenes VA operation. None of the three men hold any government post that would explain their involvement in VA policies, nor are any a veteran. According to the report, their influence on the VA is well-known among administration officials, and some officials have traveled to Mar-a-Lago on taxpayers’ dime to speak with the men about their desires for the VA. “Everyone has to go down and kiss the ring,” a former administration official was quoted as saying.
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stumbler · Aug 8, 2018

These 6 Republicans are connected to the insider trading scandal that just exploded on a Trump-loving congressman

On Wednesday, Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY) was arrested for insider trading. Collins allegedly shared non-public information about Innate Immunotherapeutics, an Australian drug company developing a drug to treat multiple sclerosis.

When that drug failed a clinical trial in Australia, the company’s stock plummeted. Collins is accused of telling his son about the disappointing results ahead of the public announcement, leading his son, his son’s father-in-law, and others to unload stocks before the drop. They avoided losing $768,000, according to the indictment.

For years, Collins’ relationship to Innate raised concerns in the Capitol.

In 2017, Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), called for an investigation, citing Collins’ cozy relationship with the biotech drug company after its value dropped. The New York Republican held a 16 percent stake in the company.

“Innate plummeted in value by more than 90 percent literally overnight. This follows the company previously suggesting a great response to its drug and touting that it stood to generate as much as $3 billion in profits in this country alone,” Slaughter said in a statement.

“This raises very serious questions as to when Congressman Collins knew about the drug’s performance and who is responsible for the suspicious trading before the drug’s failure was publicly known. Did Congressman Collins come here to make money for himself or to represent his constituents? This development only raises more questions, and we need to get the answers. It cries out for an investigation.”

Collins, worth $66 million, apparently urged Republican colleagues in Congress to invest.

“If you get in early, you’ll make a big profit,” Collins reportedly told House Republicans last summer.

At least six Republicans appear to have been convinced by Collins’ pitch (though at various times they claimed to have arrived at the stock purchase through media reports).

They were:

1. Tom Price, who served as Secretary of Health and Human Services. During his confirmation hearings, Price was accused of taking advantage of a special deal on Innate stock only available to a select number of lawmakers at a discount offered by Collins.

2. Rep. John Culberson (R-TX): The Texas Republican claimed he heard about Innate from media reports, but as the Houston Chronicle noted, it’s not clear which. At the time of his purchase, Innate was described as “a tiny pharmaceutical company from Australia that has no approved drugs and no backing from flashy venture capital firms.” The Chronicle pointed out that Culberson’s past investment history does not square with his purchase of biotech stocks and his opponent, a research physician, has wondered what led Culberson to invest, “since at the time he bought it in January there had been no published research articles or significant clinical trial updates on the drug, known as MIS416.”

3. Rep. Mike Conaway (R-TX) is another Texas lawmaker who bought large shares in Innate. He does not appear to have purchased Innate stock at a discount.

4. Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO) sat Health Subcommittee of the Committee on Energy and Commerce at the time of his stock purchase, raising a possible conflict of interest, reports the Daily Beast.

5. Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) sat on the subcommittee as well.

6. Rep. Billy Long (R-MO) reportedly became far more active in the stock market in 2015. Long sat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which addresses health policy.

According to the indictment, Collins was shocked when he was informed about the drug’s failed trial.

“Wow. Makes no sense. How are these results even possible???” he wrote to the CEO of Innate.

After entering office in 2013, Collins worked on passing a provision that would speed up the drug approval process, reports the Buffalo News.
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stumbler · Aug 10, 2018

I sure don't remember shootersa's revolution ever having any questions for these guys.

Only one Republican is willing to help Chris Collins with legislation that would benefit his pharmaceutical company

Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY) was indicted this week on several counts of fraud, but he isn’t the only Republican involved in the scandal.

According to The Daily Beast, Rep. Billy Long (R-MO) was the only member willing to support two out of four bills Collins filed that would likely have benefited pharmaceutical company Innate Immunotherapeutics. Collins is a major Innate shareholder and convinced many others to buy stock in the company anticipating it would have a drug to treat multiple sclerosis. When the drug trials didn’t pan out, Collins told his family to dump the stock, knowing it was about to tank.

Long bought between $15,000 and $50,000 in Innate holdings in his Fidelity retirement account. When Collins filed a bill that would help Innate, and other companies, expedite FDA approvals for treatments, Long was a co-sponsor. The Missouri Congressman is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health and has oversight over the FDA.

Long’s office wouldn’t respond to questions about the bills but said that he didn’t hear about Innate through a colleague, instead, he heard about it on the nightly news in January 2017. That indicates that the purchase of the stock was suggested and authorized by Long, not Fidelity.

“I talked about it all the time,” Collins said about his lobbying for Innate. “‘Who in Congress have you talked with about Innate?” Collins said, posing the question to himself. “The bigger question would be ‘Who haven’t I talked to?’”

Long is seeking his fifth term in Congress and is considered one of the safest GOP seats. He’ll face former Willard mayor Jamie Schoolcraft in November.
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CS natureboy · Aug 10, 2018

The painting shows Trump at the helm, and Vice President Pence carrying the flag by his side.

The rest are: U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley; Defense Secretary Jim Mattis; Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson; Attorney General Jeff Sessions; first lady Melania Trump; Secretary of State Pompeo; White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders; the president’s daughter Ivanka Trump; National Security Adviser Bolton; Kellyanne Conway; and Chief of Staff John Kelly.

Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer can be seen in the water....

69magpie · Aug 10, 2018

Is that pic supposed to represent how disfunctional the government is......

donnie shining the light in one direction while the others are facing and paddling in the opposite direction.

stumbler · Aug 10, 2018

CS natureboy said: ↑

The painting shows Trump at the helm, and Vice President Pence carrying the flag by his side.

The rest are: U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley; Defense Secretary Jim Mattis; Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson; Attorney General Jeff Sessions; first lady Melania Trump; Secretary of State Pompeo; White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders; the president’s daughter Ivanka Trump; National Security Adviser Bolton; Kellyanne Conway; and Chief of Staff John Kelly.

Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer can be seen in the water....
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Oh fuck are you ever hilarious. As soon as this appeared it was instantly picked up over the internet as Trump filling the swamp not draining it. This one just got hammered as Trump swampiness.

But back on topic.

Chris Collins is using his campaign funds for as much as $60,000 a month in legal fees for insider trading

Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY) was arrested Wednesday on insider trading charges. It was revealed Thursday that Collins is using his campaign funds to pay for his legal expenses.

According to Axios, campaign finance records for the last year show Collins has been using campaign dollars for legal bills while he’s been under investigation.

Records dating back to July 2017 from the Federal Election Commission show Collins used campaign funds to pay legal bills while he was under investigation for alleged insider trading, of which he was arrested for Wednesday, CNBC reports.

Thus far the campaign has paid up to $60,000 a month in legal services to Baker Hostetler.

It is currently legal to use campaign funds for legal fees under some circumstances. The practice was questioned amid sexual harassment scandals that have become public. In those cases, tax dollars were used for legal settlements.

“The Ethics Committee has determined that it is generally permissible under House Rules for a Member to use campaign funds to defend legal actions arising out of his or her campaign, election, or the performance of official duties,” the rules outline. “However, campaign funds may not be used when the action is primarily personal in nature, such as a matrimonial action, or could result in a direct personal benefit for the Member.”

The rules say that a member must consult with the Ethics Committee before using the campaign dollars for legal fees.

The insider trading issue is not related to his official position in Congress or his campaign, posing the question of whether or not it is legal. Raw Story contacted the lead counsel for the Ethics Committee for confirmation that Collins had the funds approved. They refused to comment on whether Collins asked for approval and if he did ask when.

Raw Story reached out to the office of Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL), the ranking member on the committee for comment, but has not yet heard back.

Wednesday, Collins denied the allegations, though he said he doesn’t intend to address the charges specifically other than to say they are false.
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And don't forget Collins was the first to endorce Trump. One of his biggest supporters ever since. And the guy that said Trump should not have to reveal his tax returns because Swamp creatures stick together.

CS natureboy · Aug 10, 2018

stumbler said: ↑

Oh fuck are you ever hilarious. As soon as this appeared it was instantly picked up over the internet as Trump filling the swamp not draining it. This one just got hammered as Trump swampiness.

But back on topic.
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LOL, another picture that makes Stumbler cry... Oh pull up your big girl panties and get over it...Is that you down in the swamp as well Stumbler?

freethinker · Aug 11, 2018

Sanity_is_Relative · Aug 12, 2018

slutwolf · Aug 12, 2018

I hear there'd a new service
to get folks around DC

naztypanty · Aug 13, 2018

Dump Tutin Prump

stumbler · Aug 14, 2018

Ivanka-inspired discount scheme at Trump’s golf course decried as a ‘disturbing blurring’ of ethics rules

President Donald Trump is blurring the lines between his presidential duties and personal business responsibility by offering his staff members discounts on his merchandise, reported Politico.

Politico reviewed receipts for White House staffers that confirmed discounts between 15-70 percent off. Ivanka Trump allegedly pitched the idea to her father as a nice gesture to aides, but White House officials denied the claim.

The practice of offering White House officials discounts highlights a huge ethical dilemma for the president.

“It’s prohibited under the standards of conduct for any government employee to accept a gift because of their official position,” Virginia Canter, chief ethics counsel at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics told Politico. “The fact is, people’s access to that facility is extremely limited. It’s not open to all government employees. It’s limited to staff who have access to the facility and second of all, who are given access to the Secret Service pin. It’s not ok.”

Some White House staffers were unaware of the perks. “I overpaid, big time. Part of me wishes I knew. Part of me is glad I didn’t,” a former official said.

Norm Eisen, who served as the ethics czar under former President Barack Obama said that this is one of the practices for how President Trump secures “loyalty.”

“It does have an effect on how Trump tries to secure personal loyalty and woo people away from what should be their primary and their only loyalty — to the Constitution, to public service and to the people of the United States,” Eisen said. “This is another small inducement, apparently contrary to federal law, that he uses to bind his staff to him personally.”

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders did not comment on the allegations.
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stumbler · Aug 14, 2018

Administration Officials Get Discount At Trump’s Golf Club

In a continuation of his entanglement of private business and public office, President Donald Trump offers his staffers discounts at the pro shop at his Bedminster, New Jersey golf course when they show their Secret Service pins, according to a Monday Politico report.

Getting deals anywhere from 15 percent to 70 percent off, aides get the same discounts club members do.

Per Politico, the Office of Government Ethics mandates that federal officials cannot accept gifts worth more than $20. The golf club discount would be considered a gift, since it is not available to all government employees.

Norm Eisen, ethics czar during the Obama administration, told Politico that Trump’s discounts are unpatriotic.

“It does have an effect on how Trump tries to secure personal loyalty and woo people away from what should be their primary and their only loyalty — to the Constitution, to public service and to the people of the United States,” he said. “This is another small inducement, apparently contrary to federal law, that he uses to bind his staff to him personally.”
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stumbler · Aug 15, 2018

Corporate crime is being ignored by Trump administration as it focuses on locking up immigrants

The horrors of the Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance” enforcement policies against immigrants have been widely reported, but certainly bear repeating. There is the eponymous “zero-tolerance” Justice Department (DOJ) policy that instructs U.S. attorneys to prosecute first-time border crossers. The workplace raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that terrorize entire communities. The thousands of children who were separated from their parents as a result of the accelerated enforcement, hundreds of whom remain separated from their parents or relatives in spite of a court order requiring the administration to reunite families by July 26. It’s a grotesque parody of a legal system these children endure, with toddlers as young as three forced to attend deportation proceedings alone.

Among the reasons the Trump administration gives for these brutal policies is that they are necessary for “restoring law and order” and “making America safe again.” But the “law and order” the president seeks to “restore,” does not seem to apply to violations committed by the corporate class, and the threats that America must be made “safe” from, apparently, do not include pollution, rip-offs and recklessness that are unleashed by deregulated corporate greed. Enforcement against corporate criminals and regulatory violations, a new Public Citizen report finds, has dramatically plummeted since Trump took office.

Public Citizen found that in 11 out of 12 agencies led by a Trump administration official for most of 2017, the dollar amount of penalties imposed on corporate violators dropped, in most cases by more than 50 percent.

At the DOJ, corporate penalties dropped 90 percent; at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), penalty amounts against all violators dropped by 94 percent.

Even those who did not expect robust corporate enforcement from President Donald Trump are shocked. When legendary academic and political dissident Noam Chomsky mentioned the report on Democracy Now!, he said the rollback in corporate enforcement the report revealed was so drastic, it was “almost comical.”

How can we make sense of this law enforcement disparity? Consider the two categories of people Trump surrounds himself with.

One category is the far-right ideologues, white nationalists and ultraconservative militants. It’s the Breitbart and Alex Jones wing of the Republican party. It includes anti-immigration ideologues like Stephen Miller and his former boss, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and recklessly hawkish figures like John Bolton. It includes infamous but erstwhile advisers like Steve Bannon and Sebastian Gorka.

These are the self-identified “deplorables,” and they seem to take delight in the way they alarm Democrats and moderate conservatives alike.

We have them to thank for this xenophobic and prejudiced “zero-tolerance” immigration policy.

The second category is the corporate class, which consists of billionaires and CEOs. During Trump’s first year in office alone, he had triple the number of CEO meetings as Obama had over the course of seven years. Trump, a corporate executive himself, and the executives and former executives in his immediate circle include Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, former adviser Carl Icahn, and intimate allies such as Las Vegas Sands’ Sheldon Adelson, Dow Chemical’s Andrew Liveris and Blackstone’s Stephen Schwarzman.

Compared to the deplorables, they are sometimes portrayed as a positive influence on Trump. Some executives aligned with this camp, such as JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, have criticized Trump’s zero-tolerance approach to immigration.

We also have them to thank for the tax scam legislation that, while dribbling nary a trickle-down to working Americans, has spawned “eye-popping” multimillion-dollar payouts for the C-suite set.

These influences seem to have forged a demented law enforcement doctrine of treating immigrants like “animals” that “infest our country” — and corporations like people.

The result feels at once deeply offensive and disturbingly inevitable.
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https://www.rawstory.com/2018/08/co...mp-administration-focuses-locking-immigrants/

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Trump Fills The Swamp

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