Trump’s Swamp
Of all of the lies that propelled Donald Trump to the presidency, few are more brazen than his vow to “drain the swamp”—that is, to end the culture of cronyism and corruption that pervades Washington, D.C. Instead, Trump has handed the reins of government over to an array of shameless, self-serving abusers of the public trust. While some remain in positions of power and influence, others have gone too far and been fired or hit with criminal indictments. Here’s a taxonomy of the bottom-dwellers.
Still in the Swamp
Ben Carson:
The spectacularly unqualified head of the Department of Housing and Urban Development ordered a $31,000 dining room set for his office while backing deep cuts to his agency’s budget. He initially blamed his wife and others for this purchasing decision, which was canceled, but a chain of emails affirmed his involvement. In ultimately accepting responsibility, he claimed to be emulating Jesus Christ.
Ryan Zinke: This science-denying Secretary of the Interior blew $139,000 on new office doors and hopped on a $12,357 chartered flight to take him home from an entirely non-work-related trip to Las Vegas, Nevada. Interestingly, Zinke was confirmed for the job despite having been dinged in the past for improperly billing the government for his personal travel.
Scott Pruitt: Trump’s aggressively anti-environmental head of the Environmental Protection Agency has spent $3 million on personal security, $43,000 on an unauthorized soundproof booth for his office, and more than $100,000 to travel first class, which he claimed was necessary because people might say mean things to him. Oh, and he accepted a sweetheart deal on a rented apartment from the wife of a fossil-fuel lobbyist who has dealings with the EPA.
Steven Mnuchin: Trump’s Treasury Secretary was confirmed after it came to light that he had somehow failed to disclose $100 million in assets, the kind of thing that can really just slip your mind. He then used his perch to plug a movie he helped produce, after acknowledging that this was not allowed. And he traveled via government plane to Kentucky with his wife to view a solar eclipse, calling the trip “completely justifiable.”
Michael Cohen:
Trump’s and Sean Hannity’s personal attorney is under investigation for possible bank fraud, wire fraud, and campaign finance violations. Cohen made a $130,000 payment, just days before the 2016 election, to silence a porn star who plausibly contends that she had sex with Trump. He raked in millions from corporations and $500,000 from a Russian oligarch by selling access and “insights” to Trump. Now there are signs that Trump will turn against him, and that Cohen will “flip” on the President. These two deserve each other.
Kicked out of the Swamp
David Shulkin, former Veterans Affairs Secretary, fired after improperly accepting Wimbledon tennis tickets and falsifying records to justify taking his wife to Europe at taxpayer expense.
Tom Price, former Health and Human Services Secretary, forced to resign after blowing $400,000 on chartered flights. He had offered to reimburse the government about $52,000.
Omarosa Manigault, former communications flack, fired after misusing the White Housecar service for personal travel and staging a White House photo shoot for her massive bridal party.
Brenda Fitzgerald, former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director, forced to resign amid a furor over disclosures that she bought stock in a tobacco company shortly after coming to head an agency that oversees smoking-cessation efforts.
Actually BUSTED!
Michael Flynn, former National Security Advisor, copped to a felony for lying to the FBI, after getting booted for lying to Mike Pence, both about his Russian contacts. He said he was “honored to have served our nation and the American people in such a distinguished way.”
George Papadopoulos, former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his efforts to collude with Russia to get dirt on Hillary Clinton.
Paul Manafort,
former Trump campaign manager, charged along with partner Rick Gates with multiple felonies for money laundering, failure to register as a foreign agent, and “conspiracy against the United States.” Gates pleaded guilty to the last charge.
See Ya Later Alligator
Walter Shaub, former Office of Government Ethics director, resigned in disgust over the Trump team’s cavalier attitude toward ethics. He went to work for a nonprofit group, where “I’ll have more freedom to push for reform.” Yikes.
Biggest Swamp Dweller of All
Donald Trump,
the forty-fifth President, has used the office to enrich himself and his grifter family, in apparent violation of various emoluments clauses—constitutional prohibitions against this particular form of political corruption. He blew $13.5 million in taxpayer dollars on travel costs in just his first year in office, much of it for weekend getaways to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. He’s even used government websites to promote this private club. Remarked one commentator, “It’s unprecedented to have a President who retains a stake in businesses as sprawling as the Trump empire.”