The Trump Administration's Corruption and Fraud Tracker
Tracking Trump’s Actions to Open the Doors to Fraud, Corruption, Unethical Activities and Conflicts of Interest (as of March 5, 2025) – from Frank Vogl
The table below will be updated periodically. In addition, please view Senator Chris Murphy’s speech about President Trump and Corruption - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hycoCYenXls
Inspectors General. The IGs are independent officers in individual government departments and agencies who are charged with investigating waste, fraud and corruption.
AP – Washington, January 25, 2025 - The Trump Administration has fired about 17 independent inspectors general at government agencies, a sweeping action to remove oversight of his new administration that some members of Congress are suggesting violated federal oversight laws.
Reuters -Washington, February 11, 2025 - The inspector general for the U.S. Agency for International Development was fired on Tuesday, a USAID official said, a day after his office published a report critical of the Trump administration's effort to eliminate the agency. Paul Martin and served as the agency's inspector general, a position requiring U.S. Senate confirmation, since December 2023.
AP – Washington, February 24, 2025 — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday that he was replacing the top lawyers for the military services because he didn’t think they were “well-suited” to provide recommendations when lawful orders are given… President Donald Trump on Friday abruptly fired the chairman, Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr., and Hegseth followed that by firing Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the chief of naval operations, and Air Force Gen. James Slife, the vice chief of the Air Force. He also said he was “requesting nominations” for the jobs of judge advocate general, or JAG, for the Army, Navy and Air Force.
US Agency for International Development. The agency has been the single largest financial supporter of independent investigative journalism and anti-corruption/pro-democracy civil society organizations in the world…its support to organizations in low-and-middle income countries has been vital in publicly informing and educating citizens about corruption and advocating for governance reforms.
AP -Washington, January 21, 2025 — President Donald Trump signed an executive order temporarily suspending all U.S. foreign assistance programs for 90 days pending reviews to determine whether they are aligned with his policy goals.
AP – Washington, February 27, 2025 — U.S. Agency for International Development workers — many in tears — carted away belongings through cheering crowds in a final visit to their now-closed headquarters Thursday as the Trump administration’s rapid dismantling of the congressionally authorized agency moved into its final stages. Notices sent out in mass mailings this week are terminating over 90% of USAID’s contracts for humanitarian and development work around the world, and the Supreme Court has temporarily blocked a judge’s order requiring the administration to release billions of dollars in foreign aid.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau The CFPB, established after the 2008 financial crisis to investigate banking fraud and supervise banking services to individual customers using retail services. It broadened the scope of its supervision in 2024 to technology firms that provide digital payment services: Google Pay, Apple Pay, Vinmo, Samsung Pay, Cash App, and PayPal. Elon Musk has stated that he will develop “X Money” which would have been subject to CFPB oversight.
Reuters - Washington, Feb 3, 2025 - U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who took over on Monday as President Donald Trump's new acting consumer finance watchdog, has halted virtually all pending activities at the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, including investigations, rule making, litigation and public communications, according to an email seen by Reuters.
Reuters – Washington, Feb 27— The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Thursday dropped five enforcement actions against financial services companies accused of wrongdoing under the prior administration, including a major case against Capital One.
The unprecedented mass dismissals eviscerated much of the watchdog agency's remaining stable of legal actions against financial services companies investigated for abusive and predatory practices.
NPR - March 5, 2025 - The CFPB drops its case against payment app Zelle. The bureau had filed the lawsuit in late December against the operator of Zelle, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo "for failing to protect consumers from widespread fraud." Customers of the top three banks lost more than $870 million over seven years due to the banks' failures to protect them, according to the CFPB.
Securities and Exchange Commission - Founded in 1934 at the height of the Great Depression, the SEC’s mission is “protecting investors, maintaining fair, orderly, and efficient markets, and facilitating capital formation.”
Many major corporations, including Tesla, have had major controversial encounters with the SEC. At the same time, leading crypto-industry enterprises have argued against the enforcement actions of the SEC and called for deregulation.
The SEC also enforces the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
SEC News Release - Washington D.C., March 3, 2025 —The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that its Crypto Task Force will host a series of roundtables to discuss key areas of interest in the regulation of crypto assets. The “Spring Sprint Toward Crypto Clarity” series will begin on March 21 with its inaugural roundtable, “How We Got Here and How We Get Out – Defining Security Status.”
SEC News Release - Washington D.C., Feb. 27, 2025 —The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that the Commission has filed a joint stipulation with Coinbase Inc. and Coinbase Global Inc. to dismiss the ongoing civil enforcement action against the two entities.
Dec. 4, 2024 (AP) President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he intends to nominate cryptocurrency advocate Paul Atkins to chair the Securities and Exchange Commission.
(Note: Since 2017, Mr. Atkins has served as Co-Chair of the Token Alliance since 2017, a leading trade association for the crypto-currency industry that describes itself as “an industry-led initiative of the Chamber of Digital Commerce, developed to be a key resource for the emerging industry surrounding the generation and distribution of tokens using blockchain technology. Comprised of over 350 global industry participants.”)
The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Foreign Extortion Prevention Act. Money Laundering and Asset Forfeiture. Task Force KleptoCapture. Corporate Transparency Act.
These are the most important U.S. government laws and actions that serve as the core measures against corporate bribery of foreign government officials, extortion by foreign officials of US corporations, money laundering into the U.DS., tracking and penalizing kleptocrats and their cronies and associates, and securing transparency in the true beneficial ownerswhip of holding companies that are often used for illicit activities.
In February 2025 – the Trump Administration acted to suspend all investigative and prosecutorial activities, and as appropriate registrations, under these laws.
Foreign Agents Registration Act - This law strives to prevent foreign persons from secretly seeking to influence the US government. FARA requires people and entities to register with the US government if they work on behalf of foreign interests.
On February 5, 2025, Attorney-General Bondi issued a memorandum titled: Total Elimination of Cartels And Transnational Criminal Organizations. In emphasizing the heightened focus on narcotics and organized crime, the memorandum stressed a fundamental change in approaches to anti-corruption that basically means suspending further actions in key areas.
The memorandum stated in part: “The Criminal Division's Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Unit shall prioritize investigations related to foreign bribery that facilitates the criminal operations of Cartels and TCOs, and shift focus away from investigations and cases that do not involve such a connection… The requirements in Justice Manual § 9-4 7 .110 requiring authorization by the Criminal Division for an investigation or prosecution of a case under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and Foreign Extortion Prevention Act, as well as the requirement that such investigations and prosecutions be conducted by trial attorneys of the Fraud Section, are suspended … Money Laundering and Asset Forfeiture. The Criminal Division's Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section shall prioritize investigations, prosecutions, and asset forfeiture actions that target activities of Cartels and TCOs. Task Force KleptoCapture, the Department's Kleptocracy Team, and the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, shall be disbanded.”
On February 10, 2025, the White House issued an Executive Order pausing all investigations and prosecutions under the FCPA. The pause is for 180 days, but the White House stated the Attorney-General could extend it for a further 180 days. The central argument used is that the FCPA hinders American business interests.
On February 27, 2025, The U.S. Treasury’s FinCen department announced February 27, 2025, announced: “it will not issue any fines or penalties or take any other enforcement actions against any companies based on any failure to file or update beneficial ownership information (BOI) reports pursuant to the Corporate Transparency Act by the current deadlines. No fines or penalties will be issued, and no enforcement actions will be taken, until a forthcoming interim final rule becomes effective and the new relevant due dates in the interim final rule have passed.
In addition, in a memorandum on February 5, 2025, on charging and plea bargaining, the Attorney-General Bondi also noted: To free resources to address more pressing priorities, and end risks of further weaponization and abuses of prosecutorial discretion, the Foreign Influence Task Force shall be disbanded. Recourse to criminal charges under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and 18 U.S.C. § 951 shall be limited to instances of alleged conduct similar to more traditional espionage by foreign government actors. With respect to FARA and § 951, the Counteri-ntelligence and Export Control Section, including the FARA Unit, shall focus on civil enforcement, regulatory initiatives, and public guidance.
Office of Government Ethics. “Public service is a public trust, requiring employees to place loyalty to the Constitution, the laws and ethical principles above private gain.”
The United States Office of Government Ethics (OGE) leads and oversees the executive branch ethics program which is at work every day in more than 140 agencies. The executive branch ethics program works to prevent financial conflicts of interest to help ensure government decisions are made free from personal financial bias.
OGE adds on its website: The basic criminal conflict of interest statute, 18 U.S.C. § 208, prohibits Government employees from participating personally and substantially in official matters where they have a financial interest. In addition to their own interests, those of their spouse, minor child, general partner, and certain other persons and organizations are attributed to them.
Feb. 10, 2025 – Statement by the Office of Government Ethics: “OGE has been notified that the President is removing David Huitema as the Director of OGE. OGE is reverting to an Acting Director.”
Feb 19, 2025 (Washington Post) – reported on a joint Fox News interview with President Trump and Elon Musk that noted on conflicts of interest: If Musk has a business conflict with any of the work he is doing advising the federal government, “he won’t be involved,” Trump told (Sean) Hannity. “I haven’t asked the president for anything ever,” Musk said, adding that he would recuse himself should there be any conflict of interest.”
Many of the advisers and appointed officials to the Trump Administration have extensive business interests and there is opacity as to the degree to which they have fully separated themselves from these interests.
For example, the website of World Liberty Financial features President Trump advertising its crypto-tokes. It states on the website in part: “DT Marks DEFI LLC, an entity affiliated with Donald J. Trump and certain of his family members, own approximately 60% of the equity interests in WLF Holdco LLC, which holds the only membership interest in World Liberty Financial, Inc., a Delaware non-stock corporation and which is developing the WLF protocol and operates the WLF governance platform. WLF Holdco LLC holds all of the rights to net protocol revenues from the WLF protocol (other than net proceeds from the sale of $WLFI tokens) pursuant to the terms of agreements with World Liberty Financial, Inc. None of Donald J. Trump, his family members or any director, officer or employee of Trump Organization or of DT Marks LLC is an officer, director or employee of, WLF Holdco LLC or World Liberty Financial, Inc., except that Eric Trump serves as one of the managers on the board of managers of WLF Holdco LLC. DT Marks DEFI LLC along with certain family members of Donald J. Trump also holds 22.5 billion $WLFI tokens, and DT Marks DEFI LLC is entitled to receive fees from World Liberty Financial, Inc. pursuant to a service agreement, equal to 75% of $WLFI token sale proceeds after deduction of agreed reserves, expense and other amounts.”
Form D registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission includes the name of President Trump. while also stating that direct relationships to the company are held by Eric Trump and Steven Witkoff, currently serving as President Trump’s Middle East Envoy.
Another example, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik, formerly chairman of Wall Street financial firm Cantor Fitzgerald, which has large investments in crypto-currencies, has handed control of his businesses to his two sons, both in their late 20s. Lutnik is just one of the top Trump officials with large crypto investments appointed to President Trump’s “Crypto Council for on Innovation.”
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