Thursday, May 28, 2026

Democrats launch effort to ‘root out corruption’ in Trump team

 

Democrats launch effort to ‘root out corruption’ in Trump team

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/5/27/800046129/congress/democrats-launch-end-corruption-caucus/ 

Democrats launch effort to ‘root out corruption’ in Trump team

by Oliver Willis
Staff
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., attends a news conference with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., to announce the Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, March 25, 2026. The legislation aims to "ensure that AI benefits workers, is safe and effective and does not harm communities or destroy the environment." (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)
Attribution: APDemocratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, a co-chair of the House’s new “End Corruption Caucus

House Democrats are getting ready to fight the Trump administration’s corruption, with the launch of an “End Corruption Caucus” on Wednesday.

In a press release, the caucus—which is chaired by Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Jason Crow of Colorado, and Mike Levin of California—said it will “work to advance legislation, bring together like-minded partners, and aim to root out corruption in government, to restore the American people’s trust in their leaders.”

Rep. Mike Levin, D-Calif., speaks ahead of President Joe Biden at a campaign event in support Levin, Nov. 3, 2022, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
Attribution: APDemocratic Rep. Mike Levin of California, a co-chair of the new “End Corruption Caucus”

Ocasio-Cortez noted in a statement that the outsized influence of big money in U.S. politics causes average people to lose trust in institutions. 

“It is time that we put Americans first and earnestly work to restore the faith and integrity of our lawmaking,” she said.

Similarly, Crow said plainly that consumer costs are so expensive right now as a direct result of the Trump administration’s corruption.

“Corruption is why costs are so high, why the government feels unresponsive, and why the system seems to only benefit the wealthy and well-connected,” Crow said. “We must take on corruption to lower prices, restore trust, and help working families.”

The Democrats cited several recent developments that highlight the need for an anti-corruption caucus.

For instance, there is the staggering sum of $4 billion—and growing—that President Donald Trump and his family, particularly his sons Eric and Don Jr., have made by abusing the power of the presidency. For example, the U.S. Air Force announced in early May that it’s purchasing an undisclosed number of drones from a firm that’s backed by Trump’s sons.

Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., is interviewed by CQ Roll Call via AP Images during the House Democrats 2025 Issues Conference at the Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg, Va., on Thursday, March 13, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
Attribution: APDemocratic Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado, a co-chair of the “End Corruption Caucus”

The Democrats also highlighted Trump’s decision to cease ongoing government investigations into companies held by major GOP donor and Trump ally Elon Musk as another example of the president’s corruption.

They also noted Trump’s use of the Internal Revenue Service to bully universities into ideological alignment with the right and his use of the government to squelch speech, including the Federal Communications Commission pressure campaign against comedian Jimmy Kimmel.

Corruption is a pillar of Trump’s presidency. In a March YouGov poll that asked Americans to describe Trump, “corrupt” was the fifth most popular response, with 54% of respondents using it.

Democratic leadership has said that anti-corruption will be a major initiative for the party going forward, even launching a task force in April to focus on the issue. 

So at least one positive has come out of Trump’s blatant corruption: unity between the progressive and moderate wings of the Democratic Party.

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  1. Comment by blue aardvark.

    I'm sure there are corrupt Democrats out there, too.

    We are better off without them. Under the bus with them!

  2. Comment by ajpuckett.

    Any consultant who claims that corruption is a fringe issue people don't care about and advises Democrats not to emphasize it is probably somehow "on the take" of billionaire donor corruption themselves and should be ignored... I'm old enough to remember how in the 2006 midterm that swept Democrats to control of both house and senate, corruption was cited as a bigger issue by voters than either the Iraq war, which had already turned into a disastrous quagmire, or Hurricane Katrina, which was totally mismanaged by FEMA under incompetent, unqualified crony hack Michael Brown of "heckuva job, Brownie" infamy. And that was BEFORE the financial crisis pushed the economy off a cliff, leading to Obama's landslide 2008 win.

  3. Comment by pkgoode.

    This effort must include attacks on the cesspool that is the Trump/Roberts Supreme Court. We can’t achieve the necessary Court reforms without going at it hammer and tongs.

  4. Comment by Betty Lou.

    Root out corruption! Corruption is being done in plain sight on a daily basis and there's no one to stop it. The courts are useless and the so called supreme court is a total waste of time seeing as they are the ones who gave 47 far too much power and turn a blind eye to his lawless ways! So 47 and his ilk will continue on their merry way making money in any way shape or form as citizens struggle to buy groceries and buy gas because none of those greedy corrupt articles give a damn about them and their plight.

  5. Comment by A Noah Count.

    ".... and why the system seems to only benefit the wealthy and well-connected,”

    SEEMS TO???!!?

    If you're going to go this route, don't "sugar coat" it one bit!

  6. Comment by Peter71.

    Corruption in this awful group of people goes marrow deep. I applaud them for highlighting their corruption, but it will be futile unless HE is impeached, is forced from office, or dies.

    Stealing is his MO.

  7. Comment by Wintercat.

    Salvaging an aircraft is an interesting thing. If rodents got into it and nested, their violently corrosive leavings will have degraded the stringers to the point that the aircraft is unsalvageable. All you can do is rip out the engine and some other parts and scrap the rest. But you don't see that till you pull up the floor or look in wing bases.

    That's what this will find. There is no rooting out corruption when it's all corruption.

    • Reply by Whatsnuts.

      An infestation of corruption.

    • Reply by Feithlin.

      Maybe someone should trap some live mice and leave them in little nooks and crannies around the white house.

    • Reply by pedalpoint.

      And when you get to the bottom you find that it is all in service of capitalism, at which point you turn away.

  8. Comment by method init.

    Trump is corruption personified. To me, corruption is self-serving and other harming abuse of power, especially entrusted powers created to maintain public security, justice, and welfare. How could so many people not get that those those who openly, severely and systematically abuse that role are the "bad guys"?

    • Reply by humbledummy.

      Trump personifies the 7 deadly sins. If this were medievil days, he'd need an excorcism as he's been possessed by at least 7 nasty demons.

      In these times, we know that he's just severely psychologically messed up.

    • Reply by tmseattle.

      But it's not just Trump. None of this would have happened without the enablers in the cabinet, in Congress and in the Supreme Court. Countless people in our government have violated their oath to uphold the Constitution.

  9. Comment by tljdk.

    Thanks for no pictures of the orange abomination 👍

  10. Comment by sgkos.

    An uphill battle. But it must be done. Lots of greed, corruption and stupidity to endure.

    • Reply by method init.

      The "Gilded Age" was pretty corrupt, and Americans spent decades crafting reforms that resulted in a growing middle class and expanding empowerment. Somehow TV and Reagan talked millions into giving it up for a sales pitch that has never delivered. Instead we slid back toward corruption and oligarchy. Beside the approval of the oligarchs themselves, what is there to like about it?

    • Reply by Roger Mexico.

      Reagan was nothing but a dumbass two-by actor.

    • Reply by Feithlin.

      Who got lucky!

  11. Comment by shumidog.

    Great! Publish all of their corruption again and again. Make so much fuss that MSM has to acknowledge it. Or, at least spin it. And then, rub their face in it some more. Be the squeaky wheel. And don't give a pass to the corporate dems.

  12. Comment by Distracted Expansionist.

    The Anti-Corruption and Public Integrity Act is a sweeping, comprehensive legislative proposal spearheaded by Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Pramila Jayapal aimed at curbing corporate influence, addressing conflicts of interest, and overhauling ethics laws across all three branches of the U.S. federal government.

    The landmark framework seeks to achieve transparency and accountability through the following key mechanisms:Stock and Trading Bans: Prohibits the President, Vice President, Members of Congress, federal judges, and senior government officials from owning or trading individual stocks while in office.

    Strict Lobbying Restrictions: Imposes multi-year and lifetime lobbying bans on former Presidents, members of Congress, and agency heads to prevent the "revolving door" between government service and corporate lobbying.Judicial Accountability: Requires the Supreme Court to adhere to the same strict Code of Conduct that applies to all other lower-court federal judges.

    Expanded Financial Disclosures: Mandates that presidential and vice-presidential candidates disclose multiple years of tax returns and requires top officials to place assets that present conflicts of interest into blind trusts or sell them off.

    Independent Enforcement: Creates a powerful, new independent anti-corruption agency solely dedicated to enforcing federal ethics laws and replacing the current decentralized system.

    Campaign Finance Overhaul: Imposes rules to limit the influence of "dark money" and strengthens enforcement mechanisms of the Federal Election Commission (FEC).To read the full text of the latest introduced version of the legislation, track its history, and review committee actions, visit the Congress.gov S.5315 Bill Summary. For a broader look at the core principles and intended impact of the legislation, you can also review the Senator Elizabeth Warren Policy Summary.

    S.5315 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Anti-Corruption and Public Integrity Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

    https://medium.com/@teamwarren/my-plan-to-end-washington-corruption-554c7f01aaa5

    https://whistleblower.org/uncategorized/031122-senator-warren-introduces-aggressive-anti-corruption-legislation/

  13. Comment by sfmikey1.

    After 250 years, one might think corruption would be impossible, from experience. But who expected one of the two major parties to develop into a criminal mob? It's gonna be a heavy lift from here, and frankly, despite good intentions, I doubt America's democratic system will prevail against the dark forces so gathered. Heroes often fail....

    • Reply by sfmikey1.

      With apologies to Gordon Lightfoot for stealing his song lyric...the dark side has the trifecta. And until someone or something pins back the ears of the Roberts Court, I'm afraid we're fighting an uphill battle.

      But I'd be happy to be surprised!

    • Reply by sfmikey1.

      P.S. As I posted elsewhere: Donald Trump should be considered guilty until proven innocent.

  15. Comment by sgkos.

    "In a March YouGov poll that asked Americans to describe Trump, “corrupt” was the fifth most popular response."

    Gee. I wonder what the preceding four responses were...

  16. Comment by Things Come Undone.

    List biggest insider trades in the House

    https://www.commoncause.org/articles/congress-made-over-635-million-in-stock-trades-while-americans-struggled-see-who-traded-the-most/

    Harder to find lists on the Senate not behind paywalls

    List of House members not Senators who took the most money from PACs which is legalized bribery we should just call it bribes Jesus smashed the money changers tables in the Temple.

    Bribes are bribes if they want to "explain things to House and Senators " They can buy them a few sandwiches maybe a few chocolate shakes and talk.

    No lobbyists who look like playboy bunnies, no family members get jobs as lobbyists, or golf other outings with lobbyists even if they are friends (really and truly friends).

    Corporations are not people but neither they nor people should give money to members of Congress, Federal judges the President his Cabinet for ten years before or after they have a matter before Congress, the White House or the Courts.

    Let real voters let real people fund political campaigns the Supreme Court ruled corporations are people Congress can change that.

    • Reply by CaptainDunsel.

      The word "insider" does not appear in the article you linked.

  17. Comment by Paul C.

    Trump has moved corruption out into the open. That is how he works. He normalizes it. There is nothing to expose. That is how far down this rabbit hole we have gone as a nation. The oligarchs have stepped out from the shadows and are flaunting their wealth and their power. They don't fear us anymore.

    If reformers want to expose hidden corruption then they have to look to the wealthy donors forming this oligarchy who actually run the government. And, yes, that includes our side as well, which is why we are on this teeter-totter with voters not sure who to trust. They vote for whomever they are less angry with at the moment, and that goes back and forth, with nothing ever being done.

    Wages have been flatlined since 1977 while the wealth of the elite has been increasing exponentially. They now have all of our money. What has our side proposed to change this? It's a rhetorical question.

    What is the plan to stabilize Social Security? Wasn't that supposed to be addressed two decades ago when it would have cost very little, just like with global warming? What about monopolies at the heart of the corruption? Did you know that either side has yet to say "no" to ever bigger mergers in the last 46 years? Not a single objection to monopolies forming ever more powerful, ever more politically aggressive monstrosities. Does anyone recall the good old days when "monopolies BAD, democracy GOOD"?

    What about plans to tax the wealthy? If you responded "what plans?" you would be right. There are none, not by the Republican Party, certainly, but what have you heard from Sen. Schumer or Leader Jeffries on taxing the rich to redistribute the wealth? What about plans to reform the most corrupt Supreme Court in American history? If you responded "what plans?" you would be right, once again.

    This new committee to "root out corruption" is obviously a way to turn the spotlight on Trump's out-in-the-open grifting, which is fine. But this could turn around to bite us if we think we can just use this as a political device to go after Trump. There better be serious reform coming from our side to back this up or we will be right back to 2010 with another Republican clean sweep and lord knows which dictator wanna-be.

    • Reply by reservationnative.

      one of the things i hear most, when knocking on doors, is "both sides do it"....and people on here don't want to hear that D's do it also.....but if we don't take the ethical high ground and go after BOTH, even if it is 10 cases of R's doing it versus 1 case of D's doing it......we still must go at both to finally begin to minimize the horrid damage to our system from all the people that really do believe both sides do it,(actually, both sides do do it), and though one may be much smaller, still it needs to be stopped....we should NOT have corruption, nor accept corruption, no matter who does the most....I'm weary o

 

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