RepresentUs

16 Sept

This is a pattern we keep seeing in this administration: insiders get extraordinarily rich while wielding enormous government power. It looks more and more like how a mafia operates: insiders win, and make sure they keep on winning.

forbes.comHoward Lutnick Has Doubled His Net Worth To Over $7B As Commerce SecretaryLutnick is worth an estimated $7.3 billion.

16 Sept

16 Sept

The biggest reason for this is Lutnick’s indirect stake in crypto giant Tether. Forbes estimates that stake is now worth $5.4 BILLION – up from $1.7 billion in early 2025. That’s a $3.7 BILLION increase while Lutnick has been serving as Commerce Secretary.

nytimes.comHunter Biden’s ‘Laptop’ Crypto Coin Plummets Upon LaunchingThe president’s son portrayed his memecoin as a symbol of redemption. Critics denounced it as hypocrisy.

11 Sept

Hunter Biden just launched a memecoin named $LAPTOP. Within minutes, its price jumped from $37.26 to $222.75 before crashing more than 95% within hours. Biden hasn’t said whether or how he’ll personally benefit, but memecoin creators can profit from transaction fees or increases in tokens they own.

reuters.comPivotal moments leading up to the conviction of Joe Biden's son HunterKey moments that led to the trial, the first for a child of a sitting president.

11 Sept

Hunter may think turning his name and notoriety into a memecoin is funny, especially because the Trump family has been profiting so much from crypto. But coming from him, it isn't.

11 Sept

Hunter has a long history of questions about whether he used his family name for profit when his father was Vice President. The standard definition of corruption is using public office for private gain. That’s no laughing matter, and it’s not ok, no matter which party is involved.

nytimes.comTrump Fired the Watchdogs. Their Replacements Have a Different Mission.President Trump is installing his allies in the offices of inspector general, which are meant to provide independent government oversight.

28 Aug

Inspectors general are supposed to be independent watchdogs inside the federal government, protecting all of us by investigating waste, fraud and abuse. But during the first six months of his second term, Trump fired or demoted at least 20 of them and cut staff in some of their offices by up to 30%.

This is part of a bigger pattern we keep seeing: remove independent checks on power, replace them with allies, and then use that control to intimidate opponents and make accountability harder.

28 Aug

Inspectors general are supposed to independently investigate waste, fraud and abuse – not protect the administration they’re supposed to keep accountable. Congress needs to investigate what is happening with IG offices, and ensure independent oversight.

The New York Times reports that in at least some cases, Trump put Trump supporters and conservative political operatives in charge who are directing investigations away from his administration and toward Trump's political opponents.

28 Aug

Inspectors general across agencies issued 15% fewer audits and 25% fewer investigative reports in the first half of FY2026 compared with the previous five-year average. The offices hit hardest by staffing cuts saw the steepest decline in investigations.

wsj.comExclusive | ‘The Boss Wants This Money’: Inside Trump’s Unprecedented Fundraising OperationMeredith O’Rourke, nicknamed ‘princess of darkness,’ carries out the president’s desire to wring hundreds of millions from companies for his projects.

The Wall Street Journal reports that President Trump is personally directing what a former staff member calls a “corporate shakedown” from the White House. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

This story isn't just about fundraising or the usual money in politics. It's about a broader pattern that sounds to us a lot like a protection racket, with the president using his political power and influence to entice or force others to give him what he wants.

Congress needs to investigate this mafia-like behavior and fix the structural problems allowing it to happen.

The Wall Street Journal reports that President Trump is personally directing what a former staff member calls a “corporate shakedown” from the White House. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Several CEOs and board members told the WSJ they believe there is a connection between making contributions and getting access to Trump. Some donors have been offered White House dinners and meetings with the president.

Some said that when Trump called them after a donation, it was only to ask for even more money. Trump has raised more than $800 million for pet projects like the White House ballroom since returning to office. The WSJ describes it as “a staggering fundraising and influence operation.”

The Wall Street Journal reports that President Trump is personally directing what a former staff member calls a “corporate shakedown” from the White House. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

He personally pushes his fundraiser, Meredith O’Rourke, to demand huge checks from companies even as he has become much more personally involved in regulatory decisions that used to be made by independent agencies.

Companies are paying attention. TikTok, Lockheed Martin, SoftBank, and more have all reportedly donated millions to Trump's projects while his admin becomes more involved in making decisions that directly affect them.

equalcitizens.usAgainst Super PACs - Equal CitizensJoin our fight to end the corruption of our democracy

29 July

For 16 years, billionaires have enjoyed a "right" to unlimited Super PAC donations — thanks to a 2010 court ruling that simply got it wrong. A federal appeals court will hear arguments July 29 on a case to fix this mistake and restore contribution limits. Learn more: equalcitizens.us/against_supe...

23 July

Join us on Thursday, July 30, at 7:00 PM ET for a special free virtual screening of Democracy Under Siege, followed by a live panel discussion featuring @mariamcfarlandsm.bsky.social, Steven Levitsky, moderated by @ericumansky.bsky.social.

responsiblestatecraft.orgTrump acquired at least $10 million in defense stocks last yearThe president's portfolio kept accumulating shares in companies — like Palantir and Lockheed Martin — that were benefiting directly from his global military escalations

17 July

Trump is restarting combat with Iran, all while new financial disclosures show that brokers representing him purchased $9.7-$24.3 million in stocks from major defense contractors like Palantir and Lockheed Martin in 2025, according to Responsible Statecraft.

How can we trust that military decisions are being made in the national interest when the president could profit from the success of his favored defense contractors?

17 July

Americans deserve to know, and Congress needs to dig into what is happening here. It also needs to push for stronger ethics laws to prevent those conflicts of interest.

President Trump has not placed his assets into a blind trust, which would be best practice to ensure he has no knowledge of his investments.

cnbc.comTrump touted Palantir on Truth Social after buying the company's stock, records showDuring the first three months of the year, Trump purchased between $630,000 and $247,008 worth of Palantir stock and sold at least $1.1 million.

17 July

His brokers make the trades, but Responsible Statecraft reports that Trump could still know what stocks he owns while making policy decisions that affect those same companies.

Since then, the administration expanded military operations, proposed a $1.5 trillion defense budget, and oversaw major weapons stockpiling efforts. $10 billion of that is going to Palantir, a company Trump praised on Truth Social right after buying its stock.

3 July

A New York poll worker says two federal agents confronted her at her polling place over a social media post criticizing ICE. The incident didn't disrupt voting, but it raises a bigger question: why is ICE keeping tabs on the people helping run our elections?

3 July

Election workers are the backbone of our elections. They shouldn't have to wonder whether expressing an opinion could lead to federal agents showing up at their workplace. Democracy depends on people feeling safe to participate – not afraid to show up.

apnews.comIn boost to Musk, Justice Department seeks to dismiss air pollution lawsuit against xAI data centerThe Trump administration is helping one of Elon Musk’s companies fight a civil rights lawsuit that alleges it is illegally running dozens of natural gas turbines to power a $20 billion data center in ...

24 June

Elon Musk's xAI built a $20 billion AI data center in Mississippi – powered by dozens of natural gas turbines running near homes, schools & churches – without getting the permits required by the Clean Air Act. apnews.com/article/musk...

Musk was Trump's single largest campaign donor, by far. Musk’s company, SpaceX just had the biggest Initial Public Offering’s in history – fueled by billions in federal contracts. One week later, the DOJ files to kill the lawsuit against his company for harming communities.

24 June

When communities sue over alleged illegal pollution, the DOJ's job is to uphold the law that protects us all. Congress needs to investigate. Who ordered this intervention, and why are we funding it, and whose interests are really being served? We need answers!

The NAACP sued, arguing xAI is illegally polluting communities in North Mississippi and Memphis. The attorney representing them put it plainly: the data center and its pollution are "turning our communities into sacrifice zones."

Court Accountability Action

24 June

The DOJ decided to dismiss the lawsuit – arguing the plant is "critical to the economy" and the military. Not Musk's lawyers. The Justice Department. Your tax dollars were used to defend his company and the data centers they are building. Someone make this make sense.

RepresentUs reposted

@courtacctability.bsky.social

13 May

The Not Above the Law Coalition started when Jim Comey was fired, but its work is more relevant now than ever. Our conversation with @publiccitizen.bsky.social's Lisa Gilbert on coming together to protect the rule of law: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b5l...

politico.comGillibrand, McCormick team up to crack down on prediction marketsSens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Dave McCormick are introducing a bill that would ban members of Congress from trading on prediction markets and push regulators to tighten rules.

6 May

A bipartisan group of senators just introduced legislation to crack down on prediction market trading by people in power. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Dave McCormick want to bar federal lawmakers from placing wagers on prediction markets.

The bill would also empower the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to ban prediction market bets on war, violence, terrorism, and other acts deemed contrary to the public interest, while requiring platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi to verify users are at least 18.

6 May

People making decisions that affect our lives should not be in a position to profit from insider information, especially not on war. We deserve transparency, accountability, and rules that actually protect our interests. Demand Congress pass real rules now.

It would also require the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to determine whether current rules are sufficient to prevent insider trading.

6 May

The push comes days after a U.S. soldier was arraigned on charges that he used insider knowledge of military plans to place more than a dozen wagers. Prosecutors say he netted more than $400,000 from the bets.

The bill goes further than the Senate resolution passed last week. It would also prohibit the president, vice president, and senior executive branch officials from trading on prediction markets.

npr.orgFCC orders early license renewal for ABC stations following Kimmel's first lady jokeThe Federal Communications Commission has ordered Disney's ABC to seek early broadcast license renewals for the eight TV stations it owns amid backlash over Jimmy Kimmel's joke about Melania Trump.

1 May

The Trump administration has ordered ABC to seek to renew licenses early for 8 stations – years ahead of schedule – after Melania Trump criticized the network over a Jimmy Kimmel joke. The president called for Kimmel to be fired. www.npr.org/2026/04/28/n...

1 May

Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr said the agency can accelerate license reviews if it has “significant concerns” about whether a broadcaster serves the public interest. ABC’s licenses weren’t due for renewal until at least 2028.