Katie Zacharia is gone and will soon be forgotten, but give her some credit: she broke news in every press conference she held.
Three answers into her one-and-done White House press briefing, Zacharia told America that the administration had asked Greece Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign, ending a tenure that had only lasted about eleven months.
As the Wall Street Journal has reported all month, the allegations of corruption against Guilfoyle were extensive and devastating. According to the newspaper, Guilfoyle had pushed a Trump donor to pay her $100,000 credit card bill, offering to use her influence to help the donor with his tax and legal issues.
She followed through, by the way: the Journal uncovered evidence of messages Guilfoyle sent to the head of the IRS lobbying on the donor’s behalf.
It’s the tip of the iceberg when it comes to corruption allegations in this administration, and the American voter is noticing. A recent Fox News poll put it at the top of voters’ concerns this election cycle.
On CBS this weekend, Vice President Vance told voters that this White House wasn’t to blame. He said that while DC was corrupt, he “had not seen a single shred of evidence” that Trump had participated in any corruption.
Democrats have an extraordinary opportunity to prove that the party will address the issue. Even longtime party insiders like Rahm Emanuel have noticed, and they’re offering the kind of plan that we think could help drive voters to the polls.
Programming note: Join Jessica and Aaron Parnas for Raging Perspective again this Wednesday. We’re live at 12PM with an unscripted, unfiltered, unedited conversation about the issues defining this era. And as always, we’re also taking your questions! Ask away in the comments section below.
A mountain of corruption allegations during this administration
Allegations of corruption have dogged this administration since day one, and as extensive reporting on the White House shows, it’s easy to see why. Here’s our top five… and we left a lot on the cutting room floor:
The Trump family and crypto: In January, the Journal reported that lieutenants to an Abu Dhabi royal secretly signed a deal with the Trump family’s crypto venture to buy 49% of the company for half a billion dollars. Shortly after the investment, the UAE won access to “tightly guarded” American AI chips.
Pardons: A Reuters investigation last week found that at least 85 public officials who’d been charged with or convicted of crimes related to corruption had received clemency from Trump, and the recipients “overwhelmingly have been fellow Republicans or vocal proponents of his MAGA movement”
Pentagon contracts for Trump businesses: The Washington Post reported in July that defense tech companies with significant investments from Trump’s sons had obtained at least $3.2 billion in direct government business since their investment, and another $3.1 billion in future contract options.
The 747: Qatar gave the president a Boeing 747 airplane worth about $400 million, despite the Constitution’s prohibition on foreign gifts.
Corporate donations to Trump’s ballroom: You read about it last week… Apple, Nvidia, Microsoft, Lockheed Martin, Palantir all making eight-figure donations to Trump’s White House ballroom.
Again, that’s just a top five, and just one of these stories would have been earth-shattering news in a previous administration.
Unlike years past, voters think it’s a real issue
Corruption clouds loomed over the first Trump administration as well, but the issue never found its place among the economy or immigration as top concerns for voters (and by 2020, all three had been replaced by a decade-defining pandemic).
It’s been appearing in more lists this year, though not as explosively as we saw in last week’s Fox News poll, where the issue rated #1 on voters’ list of issues they’re concerned about – and that’s just the beginning.
According to the survey, 88% of voters said they were extremely or very concerned about corruption in government, putting the issue higher than inflation (85%), gas prices (83%) and healthcare (80%) to round out the top four.
Six in ten voters said they were “extremely” concerned, making it the number one issue within that category too.
It rated high with a wide range of groups, with at least 85% of moderates, white men, voters with lower incomes, and those under age 35 saying they were concerned too.
And more voters trusted Democrats to deal with it. The survey revealed that 54% of voters said the Democratic Party would do a better job handling corruption, including six in ten moderate voters. Only 44% said Republicans.
Democrats can make this a turnout motivator with the right messaging
One more important stat from that survey: 91% of voters who said they were certain to vote this November said they were concerned about corruption.
In other words, this is an issue Democrats can use to get voters to the polls.
We’ve seen Democratic campaigns argue that corruption is making life harder for folks. Iowa Senate hopeful Josh Turek, in his debate against Republican Ashley Hinson last week, told voters that the “corruption crisis… is leading to an affordability crisis.” Or as Ohio’s Sherrod Brown put it: “they’re rigging the rules to benefit their wealthy donors and corporate special interests.”
These candidates, along with many other frontline Democrats this cycle, are pitching an anti-corruption agenda: ban stock trading, stop big companies from lobbying their way into legislation and close revolving doors.
That’s how you talk about this issue in the midterms: tie it to voters’ pocketbooks. It’s not enough just to say, for example, that accepting corporate donations for a ballroom is unethical. You have to point out that companies do that to curry favor with an administration. That’s great for big companies, but it’s terrible for consumers who are left with, say, less competitive industries and higher prices.
We’re also pleased to see possible presidential candidates jump into this issue too. Rahm Emanuel – not exactly an anti-establishment figure within the Democrats’ ranks! – has a plan that is remarkably comprehensive:
Ban congressional stock trading
Ban prediction market betting
Enforce a mandatory retirement age of 75 for federal officials
Require mandatory blind trusts for public officials with a net worth of over $1 billion
Ban all foreign gifts and investments directed to public officials
(Find a Republican who agrees with that list!)
This is the path forward for Democrats. Speak up about corruption, tell voters how it impacts their lives, then tell them how you’re going to address it. With corruption at the top of voters’ list of issues, these midterms are a huge opportunity for Democrats to show voters that they’re looking out for them.
This administration’s connection to corruption has been so out in the open that there’s no way they could deny it but of course they try to by lying and affording the issue when the people ask questions about it at town hall meetings. EVERYONE knows this and it’s time we hold these corrupt politicians accountable.