#corruption
27 entries with this tag
Kushner's $4 Billion Resort on Protected Albanian Coast Sparks "Flamingo Revolution" — Barbed Wire on Beaches, Bulldozed Turtle Nests, Assets Frozen
Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners is building a $4 billion luxury resort on Albania's Adriatic coast — on the protected Vjosa-Narta wildlife reserve and Sazan island, a former communist military base. Bulldozers destroyed at least one sea turtle nest. Developers installed barbed wire blocking public beach access. Thousands took to the streets in the "Flamingo Revolution," carrying inflatable flamingos and signs reading "Albania is not for sale." Police responded with water cannons. Anti-corruption prosecutors (SPAK) froze developer bank accounts and opened a probe into fraudulent land titles and a 2024 law that conveniently removed the ban on building in protected areas. Ivanka said they "discovered" the island while swimming from a friend's boat. PM Rama: "There is no chance for this investment to stop as long as I am here." In Serbia, a nearly identical Kushner-linked project collapsed after four people — including a government minister — were charged with abuse of office. Diaspora protests spread to Berlin, London, New York, and Toronto.
Federal Judge Halts Trump's $1.776B "Anti-Weaponization Fund" — No Money Can Move While Lawsuits Proceed
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema blocked the DOJ from transferring money to, reviewing claims for, or disbursing payments from the $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund — freezing it entirely while lawsuits proceed. The ruling came in a suit filed by former Jan. 6 prosecutor Andrew Floyd and others, represented by Democracy Forward. Three separate lawsuits now challenge the fund. A coalition of 35 former federal judges urged a separate court to reopen the original IRS settlement and examine whether it was fraud. Hearing set for June 12.
Joe Rogan — Who Endorsed Trump — Compares Him to Uday Hussein Over the $1.776B Slush Fund: "This Is Crazy"
Joe Rogan, who endorsed Trump in 2024 and helped propel him to victory, read the details of the $1.776B Anti-Weaponization Fund live on his podcast and was stunned. On the permanent tax immunity: "That is so crazy." He compared it to getting acquitted of murder and then demanding immunity from all future murder prosecutions — "and then you just go straight Uday Hussein." Mitch McConnell called it "a slush fund to pay people who assault cops — utterly stupid, morally wrong."
The $1.776B Slush Fund Is Built on a Lawsuit That Was Filed Too Late — And Video Proves Trump Knew
Video evidence shows Trump's own lawyer Alina Habba was in federal court in October 2023 condemning the IRS leak on Trump's behalf — but Trump's lawsuit claims he didn't learn about it until January 2024. The two-year statute of limitations ran from when he knew, not when the IRS sent a letter. He filed in January 2026 — months too late. A leaked IRS memo confirmed the suit was time-barred. The DOJ settled it anyway, creating the $1.776B fund, two days before a judge was set to rule on whether the case could even proceed.
Jan. 6 Officers Who Were Beaten by Rioters Sue to Block $1.776B Fund That Would Pay Their Attackers
Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn and DC officer Daniel Hodges — both beaten defending the Capitol on Jan. 6 — filed a federal lawsuit to block Trump's $1.776 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund." They call it an illegal slush fund to reward insurrectionists, citing the 14th Amendment's ban on paying debts incurred in aid of rebellion. The same pardoned rioters who attacked them could now be paid with taxpayer money — from a fund with no congressional authorization, no transparency, and no statutory basis.
Trump's Former Defense Lawyer Signs Order Making Trump "FOREVER BARRED" From IRS Audits — Federal Law Says the President Can't Do That
Acting AG Todd Blanche — Trump's former personal defense attorney — signed a one-page addendum to the IRS settlement declaring the government is "FOREVER BARRED and PRECLUDED" from auditing Trump, his family, trusts, or businesses on any past tax returns. Federal law gives the IRS independent audit authority that the AG has no power to waive. A long-running audit could have cost Trump $100M+. His former lawyer just erased it. Public Citizen called it illegal. An NYU tax law expert called it "a breathtaking abuse of the tax and legal system."
Trump Drops His IRS Lawsuit, Creates $1.776B "Anti-Weaponization Fund" to Reimburse Jan. 6 Rioters With Taxpayer Money
Trump's DOJ officially established the $1.776 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund" — taxpayer money to reimburse MAGA allies including Jan. 6 rioters. In exchange, Trump dropped his $10 billion IRS lawsuit over the Mar-a-Lago raid. The president settled a lawsuit with himself to create a slush fund he controls. A House Democrat: "the largest single act of grand larceny in American history."
Trump's "Pool Guy" Reflecting Pool Contract Hits $13.1M — 7x What He Promised — and Now Faces a Lawsuit
Trump promised the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool would cost $1.8M to fix. The no-bid contract to his "pool guy" (a culvert waterproofer with no pool experience) started at $6.9M. The Interior Dept. then added $6.2M more — total now $13.1M, over seven times Trump's promise. A preservation nonprofit is suing to halt the blue paint job for violating historic landmark protections.
"I'll Pardon Everyone Who Has Come Within 200 Feet of the Oval"
Per the Wall Street Journal, Trump has repeatedly promised blanket preemptive pardons to his administration before leaving office — "everyone who has come within 200 feet of the Oval." Earlier he said 10 feet. The radius is expanding. White House: "Learn to take a joke; the President's pardon power is absolute."
Trump's WLFI Team Borrows $150M USDC Against Its Own Token — 97.8% of Dolomite's Cap
Per Arkham research, Trump's World Liberty Financial team is lending $406.23M of its own WLFI tokens across 2 wallets — 4.99% of total supply and 97.8% of Dolomite's entire WLFI cap — and using that position to borrow $150M USDC against $400M of their own token. Real dollars out, self-issued token in.
Hegseth's Broker Tried to Make Multimillion-Dollar Defense Investment Before Iran War
The Financial Times reported that Defense Secretary Hegseth's Morgan Stanley broker contacted BlackRock in February about a multimillion-dollar investment in a defense ETF holding Lockheed Martin, RTX, and Northrop Grumman — weeks before the Iran war. The trade didn't go through only because the fund wasn't available yet.
$580M in Oil Trades Minutes Before Trump's Iran Post — "Mind-Blowing Corruption"
6,200 oil futures contracts ($580M) traded in a single minute, 15 minutes before Trump reversed his Iran stance on Truth Social. $1.5B in S&P futures were bought 5 minutes before. A Nobel laureate called it "treason."
Lewandowski Ran Pay-to-Play Scheme at DHS; Noem Lied to Congress
Corey Lewandowski — installed at DHS as Noem's adviser with no experience — personally approved multimillion-dollar contracts and demanded kickbacks from contractors. Noem denied it under oath. Both were fired.
Vought Diverted $15M in Humanitarian Aid for Personal Security Detail
OMB Director Russ Vought — who architected the gutting of USAID — was found using $15 million in USAID humanitarian aid funds to pay for his personal security detail of 12+ U.S. Marshals.
The "Spy Sheikh" Paid $500M for 49% of Trump's Crypto Firm, Then Got 500,000 AI Chips
Per the WSJ: Sheikh Tahnoon — UAE national security adviser, nicknamed the "Spy Sheikh" — paid $500 million for a secret 49% stake in World Liberty Financial, signed by Eric Trump four days before the inauguration. Months later, the U.S. approved 500,000 advanced AI chips per year to the UAE — a deal Biden had blocked. A fifth go to Tahnoon's own AI firm.
Pardoned Binance Founder After $2B Crypto Deal
Trump pardoned Binance founder CZ who had pleaded guilty to money laundering as part of a $4.3B settlement. The pardon came after a $2B deal linked Binance to Trump's own crypto company. Trump then claimed "I don't know who he is."
Pardoned 20+ Convicted Corrupt Politicians
Trump granted clemency to over 20 corruption-convicted politicians, wiping nearly $2 billion in victim restitution. His pardon attorney described the approach as "No MAGA left behind."
Accepted $400M Luxury Jet from Qatar
Trump accepted a $400 million Boeing 747 luxury jet from Qatar to be used as Air Force One — though CNN revealed his administration had actually approached Qatar first. The upgrade will cost taxpayers up to $1 billion.
$TRUMP Memecoin Grift
Three days before inauguration, Trump launched the $TRUMP memecoin. It soared to $13 billion market cap then crashed, earning the Trump family $320M+ in fees while 764,000 investor wallets lost a combined $2 billion.
$7.8 Million from Foreign Governments While President
House investigators documented $7.8 million from 20 foreign governments flowing to Trump businesses during his presidency — China alone paid $5.6M. CREW estimates the true total at $13.6M. Trump never sought required congressional consent.
3,700+ Conflicts of Interest
Trump never divested from his businesses, accumulating over 3,700 documented conflicts of interest during his first term. Foreign governments, lobbyists, and GOP groups spent money at Trump properties to curry favor.
Pardoned Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, and Charles Kushner
Trump pardoned his convicted allies — Roger Stone (witness tampering), Paul Manafort (fraud), and Charles Kushner (Jared's father, tax evasion and witness tampering) — in what even Republican senators called "unprecedented corruption."
Tried to Host G7 at His Own Struggling Resort
Trump announced the 2020 G7 summit would be held at his own Trump Doral resort — whose income had dropped 69%. Even Republicans couldn't defend it. He reversed course within 48 hours.
Scott Pruitt: 16 Ethics Investigations at EPA
EPA chief Scott Pruitt resigned after accumulating 16 simultaneous ethics investigations — including a $50/night lobbyist condo, a $43,000 soundproof phone booth, and using aides to seek a Chick-fil-A franchise for his wife.
Ben Carson's $31,000 Dining Set — GAO Confirmed Illegal
HUD Secretary Ben Carson's office spent $31,561 on a custom mahogany dining set — exceeding the $5,000 legal limit by 6x. Internal emails showed the Carsons personally picked the furniture. The GAO confirmed it broke federal law.
HHS Secretary Tom Price: $1 Million in Private Jet Travel
Self-described fiscal hawk Tom Price resigned after spending nearly $1 million in taxpayer-funded private jet flights — some covering distances as short as DC to Philadelphia. He offered to reimburse only $52,000.
Kushner-Ivanka Nepotism and Security Clearance Override
Trump installed his daughter and son-in-law in senior White House roles despite anti-nepotism laws, then overrode intelligence officials to grant them top-secret clearances. Kushner later received a $2 billion Saudi investment.