Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price resigned after revelations he spent
over $1 million in taxpayer funds on private jets and military aircraft for travel
that included personal business. Price took at least 26 private charter flights
costing over $400,000, often to places where he had …
Tom PriceDonald TrumpDepartment of Health and Human Servicescorruptionresignationmisuse-of-fundshealthcareinsider-trading+5 more
Three days after a white supremacist murdered Heather Heyer at the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, President Trump held a press conference that shocked the nation by equating neo-Nazis with anti-racism protesters and defending Confederate statue defenders as “very fine …
Donald TrumpHeather HeyerJames Alex Fields Jr.White NationalismExtremismDomestic TerrorismAlt-Rightpresidential-misconduct
The “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia brought together neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and far-right extremists to protest the removal of a Confederate statue of Robert E. Lee. The rally descended into violence, culminating in a deadly terror attack when James Alex …
James Alex Fields Jr.Heather HeyerDonald TrumpWhite NationalismExtremismDomestic TerrorismAlt-Righthate-crimes
On July 21, 2017, the Senate confirmed Mark Esper as Secretary of the Army, installing a former Raytheon weapons lobbyist in a senior Pentagon position overseeing billions of dollars in defense contracts. Esper had served as Raytheon’s vice president of government relations from July 2010 …
Mark EsperRaytheonDonald TrumpElizabeth Warrenrevolving-doorraytheondefense-contractorspentagonlobbying+1 more
Trump called White House Counsel Don McGahn at home and directed him to call Acting Attorney General and say Special Counsel had conflicts of interest and must be removed. McGahn refused, deciding he would resign rather than trigger what he viewed as potential “Saturday Night Massacre” …
Donald TrumpDon McGahnRod RosensteinRob Porterobstruction-of-justicemueller-investigationsaturday-night-massacrewitness-tamperingdocument-falsification+2 more
The U.S. Office of Special Counsel determined that White House Social Media Director Dan Scavino violated the Hatch Act when he used his position to call on Trump supporters to defeat Republican Congressman Justin Amash in a primary election. Although Scavino posted the tweet from his personal …
Dan ScavinoDonald TrumpJustin AmashOffice of Special CounselHatch ActEthics ViolationsDan ScavinoSocial MediaTrump Administration+1 more
President Trump announced U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, making America the only nation to reject the accord after Syria and Nicaragua joined. Trump falsely claimed the agreement would cost America $3 trillion and 6.5 million jobs while allowing China and India to increase …
Donald TrumpParis AgreementFossil Fuel IndustryUnited StatesScott Pruittclimate-changeparis-agreementenvironmental-destructioninternational-isolationfossil-fuels
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed former FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III as Special Counsel on May 17, 2017, to oversee the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and any links between the Trump campaign and Russia—just 8 days after Trump fired FBI Director …
Robert MuellerRod RosensteinDonald TrumpJames ComeyJeff Sessionsmueller-investigationobstruction-of-justicerussia-investigationspecial-counselrosenstein
In a stunning May 11, 2017 NBC News interview with Lester Holt—just two days after firing FBI Director James Comey—President Trump explicitly admitted he fired Comey because of the Russia investigation, directly contradicting the White House’s initial explanation that the firing was based on …
Donald TrumpLester HoltJames ComeyRod Rosensteinobstruction-of-justicecomey-firingrussia-investigationmueller-investigationlester-holt
The day after firing FBI Director James Comey, President Trump met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in the Oval Office and revealed highly classified code-word intelligence provided by Israel about an ISIS laptop bomb plot, jeopardizing a critical …
Donald TrumpSergei LavrovSergey KislyakH.R. McMasterBenjamin Netanyahuclassified-intelligencerussiaisraelnational-security-risklavrov+1 more
Trump fired FBI Director James Comey while under FBI investigation for Russian connections. Day after firing, Trump told Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and Ambassador Kislyak in Oval Office that he had “faced great pressure because of Russia” which had been “taken off” by …
Donald TrumpJames ComeySergey LavrovSergey KislyakRod Rosensteinobstruction-of-justicereferee-neutralizationrussia-investigationfbiinstitutional-capture+1 more
Fox News fired its top-rated host Bill O’Reilly on April 19, 2017, after The New York Times revealed O’Reilly and 21st Century Fox had paid approximately $13 million to settle sexual harassment claims from at least five women over more than a decade. The women, who either worked for …
Bill O'ReillyDonald TrumpRupert MurdochJames MurdochLachlan Murdoch+1 morefox-newssexual-harassmenttrump-defensebill-oreillymedia-corruption
The Trump Justice Department initiated a systematic surveillance operation targeting Washington Post journalists Ellen Nakashima, Greg Miller, and Adam Entous between April 15 and July 31, 2017. The operation was part of an aggressive effort to identify sources and suppress national security …
Trump Model Management quietly closes operations after 18 years, amid ongoing investigations into visa fraud and labor violations. The shutdown comes as multiple former models speak publicly about being trafficked on fraudulent visas, forced to work illegally, and subjected to debt bondage through …
Trump Model ManagementDonald TrumpAlexia Palmerbusiness-dealingsexploitationinvestigationimmigration-fraud
On April 6, 2017, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell invoked the “nuclear option”—a parliamentary procedure to change Senate rules by simple majority vote—to eliminate the 60-vote filibuster requirement for Supreme Court nominations, lowering the threshold to a simple 51-vote …
On April 6, 2017, President Trump ordered the first direct U.S. military action against the Assad regime—launching 59 Tomahawk missiles at Shayrat air base in Syria—from his private Mar-a-Lago club while hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping for a state dinner. At approximately 8:40 PM, as Trump and …
Donald TrumpXi JinpingBashar al-AssadRex TillersonVladimir Putinmar-a-lagomilitary-actionsyriaconflicts-of-interestemoluments+1 more
Ivanka Trump received three valuable Chinese trademarks on the same day she dined with President Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago during critical U.S.-China trade negotiations. Throughout Trump’s presidency, China approved 34 trademarks for Ivanka’s business, including 16 new trademarks in …
President Trump removed chief strategist Steve Bannon from the National Security Council Principals Committee on April 5, 2017, ending an unprecedented three-month period during which a political operative with no national security experience—and a background running Breitbart News, the platform for …
Steve BannonDonald TrumpH.R. McMasterMichael FlynnDan Coats+1 moresteve-bannonnational-security-councilpoliticizationmichael-flynnmcmaster
U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel approved the $25 million Trump University settlement on March 31, 2017, clearing the way for approximately 3,730 victims to receive refunds of at least 90 percent of the money they spent on Trump University courses. The approval came four months after Trump agreed …
Palmer Luckey, founder of Oculus VR (acquired by Facebook for $2 billion in 2014), departed Facebook in March 2017 following controversy over his $10,000 donation to Nimble America, a pro-Trump political group. Internal Facebook emails later revealed that executives, including Mark Zuckerberg, …
President Trump signed a sweeping executive order at the EPA that effectively dismantled Obama’s climate change policies, targeting the Clean Power Plan and lifting restrictions on carbon emissions. The order represented a significant regulatory rollback, prioritizing fossil fuel industry …
Donald TrumpScott PruittLee ZeldinMurray Energy Corporationepa-rollbackclimate-changeregulatory-capturefossil-fuel-industryenvironmental-policy
On March 22, 2017—just two days after FBI Director Comey publicly confirmed the Russia investigation—President Trump called Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and NSA Director Mike Rogers into separate meetings and asked them to publicly state there was no evidence of collusion between his …
Donald TrumpDan CoatsMike RogersJames ComeyMike Pompeoobstruction-of-justicerussia-investigationdan-coatsmike-rogersabuse-of-power
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes made a secret visit to the White House grounds on March 21, 2017—the night before he dramatically announced he had seen intelligence suggesting Trump associates were “incidentally collected” in surveillance. Nunes viewed classified …
FBI Director James Comey confirmed for the first time in public testimony before the House Intelligence Committee that the FBI was investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible coordination between Trump’s campaign and Russia. This unprecedented disclosure of an ongoing …
James ComeyDonald TrumpMike RogersDevin NunesAdam Schiffrussia-investigationcomeyobstruction-of-justicecongressional-testimonyabuse-of-power
Reuters investigation revealed at least 63 Russian nationals invested $98.4 million in
Trump-branded properties in South Florida, primarily in Sunny Isles Beach. The buyers
purchased units at Trump Grande, Trump Towers, and Trump Hollywood, with about one-third
of all units owned through LLCs that …
Donald TrumpTrump OrganizationRussian buyersReutersrussian-moneyreal-estatemoney-launderingsunny-isles-beachshell-companies
President Trump fired U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara on March 11, 2017, after Bharara refused to resign when ordered to do so—breaking Trump’s direct promise made just months earlier at Trump Tower to allow Bharara to keep his position. Bharara, the highly respected U.S. Attorney for the Southern …
Donald TrumpPreet BhararaMarc KasowitzJeff SessionsRoger Ailes+1 moreobstruction-of-justicecorruptionabuse-of-powerconflicts-of-interestfox-news
On March 7, 2017, Michael Flynn belatedly filed Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) paperwork with the Department of Justice, revealing his consulting firm received $530,000 from August through November 2016 for work that could be construed to have principally benefited the Republic of Turkey. …
Michael FlynnDonald TrumpRecep Tayyip ErdoganEkim AlptekinFethullah Gulenflynnforeign-agentconflicts-of-interestturkeycorruption+1 more
President Trump signed Executive Order 13780 on March 6, 2017—“Travel Ban 2.0”—revising his original Muslim ban after federal courts blocked Executive Order 13769. The new order placed a 90-day restriction on entry to the U.S. by nationals of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and …
Donald TrumpDerrick WatsonDoug ChinRudy Giulianimuslim-banreligious-discriminationauthoritarianismimmigrationrule-of-law
On March 4, 2017, President Trump tweeted a series of explosive and completely false accusations that former President Barack Obama had wiretapped his phones at Trump Tower “just before the victory.” Trump claimed he had “just found out” about the wiretapping but provided …
Donald TrumpBarack ObamaJames ClapperJames Comeydisinformationobama-attacksauthoritarianismfalse-accusationsabuse-of-power
Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced on March 2, 2017, that he would recuse himself from any investigations related to the 2016 presidential campaign, including Russian interference, following The Washington Post’s revelation that Sessions had lied under oath about his contacts with …
Jeff SessionsDonald TrumpSergey KislyakDana BoenteRod Rosensteinperjuryrussia-investigationrecusalobstruction-of-justicesessions
During his first address to Congress on February 28, 2017, President Trump orchestrated an emotional moment honoring Carryn Owens, widow of Navy SEAL William “Ryan” Owens who died in the botched Yemen raid Trump approved on January 29. The chamber gave a standing ovation lasting 1 minute …
Donald TrumpCarryn OwensWilliam OwensRyan OwensJames Mattismilitary-incompetencepolitical-theateryemenaccountabilitypropaganda
Private prison companies CoreCivic and GEO Group saw their stock prices surge 100% and 98% respectively after donating nearly $2.8 million to Trump’s campaign and inauguration. Attorney General Jeff Sessions immediately reversed Obama’s order to phase out private prisons, declaring …
The day after National Security Advisor Michael Flynn resigned for lying about his contacts with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, President Trump cleared the Oval Office of other officials—including Attorney General Jeff Sessions and senior advisor Jared Kushner—and asked FBI Director James Comey …
Donald TrumpJames ComeyMichael FlynnJared KushnerJeff SessionsObstruction of JusticeMueller InvestigationComey FiringFlynn InvestigationPresidential Abuse of Power+1 more
National Security Advisor Michael Flynn resigned on February 13, 2017, after just 24 days in office—the shortest tenure in the 63-year history of the position. Flynn’s resignation came after revelations that he had lied to Vice President Mike Pence, other White House officials, and the FBI …
Michael FlynnDonald TrumpMike PenceSally YatesSergey Kislyak+1 morerussia-investigationobstruction-of-justiceflynnperjurynational-security-risk
When North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile on February 11, 2017, President Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe conducted national security deliberations in full view of Mar-a-Lago club members and guests at Trump’s private resort. As wealthy club members looked on from their …
Donald TrumpShinzo AbeSean Spiceremolumentsconflicts-of-interestmar-a-lagonational-security-riskcorruption
President Trump used his official presidential Twitter account on February 8, 2017, to attack Nordstrom department store for dropping daughter Ivanka Trump’s clothing and shoe line, writing: “My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom. She is a great person — always …
Donald TrumpIvanka TrumpNordstromSean SpicerRichard Painteremoluments-violationsabuse-of-officeconflicts-of-interestivanka-trumpcorruption
White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway committed over 50 Hatch Act violations by repeatedly using her official position to influence elections, with the Office of Special Counsel finding she violated the law on dozens of occasions including advocating for Roy Moore and against Doug Jones in the …
Kellyanne ConwayDonald TrumpOffice of Special CounselWhite HouseIvanka Trump+1 morehatch-actethics-violationimpunityrule-of-lawcorruption
The Senate confirmed Jeff Sessions as Attorney General on February 8, 2017, despite Sessions lying under oath during his confirmation hearing about contacts with Russian officials during the 2016 presidential campaign. When asked by Senator Al Franken whether he had communications with Russians, …
Jeff SessionsDonald TrumpSergey KislyakAl Frankenperjuryrussia-investigationobstruction-of-justicedoj-capturesenate-confirmation
Scott Pruitt, who sued the EPA 14 times as Oklahoma Attorney General while taking 00,000+ from fossil fuel companies, became EPA Administrator and immediately began dismantling environmental protections. He installed a 3,000 soundproof phone booth, took 30+ first-class flights costing taxpayers …
Scott PruittEPAAndrew WheelerDonald TrumpFossil Fuel Industryregulatory-captureenvironmental-destructioncorruptionclimate-denialindustry-influence
Vice President Mike Pence cast a historic tie-breaking vote on February 7, 2017, to confirm Betsy DeVos as Education Secretary—the first time in American history that a vice president’s tie-breaking power was used to confirm a Cabinet nominee. The Senate vote split exactly 50-50, with two …
Rex Tillerson, former ExxonMobil CEO who received Putin’s Order of Friendship for Russian energy deals and maintained 45 million in oil investments, became Secretary of State despite unprecedented opposition. Tillerson had negotiated a 00 billion Arctic drilling deal with Russia’s …
Rex TillersonExxonMobilVladimir PutinDonald TrumpState Departmentoil-industryrussia-connectionsregulatory-captureforeign-influenceinstitutional-destruction
The Federalist Society, funded by $250 million in dark money from anonymous donors, orchestrated the most systematic judicial capture in U.S. history. Trump outsourced judicial selection to the Society, appointing 231 federal judges including 3 Supreme Court justices, all from their pre-approved …
President Trump fired Acting Attorney General Sally Yates within hours of her instructing Justice Department attorneys not to defend Executive Order 13769 (the Muslim ban). Yates had sent a letter to DOJ staff stating she was “not convinced that the defense of the Executive Order is consistent …
Donald TrumpSally YatesDana BoenteJeff SessionsRudy Giulianirule-of-lawdoj-politicizationobstruction-of-justiceauthoritarianismmuslim-ban+1 more
Trump signed EO 13771 on January 30, 2017, establishing a “two-for-one” rule requiring agencies to eliminate two existing regulations for every new regulation, with zero net cost increase. A November 2017 OIRA report claimed agencies achieved a 22-to-1 deregulatory ratio in eight months, …
Donald TrumpOffice of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA)Public Citizen (plaintiff)Natural Resources Defense Council (plaintiff)Judge Randolph D. Moss+1 moreexecutive-orderregulationderegulationtwo-for-one-ruleregulatory-costs+1 more
Deutsche Bank paid $630 million to U.S. and UK regulators for facilitating $10 billion in
Russian money laundering through “mirror trades” from 2011-2015. The scheme converted rubles
to dollars through sham stock trades between Moscow and London offices. During this same
period, Deutsche …
Deutsche BankDonald TrumpJared KushnerNew York Department of Financial ServicesUK Financial Conduct Authoritymoney-launderingrussian-moneydeutsche-bankmirror-tradesfinancial-crime
President Trump authorized his first military operation—a raid on the Yemeni village of Yakla targeting al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula—resulting in the death of Navy SEAL Chief William “Ryan” Owens, at least 23 civilians including nine children and six women, and an 8-year-old …
Donald TrumpWilliam OwensNawar al-AwlakiCarryn Owensmilitary-incompetencecivilian-casualtieswar-crimesaccountabilityyemen
President Trump signed Executive Order 13769, titled “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States,” banning citizens from seven predominantly Muslim countries—Syria, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen—from entering the United States for 90 days. …
Donald TrumpRudy GiulianiJim MattisState Departmentmuslim-banauthoritarianismreligious-discriminationimmigrationrule-of-law+1 more
President Trump invited FBI Director James Comey to a one-on-one dinner at the White House on January 27, 2017, where he directly demanded: “I need loyalty, I expect loyalty.” Comey had expected others to attend but found himself alone with Trump in what he later described as an attempt …
Donald TrumpJames ComeyMichael FlynnSally YatesSergey Kislyakobstruction-of-justicefbi-independenceloyalty-demandsrule-of-lawrussia-investigation
Stephen Miller, the primary architect of Executive Order 13769, implemented Trump’s campaign promise of a “Muslim ban” just seven days into the administration, creating immediate chaos at airports across the United States as customs agents detained travelers, separated families, …
Stephen MillerDonald TrumpSteve BannonStephen MillerMuslim BanImmigrationWhite Nationalism
President Donald Trump designates Ajit Pai as Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, elevating the sitting Republican commissioner and former Verizon Communications associate general counsel to lead the agency responsible for regulating his former employer and the broader …
Donald TrumpAjit PaiVerizon CommunicationsFederal Communications CommissionTom Wheelerrevolving-doorregulatory-capturefccnet-neutralityverizon+2 more