Abuse of Office

HHS Spends $300 Million in Taxpayer Funds on "Defeating Despair" COVID Ad Campaign Timed to Promote Trump Before Election

| Importance: 9/10

The Department of Health and Human Services launched a $300 million advertising campaign called “Defeating Despair” to promote the Trump administration’s COVID-19 response, with the effort conceived by political appointee Michael Caputo and timed to air before the November …

Michael Caputo Donald Trump Dennis Quaid CeCe Winans Alex Azar Hatch Act Ethics Violations Abuse of Office Campaign Finance COVID-19 +3 more
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Trump Delivers RNC Acceptance Speech from White House South Lawn in Unprecedented Mass Hatch Act Violation Event

| Importance: 9/10

President Trump delivered his Republican National Convention acceptance speech from the White House South Lawn before 1,500 attendees in an unprecedented use of federal property for a partisan campaign event, culminating four days of systematic Hatch Act violations that transformed the White House …

Donald Trump Melania Trump Mark Meadows Mike Pompeo Chad Wolf +1 more Hatch Act Ethics Violations Republican National Convention White House Abuse of Office +2 more
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Secretary of State Pompeo Delivers Historic RNC Speech from Jerusalem Rooftop, Violating Hatch Act After Changing State Department Policy

| Importance: 9/10

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered a speech to the Republican National Convention from a hotel rooftop in Jerusalem during an official diplomatic trip to the Middle East, becoming the first sitting Secretary of State to address a party convention in modern history. The U.S. Office of Special …

Mike Pompeo Donald Trump Office of Special Counsel Hatch Act Ethics Violations Mike Pompeo Republican National Convention State Department +2 more
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Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf Violates Hatch Act by Staging White House Naturalization Ceremony as RNC Campaign Content

| Importance: 8/10

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf presided over a naturalization ceremony in the White House Cross Hall that was orchestrated specifically to create content for the Republican National Convention, with the footage broadcast that evening as part of the RNC programming. The U.S. Office of …

Chad Wolf Donald Trump Henry Kerner Bennie Thompson Hatch Act Ethics Violations Republican National Convention Abuse of Office Immigration +2 more
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Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao Used Office to Benefit Family Shipping Business

| Importance: 8/10

Inspector General report revealed Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao repeatedly used her office and staff to benefit her family’s shipping business, Foremost Group, which has extensive ties to China. Chao directed staff to help with father’s travel, edit his Wikipedia page, send his …

Elaine Chao Mitch McConnell Department of Transportation Foremost Group James Chao corruption conflict-of-interest china shipping-industry abuse-of-office +2 more
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Office of Special Counsel Issues Unprecedented Recommendation to Remove Kellyanne Conway for "Egregious, Notorious, and Ongoing" Hatch Act Violations

| Importance: 9/10

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel issued an extraordinary recommendation that White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway be removed from federal service for repeated Hatch Act violations, calling her conduct “egregious, notorious, and ongoing.” Special Counsel Henry Kerner, himself a Trump …

Kellyanne Conway Donald Trump Henry Kerner Office of Special Counsel Hatch Act Ethics Violations Kellyanne Conway Abuse of Office Trump Administration +1 more
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Office of Special Counsel Recommends Disciplining Kellyanne Conway for Hatch Act Violations

| Importance: 8/10

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel sent a report to President Trump recommending disciplinary action against White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway for violating the Hatch Act during television interviews where she promoted Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore and attacked Democratic candidate Doug …

Kellyanne Conway Donald Trump Henry Kerner Roy Moore Doug Jones Hatch Act Ethics Violations Kellyanne Conway Abuse of Office Trump Administration
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Trump Attacks Nordstrom Using Presidential Office to Promote Daughter Ivanka's Business After Brand Dropped

| Importance: 8/10

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 Trump Ivanka Trump Nordstrom Sean Spicer Richard Painter emoluments-violations abuse-of-office conflicts-of-interest ivanka-trump corruption
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