Conflict-of-Interest

Trump Family's USD1 Stablecoin Fails to Publish Attestation Reports, Raising Transparency Concerns

| Importance: 8/10

NYDIG, a prominent Bitcoin financial services firm, publicly flagged World Liberty Financial’s USD1 stablecoin for failing to publish required monthly attestation reports, with the most recent report dating from July 2025—over two months behind schedule. Greg Cipolaro, NYDIG’s Global …

World Liberty Financial NYDIG Greg Cipolaro BitGo Trust BitGo Technologies +1 more world-liberty-financial usd1-stablecoin cryptocurrency transparency-failure attestation-reports +6 more
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Trump Organization Launches 21 International Projects During Second Presidential Term

| Importance: 8/10

The Trump Organization has announced 21 international projects across 10 countries during Trump’s second presidential term, including significant developments in Serbia, India, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Vietnam, Indonesia, Uruguay, and Romania. These projects, valued at billions of …

Donald Trump Trump Organization Eric Trump Jared Kushner foreign-influence regulatory-capture government-contracts international-business conflict-of-interest
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Donald Trump Jr. meets Serbian president to promote Trump hotel amid massive protests

| Importance: 9/10

Donald Trump Jr. met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić on March 11, 2025, his second visit in six months, to promote a Trump International Hotel project in Belgrade—the first Trump hotel in Europe. The 175-room hotel with 1,500 luxury apartments will be built on the site of the former Yugoslav …

Donald Trump Jr. Aleksandar Vučić Trump Organization Affinity Global Development Jared Kushner foreign-influence conflict-of-interest serbia hotel-development
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Trump's World Liberty Financial Raises $550 Million in Crypto Token Sales

| Importance: 8/10

World Liberty Financial, a crypto venture backed by Trump’s family, announced it raised $250 million in its second token sale, bringing total sales to $550 million. The project demonstrates potential conflicts of interest and regulatory capture in the cryptocurrency sector.

Donald Trump Trump Administration World Liberty Financial Justin Sun crypto world-liberty-financial government-contracts crypto-venture regulatory-capture +3 more
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Trump issues ethics waiver allowing crypto czar David Sacks to retain investments

| Importance: 8/10

White House issued March 5 ethics waiver allowing David Sacks to shape crypto policy despite remaining financial interests in digital assets through Craft Ventures. Despite selling $200M in liquid crypto holdings, Sacks retained stakes in BitGo and Lightning Labs. Warren questioned the conflict as …

David Sacks White House David Warrington (White House Counsel) Sen. Elizabeth Warren Craft Ventures +1 more crypto ethics-waiver conflict-of-interest regulatory-capture
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Commerce Department changes broadband policies benefiting Starlink up to $20B

| Importance: 8/10

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick overhauled the $42.5B BEAD broadband program to adopt “tech-neutral approach” allowing satellite providers like Starlink to receive $10-20B instead of expected $4.1B, while directing staff to “increase satellite usage regardless of other …

Howard Lutnick Department of Commerce Elon Musk Starlink conflict-of-interest regulatory-capture starlink broadband musk-benefits
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Interior Secretary Doug Burgum Signs Ethics Agreement to Divest Oil and Gas Interests

| Importance: 8/10

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum was confirmed by the Senate in a 79-18 vote, signing an ethics agreement to divest from oil and gas interests within 90 days of confirmation. Despite pledging to address conflicts of interest, Burgum has a history of voting on issues related to companies with his …

doug-burgum Department of Interior continental-resources Microsoft u-s-office-of-government-ethics doug-burgum interior-department oil-gas-leases continental-resources conflict-of-interest +5 more
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HHS Secretary RFK Jr. Confirmed with Ongoing Vaccine Litigation Referral Fees

| Importance: 9/10

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. confirmed with ongoing financial interests in vaccine litigation, earning $856,559 in referral fees while controlling federal health policy. Despite resignation from consulting arrangements, he retains potential profit from Merck vaccine litigation, raising …

robert-f-kennedy-jr childrens-health-defense HHS NIH Merck +4 more rfk-jr anti-vaccine hhs conflict-of-interest biotech-investments +5 more
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Trump launches crypto memecoin days before inauguration

| Importance: 9/10

Trump launched a cryptocurrency memecoin right before his inauguration to make millions of dollars, then increased the value of those coins by signing executive orders making crypto a priority. He also launched a meme coin for Melania Trump.

Donald Trump Melania Trump trump-memecoin corruption trump-coin financial-conflicts market-manipulation +11 more
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Trump Organization launches $530M Saudi Arabia tower weeks before inauguration

| Importance: 8/10

Eric Trump announced the Trump Organization’s first Saudi Arabia project—a 47-floor, SAR 2 billion ($530M) Trump Tower in Jeddah, developed with London-listed Dar Global. The tower on Jeddah’s Corniche will include Trump Club, the Kingdom’s first members-only social club, with …

Eric Trump Donald Trump Trump Organization Dar Global foreign-influence saudi-arabia conflict-of-interest emoluments
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ProPublica Reveals Samuel Alito's Undisclosed Luxury Trip with Billionaire Paul Singer

| Importance: 8/10

ProPublica exposed that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito failed to disclose an expensive luxury fishing trip to Alaska in July 2008, paid for by billionaire hedge fund manager Paul Singer and other Republican donors. Alito flew to Alaska on Singer’s private jet and stayed at the King Salmon …

Samuel Alito Paul Singer Elliott Investment Management Leonard Leo Robin Arkley II +1 more judicial-capture supreme-court corporate-influence ethics-violation samuel-alito +3 more
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House Select Committee Exposes McKinsey Work for Chinese Military While Advising Pentagon

| Importance: 9/10

The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, led by Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) along with Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Joni Ernst (R-IA), exposes evidence that McKinsey & Company worked for the Chinese military and Chinese Communist Party while receiving over $480 million to …

McKinsey & Company House Select Committee on the CCP John Moolenaar Marco Rubio Joni Ernst +3 more mckinsey china ccp military conflict-of-interest +3 more
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Biden Administration 2022: Comprehensive Review of Political Appointees' Financial Disclosures and Ethics Compliance

| Importance: 8/10

Comprehensive analysis of Biden administration’s 2022 financial disclosures reveals a complex landscape of potential conflicts of interest and efforts to mitigate them. The Office of Government Ethics certified financial reports showing high compliance, with 48 out of 56 White House assistants …

Biden Administration Office of Government Ethics Regulatory Agencies Political Appointees Antony Blinken +3 more regulatory-capture revolving-door personnel conflict-of-interest ethics-disclosure +1 more
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SEC Fines McKinsey Subsidiary MIO Partners $18 Million for Puerto Rico Conflict of Interest and Material Nonpublic Information Violations

| Importance: 9/10

The Securities and Exchange Commission censured MIO Partners Inc. (McKinsey’s investment subsidiary) and ordered it to pay $18 million to settle allegations that it had access to material nonpublic information about Puerto Rico and other issuers while simultaneously overseeing investments that …

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) MIO Partners McKinsey & Company Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico mckinsey sec-enforcement mio-partners puerto-rico conflict-of-interest +4 more
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In-Q-Tel Leaders Launch Chain Bridge SPAC, Criticized as 'Revolving Door on Steroids'

| Importance: 8/10

In November 2021, the senior leadership of In-Q-Tel—CEO Christopher Darby, President Stephen Bowsher, and technology investor Michael Rolnick—filed for an initial public offering for Chain Bridge I, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) seeking to raise $200 million. The blank check company …

Christopher Darby Stephen Bowsher Michael Morell Jeremy Bash Alex Younger +2 more in-q-tel cia revolving-door corruption spac +2 more
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Boston Fed President Rosengren Resigns Over REIT Trading Scandal

| Importance: 8/10

In September 2021, Boston Federal Reserve President Eric Rosengren resigned amid a trading scandal revealing he actively traded Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and mortgage-backed securities during 2020, while the Federal Reserve was simultaneously purchasing such assets. A 2024 watchdog …

Eric Rosengren Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Robert Kaplan Jerome Powell federal-reserve trading-scandal conflict-of-interest eric-rosengren boston-fed +3 more
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Dallas Fed President Kaplan Resigns Over Trading Controversy

| Importance: 8/10

Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President Robert Kaplan resigned on September 27, 2021, after disclosure of extensive stock trading during the 2020 pandemic. Kaplan had made multiple trades worth over $1 million in companies like Amazon, Apple, and Delta Air Lines while serving as a voting member of …

Robert Kaplan Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Jerome Powell Eric Rosengren federal-reserve trading-scandal conflict-of-interest robert-kaplan dallas-fed +2 more
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FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn Joins Flagship Pioneering, Venture Firm Behind Moderna

| Importance: 9/10

Dr. Stephen Hahn, former FDA Commissioner who led the agency during COVID-19 vaccine emergency use authorizations, joined Flagship Pioneering as Chief Medical Officer on June 16, 2021. The move came six months after the FDA granted emergency use authorization to Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. …

Stephen Hahn Flagship Pioneering Moderna FDA regulatory-capture pharmaceutical-industry conflict-of-interest covid-pandemic fda-oversight
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Fed Vice Chair Clarida Trades Millions Before Rate Cuts

| Importance: 8/10

Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Richard Clarida rotated between $1-5 million from Pimco bond funds into stock funds on February 27, 2020, just one day before Fed Chair Powell’s emergency statement about coronavirus risks. Clarida sold multiple ETFs during the market’s COVID-19 downturn and …

Richard Clarida Federal Reserve Board Jerome Powell Elizabeth Warren federal-reserve trading-scandal conflict-of-interest richard-clarida insider-trading +2 more
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Pence's Ireland Trip Costs $3.6 Million with Detour to Trump Property

| Importance: 5/10

Vice President Mike Pence’s September 2019 stay at Trump Doonbeg in Ireland cost taxpayers $3.6 million total, requiring a 181-mile detour from Dublin meetings. Pence flew across Ireland to stay at Trump’s golf resort rather than in Dublin where his official meetings occurred. The …

Mike Pence Trump International Golf Links & Hotel Doonbeg Secret Service State Department emoluments domestic-emoluments trump-properties taxpayer-waste conflict-of-interest
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Investigation Reveals McKinsey Advised Both Puerto Rico Fiscal Board and Hedge Fund Creditors Through Whitebox Advisors Holding $140 Million in Bonds

| Importance: 9/10

Centro de Periodismo Investigativo revealed that McKinsey’s conflict of interest in Puerto Rico extended beyond its own bond holdings to include connections with major creditors through hedge fund Whitebox Advisors, which held over $140 million in Puerto Rico bonds through various investment …

McKinsey & Company MIO Partners Whitebox Advisors Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico Centro de Periodismo Investigativo mckinsey puerto-rico conflict-of-interest hedge-funds consulting-scandal +4 more
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Georgia Purges 1.4 Million Voters Under Exact Match System

| Importance: 8/10

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s office purged approximately 1.4 million voters from registration rolls between 2012-2018 using an ’exact match’ system that required perfect alignment between voter registration and DMV/Social Security records. Discrepancies as minor as a …

Brian Kemp Stacey Abrams Georgia Secretary of State Office Common Cause Georgia ACLU of Georgia +1 more voter-purges exact-match conflict-of-interest racial-disparity voter-registration +1 more
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Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp Refuses to Recuse From Overseeing His Own Governor Election

| Importance: 8/10

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp refuses to recuse himself from overseeing the 2018 gubernatorial election despite being the Republican candidate, creating an extraordinary conflict of interest. While running against Democrat Stacey Abrams, Kemp maintains control over voter registration, ballot …

Brian Kemp Stacey Abrams Georgia Secretary of State conflict-of-interest georgia brian-kemp electoral-manipulation voter-suppression
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U.S. Lifts Argentina Tariffs While Trump Seeks Trademarks

| Importance: 8/10

Trump administration exempted Argentina from steel and aluminum tariffs in May 2018 while Trump Organization was seeking trademark approvals in Argentina. After securing two trademarks in November 2019, the administration abruptly reinstated tariffs on Argentina weeks later, citing dubious …

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T-Mobile Executives Spend 95K at Trump Hotel During Merger Review

| Importance: 7/10

T-Mobile executives spent over 95,000 at Trump International Hotel while seeking approval for their 6 billion merger with Sprint, with more than 52 overnight stays documented. The spending coincided with the merger review period when T-Mobile needed approval from Trump’s Justice Department and …

T-Mobile John Legere Donald Trump Trump Organization Sprint +1 more corruption pay-to-play merger-approval conflict-of-interest corporate-influence
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McKinsey Ghostwrites Its Own $2.2 Million ICE Contract Extension: Consulting Firm Defines Its Own Scope of Work

| Importance: 8/10

McKinsey’s influence at ICE grows to such an extent that McKinsey staff ghostwrite a government contracting document that defines the consulting team’s own responsibilities and justifies the firm’s retention—a contract extension worth $2.2 million. When an ICE official discovers …

McKinsey & Company Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ICE contracting officers mckinsey consulting-scandal government-capture procurement-abuse conflict-of-interest +2 more
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S&P Settles for $1.375 Billion Over Fraudulent AAA Ratings on Junk Mortgage Securities, While Moody's Pays $864 Million, Exposing 'Issuer-Pays' Conflict of Interest Model Where 73% of 2006 AAA-Rated Securities Were Downgraded to Junk by 2010

| Importance: 10/10

On February 3, 2015, the Department of Justice, 19 states, and the District of Columbia reached a $1.375 billion settlement with Standard & Poor’s (S&P) over allegations that the credit rating agency knowingly inflated ratings on risky mortgage-backed securities and collateralized debt …

Standard & Poor's Moody's Investors Service Fitch Ratings Department of Justice Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) financial-crisis regulatory-capture conflict-of-interest fraud accountability-crisis +1 more
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Supreme Court backs broad discovery in Argentina debt case (Alito joined majority); Singer's fund later benefited

| Importance: 10/10

In Republic of Argentina v. NML Capital (2014), the Supreme Court held that the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act does not bar post‑judgment discovery into a foreign sovereign’s assets, facilitating creditor collection efforts including by Paul Singer’s NML Capital. Justice Samuel Alito …

Samuel Alito Paul Singer Elliott Management Republic of Argentina Supreme Court judicial-capture supreme-court conflict-of-interest paul-singer argentina-debt +1 more
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Hunter Biden Joins Burisma Board While Father Leads Ukraine Policy

| Importance: 7/10

Hunter Biden joined the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings, receiving up to $50,000 per month while his father Vice President Joe Biden led U.S. policy on Ukraine. State Department officials raised conflict of interest concerns in 2015. Devon Archer later testified to Congress that …

Hunter Biden Burisma Holdings Joe Biden Devon Archer foreign-influence conflict-of-interest ukraine family-enrichment
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Former CDC Director Julie Gerberding Joins Merck as Vaccine Division President

| Importance: 8/10

Dr. Julie Gerberding, who served as CDC Director from 2002-2009, joined Merck as president of the company’s vaccine division shortly after leaving government service. This move sparked significant controversy because during her tenure at the CDC, Gerberding oversaw the agency’s …

Dr. Julie Gerberding CDC Merck Gardasil vaccine regulatory-capture cdc pharmaceuticals revolving-door vaccines +1 more
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Supreme Court Delivers Partisan Bush v. Gore Decision with Corporate Legal Team Involvement

| Importance: 9/10

The Supreme Court issued a controversial 5-4 decision in Bush v. Gore that effectively awarded Florida’s 25 electoral votes to Republican candidate George W. Bush, ensuring his victory over Al Gore. The unsigned per curiam decision reversed a Florida Supreme Court request for a selective …

George W. Bush Al Gore William Rehnquist Sandra Day O'Connor Clarence Thomas +4 more judicial-capture supreme-court corporate-influence election-interference conflict-of-interest +1 more
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Katherine Harris Certifies Bush Victory While Serving as Campaign Co-Chair

| Importance: 9/10

Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris certifies George W. Bush as winner by 537 votes while simultaneously serving as co-chair of Bush’s Florida campaign, creating an unprecedented conflict of interest in American electoral administration. Harris rushed the certification process to …

Katherine Harris George W. Bush Jeb Bush Mac Stipanovich Florida Republican Party katherine-harris conflict-of-interest election-certification florida-secretary-of-state partisan-administration +1 more
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USAID Cancels Harvard Russia Project After Discovering Shleifer and Hay Used Insider Positions to Profit from Russian Investments

| Importance: 8/10

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) canceled most of its funding for Harvard’s Russia economic reform project after investigations revealed that top Harvard Institute for International Development (HIID) officials Andrei Shleifer and Jonathan Hay had used their …

Andrei Shleifer Jonathan Hay Harvard Institute for International Development United States Agency for International Development Lawrence Summers +2 more harvard russia usaid corruption conflict-of-interest +4 more
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Harvard Receives $40 Million USAID Contract to Advise Russia's Economic Transition: 'Harvard's Blank Check from Uncle Sam'

| Importance: 9/10

Harvard University’s Harvard Institute for International Development (HIID) received a $40.4 million contract from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide advice on privatization and market reforms in post-Soviet Russia, awarded without normal competitive …

Harvard Institute for International Development Andrei Shleifer Jonathan Hay Lawrence Summers United States Agency for International Development +1 more russia harvard usaid shock-therapy privatization +4 more
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Silverado S&L Collapses: Neil Bush Conflict of Interest Costs Taxpayers $1 Billion

| Importance: 8/10

Silverado Savings and Loan collapses with losses exceeding $1 billion to taxpayers, exposing serious conflicts of interest involving Neil Bush, son of Vice President-elect George H.W. Bush. Neil Bush served on Silverado’s board of directors from 1985-1988, during which he approved over $130 …

Neil Bush George H.W. Bush Silverado Savings and Loan Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Good International +1 more neil-bush silverado s&l-crisis conflict-of-interest fraud +1 more
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Rita Lavelle Convicted of Perjury: EPA Superfund Corruption Confirmed

| Importance: 7/10

A federal jury convicts EPA official Rita Lavelle of perjury for lying to Congress about her handling of the $1.6 billion Superfund toxic waste cleanup program. Lavelle, who headed the Superfund division, is found guilty on four of five felony counts for false testimony regarding her knowledge that …

Rita Lavelle Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Aerojet-General Corporation Ronald Reagan Congress epa perjury superfund conflict-of-interest regulatory-capture +1 more
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Congress Holds 25 Hearings on Pentagon Revolving Door, General Bradley Testifies Against Contractor Influence

| Importance: 7/10

Congress holds 25 hearings throughout 1959 to investigate the revolving door between defense contractors and senior military officials, marking the first systematic examination of conflicts of interest in weapons procurement. General Omar Bradley, who served as the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs …

U.S. Congress General Omar Bradley Department of Defense Defense Contractors revolving-door military-industrial-complex defense-contracts conflict-of-interest congressional-oversight
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Charles Wilson Confirmed Defense Secretary After "Good for General Motors" Controversy Reveals Corporate-State Fusion

| Importance: 9/10

The Senate Armed Services Committee confirms Charles Erwin “Engine Charlie” Wilson as Secretary of Defense by a vote of 77 to 6, despite controversy over his massive General Motors stockholdings valued at more than $2.5 million (approximately $24 million in 2018 dollars). Wilson had …

Charles Erwin Wilson Dwight Eisenhower General Motors Senate Armed Services Committee Department of Defense military-industrial-complex revolving-door conflict-of-interest corporate-state-fusion defense-policy
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Louis Johnson Exonerated in B-36 Scandal Despite Convair Board Service and Contract Awards

| Importance: 7/10

The House Armed Services Committee exonerates Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson and Air Force Secretary Stuart Symington of corruption charges related to the B-36 bomber contract, despite Johnson’s recent service on Convair Corporation’s board of directors. An anonymous document …

Louis Johnson Convair Corporation House Armed Services Committee Carl Vinson Stuart Symington +1 more military-industrial-complex revolving-door conflict-of-interest defense-contracts systematic-corruption +1 more
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