The White House fired CDC Director Susan Monarez after she refused to resign amid pressure from HHS Secretary RFK Jr. to change vaccine policy, making her the shortest-lived CDC director in the agency’s history after less than one month in office. Monarez’s lawyers stated she …
Chief Data Officer Charles Borges exposed a critical national security vulnerability involving an unauthorized copy of the entire NUMIDENT Social Security database. Senior DOGE-affiliated officials uploaded a live copy of sensitive personal information for over 450 million Americans to an unsecured …
Charles BorgesJohn SollyMichael RussoAram MoghaddassiSocial Security Administration+2 moredata-breachwhistleblowersocial-securitycybersecuritynational-security+5 more
A critical whistleblower complaint filed by Charles Borges, SSA Chief Data Officer, alleges that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) improperly copied the entire NUMIDENT database, containing sensitive personal information for over 300 million Americans, into an unsecured cloud …
Charles BorgesJohn SollyMichael RussoAram MoghaddassiSocial Security Administration+1 moredata-breachwhistleblowersocial-securitycybersecuritynational-security+5 more
In a landmark whistleblower disclosure, Charles Borges, Chief Data Officer of the Social Security Administration (SSA), revealed that Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) officials improperly accessed and attempted to copy the entire NUMIDENT database, containing sensitive personal information …
Charles BorgesJohn SollyMichael RussoAram MoghaddassiSocial Security Administration+1 moredata-breachwhistleblowersocial-securitycybersecuritynational-security+5 more
Social Security Administration Chief Data Officer Charles Borges filed a whistleblower complaint revealing that members of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) uploaded a live copy of the entire Social Security database to a vulnerable Amazon-hosted cloud server in June 2025. …
During a Cabinet meeting, Trump demanded Harvard University pay ’nothing less than $500 million’ to restore billions of dollars in frozen federal research funding, calling the university ‘very bad.’ The demand came after Harvard and the Trump administration restarted …
TrumpHarvard UniversityDepartment of EducationAlan Garberextortionweaponized-fundinginstitutional-captureacademic-freedomcorruption
The Department of Justice launched a criminal investigation into FBI and CIA officials who conducted the Russia investigation, targeting former FBI Director James Comey, former CIA Director John Brennan, former Deputy FBI Director Paul Abbate, and other officials who investigated Russian …
Kash PatelDan BonginoDepartment of JusticeJames ComeyJohn Brennanweaponized-justicepolitical-retaliationRussia-investigationinstitutional-capturerule-of-law
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced the U.S. government acquired a 10% stake in Intel by converting $8.9 billion in CHIPS Act grants into equity, purchasing 433.3 million shares at $20.47 per share. Of this total, $5.7 billion came from previously awarded but unpaid CHIPS Act grants, and …
Howard LutnickTrumpDepartment of CommerceIntelstate-capitalisminstitutional-capturecorporate-influenceCHIPS-Act
Federal Judge Matthew Brann ruled that Trump lawyer Alina Habba has been exercising the functions and duties of U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey without lawful authority since July 1, 2025. After the Senate failed to confirm Habba before her 120-day interim appointment expired, a panel …
TrumpAlina HabbaDepartment of JusticeFederal Judiciaryinstitutional-capturerule-of-lawexecutive-overreachconstitutional-crisis
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard revoked security clearances of 37 current and former intelligence officials, including three currently serving officers, accusing them of ‘politicizing intelligence’ without providing evidence. Gabbard acknowledged Trump personally directed …
US Attorney Jeanine Pirro launched a Justice Department investigation into whether DC police manipulated crime statistics to make rates appear lower, despite violent crime being down 26% and at a 30-year low. The investigation provides justification for Trump’s federal takeover of DC police …
Jeanine PirroDonald TrumpDC Metropolitan PoliceDepartment of Justiceinstitutional-capturedojweaponizationdata-manipulation
Trump installed loyalists including former personal lawyer Alina Habba as US Attorneys without Senate confirmation, using legal loopholes to circumvent constitutional oversight. A federal judge ruled Habba served ‘without lawful authority’ after the administration fired a court-appointed …
Donald TrumpAlina HabbaPam BondiDepartment of Justiceinstitutional-capturedojweaponization
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced the U.S. government would take a 10% equity stake in Intel worth $8.9 billion, converting previously committed CHIPS Act grants into government ownership. SoftBank simultaneously invested $2 billion, purchasing 2% of Intel. The equity-for-funding model …
Howard LutnickIntel CorporationSoftBankDepartment of Commerceinstitutional-capturesystematic-corruptiontech
The State Department revoked over 6,000 student visas, including 200-300 for alleged ‘support for terrorism,’ with particular focus on students participating in pro-Palestinian protests and criticism of Israel’s Gaza war. A Tufts student was detained for six weeks after co-writing …
State DepartmentMarco RubioDepartment of Homeland Securityweaponizationinstitutional-capturefree-speech
OMB Director Russell Vought blocked billions in congressionally-approved public funding, including over $5 billion in SNAP benefits for hungry families, claiming unilateral power to withhold spending despite the Impoundment Control Act prohibiting such actions. Vought confirmed considering …
Russell VoughtOffice of Management and BudgetDonald Trumpinstitutional-capturesystematic-corruptionconstitutional-crisis
Former DOJ antitrust official Roger Alford publicly accused Attorney General Pam Bondi’s chief of staff Chad Mizelle of ‘perverting justice’ by overruling career officials to approve the Hewlett Packard Enterprise-Juniper Networks $14 billion merger. Alford and another senior …
Roger AlfordPam BondiChad MizelleHewlett Packard EnterpriseJuniper Networks+1 moreinstitutional-capturedojsystematic-corruptionantitrust
Trump announced plans to sign an executive order ending mail-in voting and targeting voting machines for the 2026 midterms, citing Vladimir Putin’s claim that postal ballots ‘rigged’ the 2020 election. Trump told Fox News that Putin said during their Alaska summit ‘Your …
Donald TrumpVladimir PutinWhite Houseinstitutional-capturevoter-suppressionforeign-influence
Trump appointed Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey as Co-Deputy Director of the FBI alongside Dan Bongino, creating the first dual deputy director structure in FBI history. Bailey, a Trump loyalist who supported debunked 2020 election claims, has no FBI experience but will help run day-to-day …
Andrew BaileyDonald TrumpDan BonginoKash PatelFederal Bureau of Investigationinstitutional-capturefbiweaponization
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent missed the 90-day ethics deadline for divesting conflicted assets, retaining up to $25 million in North Dakota farmland generating up to $1 million annually in rental income. Bessent owns soybean and corn farmland while shaping agricultural trade policy and farm …
Scott BessentOffice of Government EthicsDepartment of the Treasuryconflicts-of-interestinstitutional-capturesystematic-corruption
Trump nominated E.J. Antoni, Heritage Foundation chief economist and Project 2025 contributor, to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics after firing the previous commissioner over a disappointing jobs report. Antoni has publicly claimed BLS data is ‘rigged’ and lacks relevant expertise for …
E.J. AntoniDonald TrumpBureau of Labor StatisticsHeritage FoundationSteve Bannoninstitutional-capturesystematic-corruptiondata-manipulation
Trump announced federal takeover of Washington DC’s police department and deployment of 800 National Guard troops, invoking emergency powers under the Home Rule Act of 1973. DEA Administrator Terry Cole was designated interim federal commissioner. Attorney General Pam Bondi assumed command …
Donald TrumpPam BondiTerry ColeDC Metropolitan PoliceMuriel Bowserinstitutional-captureweaponizationmilitarization
Trump demanded Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan resign immediately over alleged China ties, claiming he is ‘highly conflicted’ due to $200 million in investments in Chinese semiconductor firms. Days later, Trump reversed course after meeting Tan, calling his ‘success and rise an amazing …
Donald TrumpLip-Bu TanIntel Corporationinstitutional-capturesystematic-corruptiontech
President Trump signed an executive order titled ‘Guaranteeing Fair Banking for All Americans’ directing federal financial regulators to combat alleged ‘debanking’—the denial or termination of financial services based on political considerations. The order requires agencies …
Donald TrumpWhite HouseFederal ReserveFDICOffice of the Comptroller of the Currencyexecutive-powerexecutive-ordersfinancial-regulationinstitutional-capture
President Trump signed Executive Order 14332 titled ‘Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking,’ transforming the federal grantmaking process by giving presidential political appointees unprecedented power over billions of dollars in research and discretionary grants. The order requires …
Donald TrumpWhite HouseOffice of Management and Budgetexecutive-powerexecutive-ordersinstitutional-capturesystematic-corruption
Fox News reported on August 5, 2025, that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland launched a federal criminal investigation into Democratic California Senator Adam Schiff for alleged mortgage fraud. The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) referred Schiff’s case to DOJ, accusing him of …
Department of JusticeAdam SchiffU.S. Attorney's Office (Maryland)Federal Housing Finance AgencyDonald Trumpinstitutional-capturedojweaponizationretaliationpolitical-prosecution
Whistleblower Aid revealed that the DOJ Office of the Inspector General ’lost’ a whistleblower disclosure for almost three months, only ‘finding’ it on the eve of Emil Bove’s confirmation vote for a federal judgeship. The disclosure, submitted on May 5, 2025, alleged …
DOJ Office of Inspector GeneralWhistleblower AidEmil BoveDepartment of JusticeDonald Trumpinstitutional-capturedojjudiciarywhistleblowerobstruction
The Senate confirmed former Fox News host and Trump loyalist Jeanine Pirro as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia in a 50-45 party-line vote. Pirro, who co-hosted ‘The Five’ on Fox News before her appointment, had been serving as interim U.S. attorney since May 2025 after …
Jeanine PirroTrumpU.S. SenateDepartment of Justiceinstitutional-capturejudicial-corruptionweaponization-of-government
The U.S. Army awarded Palantir Technologies a decade-long Enterprise Service Agreement worth up to $10 billion for AI-driven battlefield analysis and targeting systems. The contract consolidates 75 existing contracts (15 prime contracts and 60 related contracts) into a single agreement, accelerating …
U.S. ArmyPalantir TechnologiesDepartment of DefenseDonald Trumpinstitutional-capturetechaidefense-industrysurveillance
The Trump administration implemented its March 2025 executive order ‘Stopping Waste, Fraud and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos,’ demanding that states hand over comprehensive data on Medicaid recipients, SNAP (food assistance) beneficiaries, and voter registration rolls to federal …
Department of Homeland SecurityUSDADepartment of Health and Human ServicesDOGEDonald Trumpinstitutional-capturesurveillancedata-centralizationweaponization
President Trump fired Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer on August 1, 2025, hours after a government report showed the U.S. economy added only 73,000 jobs in July, far below expectations, with downward revisions of 258,000 jobs for May and June combined. Trump accused …
Donald TrumpErika McEntarferBureau of Labor StatisticsDepartment of Laborinstitutional-capturedata-manipulationretaliationstatistical-integrity
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History removed references to President Donald Trump’s two impeachments from its presidential power exhibit following White House pressure. The museum claimed the removal was part of a content review undertaken after pressure to remove an art …
Smithsonian InstitutionNational Museum of American HistoryWhite HouseDonald Trumpinstitutional-capturecensorshiphistorical-revisionism
Federal Reserve Governor Adriana D. Kugler submitted her resignation on August 1, 2025, effective August 8, stepping down months before her term was scheduled to end in January 2026. In her resignation letter addressed to President Trump, Kugler offered no explanation for her early departure, …
Politico reported in August 2025 that over a dozen high-ranking officials across multiple federal agencies were forced to leave their jobs or had nominations derailed after being flagged as ‘disloyal’ by far-right extremist Laura Loomer, with hundreds more terminations planned. Loomer …
Laura LoomerDonald TrumpNational Security AgencyDepartment of JusticeNational Security Council+1 moreinstitutional-captureloyalty-purgesauthoritarianismextremism
The Justice Department used legally dubious tactics to bypass Senate confirmation, re-designating Trump loyalists as ‘acting’ U.S. attorneys in New Jersey, Nevada, California, and New York. After district judges declined to re-appoint certain interim appointees, Attorney General Pam …
Department of JusticePam BondiU.S. SenateFederal JudiciaryAlina Habba+2 moreinstitutional-capturedojjudiciaryconstitutional-crisis
Columbia University agreed to pay $221 million ($200 million to the federal government over three years and $21 million for EEOC settlements) to settle Trump administration claims of failing to police antisemitism, while accepting unprecedented requirements for monitoring foreign students. The …
Columbia UniversityDepartment of EducationWhite HouseBart SchwartzDonald Trumpinstitutional-capturesurveillanceacademic-freedomimmigration-weaponization
Despite public tensions, Elon Musk donated $5 million to Trump’s MAGA Inc. super PAC, part of a broader $277 million spending campaign to support Trump and Republican candidates in the 2024-2025 election cycle
Attorney General Pam Bondi fired Joseph Tirrell, the Department of Justice’s top ethics director responsible for advising senior leadership on federal employee ethics, as part of a broader personnel purge affecting investigators of Trump-related cases.
Pam BondiJoseph TirrellDonald TrumpJack SmithTodd Blancheregulatory-captureethics-violationjustice-weaponizationdoj-purgetrump-administration+1 more
Attorney General Pam Bondi fired at least 20 Justice Department employees specifically linked to Jack Smith’s investigations of Trump, including prosecutors, support staff, litigation assistants, and U.S. marshals. This action is part of a broader systematic purge of DOJ personnel involved in …
Pam BondiDepartment of JusticeTrump ProsecutorsJanuary 6 ProsecutorsJack Smith+1 morepam-bondidoj-weaponizationtrump-prosecutionssystematic-purgeinstitutional-capture+3 more
After Elon Musk’s direct involvement ends, DOGE operatives remain strategically positioned across government agencies, continuing to transform bureaucratic infrastructure through targeted personnel changes and contract cancellations.
Donald TrumpTrump AdministrationElon MuskDOGE Operativeskleptocracyinstitutional-capturegovernment-transformation
The Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) launched the inaugural Democracy Capture Index (DEMCAP), a comprehensive study revealing systemic vulnerabilities in African democratic institutions. The index analyzed 370 institutions across 10 countries, finding that 60% of agencies …
Ghana Centre for Democratic DevelopmentCDD-Ghana researchersAfrican presidentsGovernment agencies across 10 African countriesdemocracy-captureinstitutional-captureafricagovernancepolitical-parties+2 more
Cara Petersen, acting enforcement director of the CFPB, resigned after criticizing the Trump administration’s systematic dismantling of the agency. She highlighted dramatic staff cuts from 1,750 to potentially 200 employees, dismissal of over 20 enforcement cases, and the elimination of key …
Donald TrumpTrump AdministrationCara PetersenRussell VoughtMark Paolettaregulatory-capturetrump-administrationcfpbinstitutional-capture
The Trump administration’s systematic removal of FBI and DOJ personnel, initially targeting those involved in January 6 investigations, effectively dismantled key anti-corruption enforcement mechanisms. By June 2025, eight senior FBI executives had been terminated, with dozens of field office …
Donald TrumpKash PatelPam BondiFBI Agents Associationinstitutional-capturejustice-weaponizationcorruptionpardonlaw-enforcement-restructuring
Over 275,000 federal civil service layoffs announced by Trump/DOGE, not including contractors. CNN tracked 128,709 workers laid off/targeted by June 26. NYT tracked 58,500 confirmed cuts, 76,000 buyouts, 149,000 planned reductions (12% of 2.4M civilian workers). Government paying 154,000+ employees …
The FBI’s Washington Field Office disbanded its ‘CR15’ public corruption squad, a unit critical to investigating potential misconduct in the Trump administration. This move follows broader cuts to the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section and represents a significant …
Donald TrumpTrump AdministrationKash PatelChuck GrassleyJack Smith+1 morecorruptioninstitutional-capturefbijustice-departmentpolitical-investigations
Trump eliminated the independent board overseeing Hatch Act violations by removing Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger and replacing OSC leadership with partisan appointees like Doug Collins and Jamieson Greer. The administration rescinded prior enforcement policies, weakening accountability for …
Donald TrumpTrump AdministrationHampton DellingerPaul IngrassiaDoug Collins+2 morekleptocracytrump-administrationdemocratic-erosionhatch-actinstitutional-capture
The Trump administration’s Office of Personnel Management (OPM) sets a critical April 20 deadline for federal agencies to submit recommendations for Schedule Policy/Career (formerly Schedule F) worker reclassifications. This initiative targets an estimated 50,000 positions (approximately 2% of …
Office of Personnel ManagementFederal AgenciesTrump AdministrationFederal Workforceschedule-ffederal-workforcesystematic-implementationinstitutional-capturecivil-service-elimination+1 more
President Trump declared a national emergency under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA) to impose sweeping ‘reciprocal tariffs,’ marking the first time in IEEPA’s 48-year history that a president used the emergency statute—designed for genuine national …
Donald TrumpSupreme Courtemergency-powersexecutive-overreachtrade-policyconstitutional-crisisinstitutional-capture
Multiple Pulitzer Prize-winning investigations in 2025 documented systematic kleptocratic patterns. Reuters won for “boldly reported exposé” of systematic regulatory failures enabling widespread corruption. Wall Street Journal’s national reporting prize covered Elon Musk’s …
ReutersWall Street JournalBoston GlobeOrganized Crime and Corruption Reporting ProjectElon Musk+1 morepulitzer-prizeinvestigative-journalismcorruption-exposedregulatory-capturemusk-putin+2 more
Foreign Policy and other analysts published comprehensive assessments highlighting the systematic dismantling of anti-corruption infrastructure during the Trump administration. Key concerns include the closure of the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, a six-month pause on Foreign Corrupt …
Donald TrumpPam BondiJoe BidenBernie SandersForeign Policy Analystskleptocracyinstitutional-capturedemocratic-backslidingforeign-policytrump-administration+2 more
The 2025 White House Easter Egg Roll marked an unprecedented moment of corporate capture, with tech giants Meta, YouTube, and Amazon purchasing sponsorship packages ranging from $75,000 to $200,000. These packages included branded activation spaces, event brunch tickets, and potential meet-and-greet …
Donald TrumpTrump AdministrationMetaYouTubeAmazon+2 moregovernment-contractscorporate-accesstrump-administrationinstitutional-capturecorporate-sponsorship