Self-Dealing

Trump Family Crypto Platform Tied to Pardoned Binance Executive Generated $500M

| Importance: 10/10

Bloomberg investigation revealed Trump pardoned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao months after Binance’s infrastructure supported World Liberty Financial—the Trump family’s crypto venture—in deals that generated over $500 million for the Trump family. Binance provided critical technical …

Binance Changpeng Zhao Donald Trump Trump Family World Liberty Financial bribery conflicts-of-interest corruption kleptocracy self-dealing
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Binance Paid $450K to Trump Jr. Ally for Zhao Pardon Lobbying

| Importance: 10/10

Binance paid $450,000 to lobbying firm Checkmate Government Relations, run by Donald Trump Jr.’s ally Ches McDowell, in the months before Trump pardoned convicted money-launderer Changpeng Zhao. The lobbying campaign coincided with Binance forming a high-level task force to negotiate with …

Binance Changpeng Zhao Ches McDowell Donald Trump Jr. Trump +1 more conflicts-of-interest corruption institutional-capture kleptocracy self-dealing
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Pentagon Awards Drone Contract to Company Where Trump Jr. Holds $4 Million Stake

| Importance: 9/10

The U.S. Army awarded Unusual Machines a major contract to produce 3,500 drone motors, with expectations of 20,000 additional components in future orders, months after Donald Trump Jr. joined the company’s advisory board in November 2024. Trump Jr. holds a disclosed $4 million stake in the …

Donald Trump Jr. Unusual Machines Pentagon U.S. Army Trump Administration corruption conflicts-of-interest kleptocracy self-dealing nepotism
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Trump Pardons Binance Founder After Crypto Platform Aided Trump Family Venture

| Importance: 10/10

President Trump pardoned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, who served only four months of his sentence for money-laundering violations, after Binance provided critical infrastructure support for the Trump family’s World Liberty Financial crypto venture. The pardon came after Binance formed a …

Donald Trump Changpeng Zhao Binance World Liberty Financial Donald Trump Jr. +1 more corruption conflicts-of-interest kleptocracy self-dealing regulatory-capture
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Trump Orders Demolition of Historic White House East Wing for Personal Ballroom

| Importance: 8/10

President Trump approved demolition of the 123-year-old White House East Wing to construct a 90,000-square-foot personal ballroom, with project costs escalating from $250 million to $300 million. The East Wing houses the First Lady’s offices, the Office of Social Secretary, and the historic …

Donald Trump Treasury Department White House Staff corruption abuse-of-power self-dealing institutional-capture
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Trump Demands $230 Million from DOJ as 'Compensation' for Investigations

| Importance: 10/10

President Trump is seeking $230 million in taxpayer funds from the Justice Department as ‘compensation’ for past federal investigations into his conduct. The payout would be approved by former Trump defense lawyers now occupying senior DOJ positions, creating severe ethical conflicts …

Donald Trump DOJ former Trump defense lawyers corruption conflicts-of-interest institutional-capture self-dealing abuse-of-power
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Ethics Probe Launched into Border Czar's Contract Ties with Detention Firms

| Importance: 8/10

The Campaign Legal Center requested investigation into Tom Homan and Mark Hall for possible ethics violations after revelations that both officials had prior financial connections to firms now seeking multimillion-dollar detention contracts with DHS. The request raises concerns about conflicts of …

Tom Homan Mark Hall Campaign Legal Center DHS private detention contractors conflicts-of-interest corruption institutional-capture self-dealing
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Trump Hosts $250 Million White House Ballroom Fundraiser with Defense and Tech Executives

| Importance: 9/10

President Trump hosted defense and technology executives at a White House ballroom fundraiser for his $250 million renovation project, with major donors including Lockheed Martin, Amazon, Meta, Google, and Palantir. Google’s $22 million settlement with Trump for social media suspension …

Donald Trump Google Amazon Meta Lockheed Martin +2 more corruption conflicts-of-interest pay-to-play institutional-capture self-dealing
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Trump Administration Unveils Gaza GREAT Trust Reconstruction Plan at Egypt Summit with Kushner and Witkoff

| Importance: 9/10

At an international summit in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt on October 13, 2025, the Trump administration formally presented the Gaza Reconstitution, Economic Acceleration and Transformation (GREAT) Trust plan, with Trump Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner leading negotiations. The plan …

Trump Jared Kushner Steve Witkoff Elon Musk conflicts-of-interest self-dealing international-corruption war-profiteering
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SpaceX and xAI Purchase Thousands of Unsold Cybertrucks Before Tax Credit Deadline

| Importance: 7/10

Just before the September 30, 2025 deadline for locking in orders with unrefundable deposits to qualify for Q4 EV tax credits, Elon Musk’s companies SpaceX and xAI ordered thousands of Tesla Cybertrucks, effectively bailing out Tesla’s struggling electric pickup sales. Through the first …

SpaceX xAI Tesla Elon Musk tesla spacex xai musk cybertruck +3 more
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Trump Envoy Steve Witkoff Divests $120M Real Estate Stake While Retaining $350M in Assets Including Trump Crypto

| Importance: 8/10

Trump’s Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff sold his stake in the Witkoff Group for $120 million, according to financial disclosures released publicly in mid-September 2025. The sale was described as addressing conflict of interest concerns between his government role and business …

Steve Witkoff Trump Adam Schiff World Liberty Financial conflicts-of-interest self-dealing crypto-corruption
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Republican Political Committees Spend Over $931,000 at Trump Properties Since Inauguration

| Importance: 8/10

Republican political committees have spent more than $931,000 at Trump-owned properties during the first six months of Trump’s second presidency, according to Federal Election Commission filings analyzed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). The Republican National …

Donald Trump Republican National Committee House Republicans Trump Organization corruption emoluments-violations self-dealing conflicts-of-interest
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Trump Convenes Oval Office Meeting on Gaza Development With Jared Kushner's Business Interests Central

| Importance: 10/10

Trump convened an Oval Office meeting on Gaza’s future with Jared Kushner, real estate developer Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. During discussions, Trump floated expelling Palestinian residents and redeveloping Gaza into a luxury resort, …

Trump Jared Kushner Steve Witkoff Marco Rubio conflicts-of-interest kleptocracy foreign-policy-corruption self-dealing human-rights
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Trump Media Announces $1 Billion Crypto.com Partnership While Trump Holds Presidential Office

| Importance: 10/10

Trump Media and Technology Group, owner of Truth Social, announced a $1 billion partnership with Crypto.com and Yorkville Advisors to create Trump Media Group CRO Strategy Inc., which will hold cryptocurrency assets and merge with Yorkville Acquisition Corp under the ticker ‘MCGA’ (Make …

Trump Trump Media Crypto.com Yorkville Advisors conflicts-of-interest cryptocurrency self-dealing foreign-influence kleptocracy
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Trump to Host 2026 G20 Summit at Doral Resort, Reviving Controversial Hosting Attempt

| Importance: 8/10

President Trump plans to host the 2026 G20 Summit at his Doral resort in Miami from December 14-15, 2026. The White House claims the event will be hosted ‘at-cost’ with no profit to Trump, but the move raises significant conflict of interest concerns, echoing his previously abandoned …

Donald Trump Kevin Hassett Scott Bessent kleptocracy trump-administration self-dealing presidential-conflicts
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GENIUS Act signed - first major pro-crypto legislation benefiting Trump holdings

| Importance: 6/10

Trump signed GENIUS Act (Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins) July 18, 2025, first major crypto law passed by Congress (House 308-122, Senate 68-30). Establishes federal stablecoin framework requiring 100% reserves (cash/ Treasuries), Bank Secrecy Act compliance. …

Donald Trump Congress crypto legislation conflict-of-interest self-dealing
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FAA approves 4,000 Starlink terminals worth $400 million

| Importance: 8/10

FAA approves 4,000 Starlink terminals worth $400 million despite existing contract with another company, while State Department announces $400 million Tesla Cybertruck contract and Commerce changes broadband requirements favoring Starlink.

FAA Starlink Tesla State Department Department of Commerce self-dealing starlink government-contracts musk regulatory-capture
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Musk companies received $38 billion in government support over 20 years

| Importance: 6/10

Elon Musk’s companies have received $38 billion in total government support over 20 years including $18 billion in federal contracts over past decade, while Musk co-directs Department of Government Efficiency with authority over federal spending.

Elon Musk SpaceX Tesla Starlink DOGE self-dealing government-contracts conflict-of-interest musk kleptocracy
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Energy Secretary Wright owns $54 million in fracking company stock

| Importance: 7/10

Energy Secretary Chris Wright, founder of Liberty Energy, owns $54 million in company stock and received $1 million performance bonus from Liberty after taking office, while department reverses climate policies benefiting his former industry.

Chris Wright Liberty Energy Department of Energy conflict-of-interest energy-policy fracking regulatory-capture self-dealing
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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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Trump Proposes Hosting G-7 Summit at His Doral Golf Resort

| Importance: 8/10

President Trump proposed hosting the 2020 G-7 summit at his Trump National Doral golf resort in Miami, which would have directed millions in government spending to his struggling property. Trump claimed Doral was “by far the best physical facility” and offered to host “at …

Donald Trump Trump National Doral G-7 leaders Mick Mulvaney emoluments self-dealing doral g7-summit conflict-of-interest +2 more
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New York AG Sues Trump Foundation for "Persistent Illegal Conduct" and Coordinating with Campaign

| Importance: 9/10

New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood filed a comprehensive lawsuit against the Donald J. Trump Foundation, Donald Trump, and his three eldest children (Donald Jr., Eric, and Ivanka) alleging “persistently illegal conduct” spanning more than a decade. The lawsuit documented a …

Barbara Underwood Donald Trump Donald Trump Jr Eric Trump Ivanka Trump +1 more Trump Foundation Charity Fraud NY Attorney General Self-Dealing Campaign Finance +1 more
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Secret Service Pays $1.4M to Trump Properties for Protection

| Importance: 7/10

The Secret Service paid at least $1.4 million directly to Trump properties during his presidency, often at rates far exceeding government limits. Trump charged the Secret Service up to $1,185 per night at Mar-a-Lago, five times the government rate of $195. Eric Trump claimed they only charged …

Donald Trump Secret Service Trump Organization Eric Trump Mar-a-Lago emoluments-clause self-dealing corruption secret-service conflict-of-interest
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Washington Post Investigation Reveals Trump Foundation Used for Self-Dealing and Business Settlements

| Importance: 9/10

Washington Post investigative reporter David Fahrenthold published a groundbreaking series of investigations revealing that the Donald J. Trump Foundation had engaged in a systematic pattern of illegal self-dealing, using tax-exempt charitable funds to purchase items for Trump’s personal use, …

Donald Trump Trump Foundation David Fahrenthold Washington Post Trump Foundation Charity Fraud Self-Dealing Investigative Journalism David Fahrenthold
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Eric Trump Foundation Funneled Cancer Charity Donations to Trump Organization Businesses

| Importance: 8/10

The Eric Trump Foundation, ostensibly dedicated to raising money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to fight childhood cancer, systematically funneled charitable donations to Trump Organization businesses by paying inflated costs for charity golf events held at Trump properties. Despite …

Eric Trump Donald Trump Trump Organization Eric Trump Foundation Eric Trump Trump Foundation Charity Fraud Self-Dealing Trump Organization
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Trump Foundation Buys $20,000 Portrait of Trump at Charity Auction, Hangs in Trump Golf Club

| Importance: 8/10

The Donald J. Trump Foundation spent $20,000 in charitable funds to purchase a portrait of Donald Trump painted by a speed-painter at a charity gala at Mar-a-Lago. The four-foot portrait, created during the event, was supposed to be sold with proceeds benefiting the charity hosting the auction. …

Donald Trump Trump Foundation Trump Foundation Charity Fraud Self-Dealing Tax Violations
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Trump Foundation Paid $25,000 to Settle Trump University Legal Claim Using Charity Funds

| Importance: 9/10

The Donald J. Trump Foundation illegally paid a $25,000 settlement related to Trump University litigation using tax-exempt charitable funds rather than Trump’s personal or business accounts. This payment represented another instance of Trump using his charitable foundation as a personal …

Donald Trump Trump Foundation Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi Trump Foundation Charity Fraud Self-Dealing Trump University Tax Violations
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Trump Foundation Illegally Used $158,000 in Charity Funds to Settle Mar-a-Lago Legal Dispute

| Importance: 9/10

The Donald J. Trump Foundation used $158,000 in tax-exempt charitable funds to settle a legal dispute between the Town of Palm Beach and Trump’s for-profit Mar-a-Lago Club over an illegal 80-foot flagpole. The town had fined Trump’s private club for violating local ordinances by erecting …

Donald Trump Trump Foundation Town of Palm Beach Trump Foundation Charity Fraud Self-Dealing Mar-a-Lago Tax Violations
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Trump Foundation Pays $258,000 for Six-Foot Portrait of Trump at Charity Auction

| Importance: 8/10

The Donald J. Trump Foundation paid $258,000 in charitable funds to purchase a six-foot portrait of Donald Trump at a charity auction in Palm Beach, Florida. The portrait, painted by artist William Quigley, was supposed to be sold to benefit charity, but instead the Foundation used tax-exempt …

Donald Trump Trump Foundation Trump Foundation Charity Fraud Self-Dealing Tax Violations Mar-a-Lago
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