Trump Administration Had Employed Or Nominated Over 350 Lobbyists Through March 2019. According to the Washington Post, "Data provided to The Post by the liberal organization American Bridge 21st Century identifies over 350 individuals who’ve worked as lobbyists who currently work in the administration, have worked in it or have been nominated to serve in Trump’s administration. Cumulatively, they’ve represented more than 2,800 companies at one point or another, according to lobbying registration documents. Nearly 200 of them now served or have been nominated to serve in divisions of government that they once lobbied." [Washington Post, 3/8/19]
Wash. Post: Trump Campaigned On Draining The Swamp But His Affinity To Lobbyists Showed He “Didn’t Actually Mind The Swamp One Bit.” According to the Washington Post, "He talked a bit more about draining the swamp and then returned to his initial reticence. ‘I was listening the other day to a great singer, great, one of the great legends, and said that, you know, so and so didn’t like it, didn’t like it, became one of the greatest hits of all time,’ he said. ‘So drain the swamp, I didn’t like it, now I love it, right?’ One might have thought at the time that Trump didn’t initially like the slogan because it was corny or off message. But now it seems fairer to assume that he didn’t like the slogan because he didn’t actually mind the swamp one bit." [Washington Post, 3/8/19]
Thirty-Five Trump Appointees Were Affiliated With Koch Brother Advocacy Groups As Of March 2018. According to ProPublica, “Drilling down even further, at least 35 Trump political appointees worked for or consulted with groups affiliated with the the billionaire libertarian brothers Charles and David Koch, who also have a network of advocacy groups, nonprofits, private companies and political action committees.” [ProPublica, 3/7/18]
Twenty-Five Trump Appointees Were Plucked From Conservative Think Tank Heritage Foundation As Of March 2018. According to ProPublica, “At least 25 Trump appointees came from the influential Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank founded in 1973, and at least two came from Heritage Action, its related political nonprofit. Heritage says the Trump administration, in just its first year, has enacted nearly two-thirds of its 334 policy recommendations.” [ProPublica, 3/7/18]
April 2019: David Bernhardt Was Confirmed As Secretary Of Interior After Serving As Acting Secretary For Three Months. According to Vox, “The Senate on Thursday afternoon voted to confirm David Bernhardt to lead the Department of the Interior. Bernhardt has been serving as acting secretary since January after Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke resigned late last year. He was nominated to be the permanent secretary in February.” [Vox, 4/11/19]
Bernhardt Had So Many Conflicts Of Interest, He Had To Carry Around A Card Listing The 26 Former Clients While Working In Interior So He Could Remind Himself Which Matters He Had To Recuse Himself From. According to the Washington Post, "Bernhardt’s relentless work ethic helps explain how he’s managed to advance Trump’s pro-industry agenda over the nation’s public lands. Having worked for years as a lobbyist representing many of the very businesses he now regulates, he walked into the No. 2 job at Interior with so many potential conflicts of interest he has to carry a small card listing them all. […] He had to recuse himself from ‘particular matters’ directly affecting 26 former clients in order to adhere to the Trump administration’s ethics requirements." [Washington Post, 11/18/18]
Bernhardt Lobbied For Multiple Fossil Fuel Businesses. According to Vox, “Bernhardt, 49, began his career working as a staffer for then-Rep. Scott McInnis (R-CO) before joining a lobbying firm. He then worked as an attorney for Interior under the George W. Bush administration. But after leaving government, he went back to lobbying, taking over the natural resources practice at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. A 2014 financial disclosure document shows that Bernhardt has represented a number of clients that have business before the Interior Department, including oil companies like Statoil Gulf Services, Taylor Energy, and Cobalt International Energy.” [Vox, 1/3/19]
Bernhardt Jumped Into Policymaking Critics Argued Helped His Former Clients Once His Recusals Expired, Such As When He Aided Westlands Water District’s Desire To Overhaul Water Agreements. According to the Washington Post, "The recusals have expired for four of them, allowing Bernhardt to plunge into policymaking that has prompted critics to say he is helping his former clients. As a partner at the law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Bernhardt represented clients such as the Westlands Water District, which provides water to California farmers. Water is Westlands’ lifeblood, but it has to compete with state and federal officials’ push to supply it to municipalities and imperiled species as well. Bernhardt represented Westlands when it unsuccessfully sued Interior over the Endangered Species Act, and sat on the board of a conservative group connected to the water district, CESAR, that has challenged federal scientific findings on endangered species such as California’s delta smelt. On Aug. 17, two weeks after Bernhardt’s recusal over Westlands Water District expired, Zinke tasked him with drafting a new plan for managing federal and state water supplies there. Interior and California officials have been tight-lipped about ongoing negotiations, but Bernhardt and his colleagues have made clear they hope to overhaul existing agreements to provide more water to agricultural interests." [Washington Post, 11/18/18]
July 2019: Andrew Wheeler Was Confirmed To Be EPA Administrator. According to Vox, “The Senate has officially confirmed former coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler for the role of EPA administrator, a position he had taken over in an acting capacity following Scott Pruitt’s resignation last July.” [Vox, 7/5/19]
Wheeler Represented The Massive Mining Company Murray Energy As A Lobbyist. According to Vox, “Wheeler is a former lobbyist who represented Murray Energy, a massive mining company, as one of his chief clients. Murray Energy was among the companies Wheeler listed on his financial disclosures while he was being considered for the deputy administrator position. Others included Xcel Energy and General Mills. Murray Energy CEO Robert Murray is also a well-known Trump adviser and supporter, who Wheeler worked with closely.” [Vox, 7/5/19]
Wheeler Admitted He Reduced His EPA-Related Lobbying Activity In 2016 To Prepare For The “Possibility” That Trump Would Ask Him To Join The Administration. According to the New York Times, "However, by the time the 2016 election came around, Mr. Wheeler said he began shedding his E.P.A.-related lobbying, anticipating that he might be called on to join the Trump administration. ‘I knew it was a possibility, so after the election I stopped lobbying any new E.P.A. issues,’ Mr. Wheeler said." [New York Times, 8/1/18]
Wheeler Appeared To Violate Trump’s Ethics Rules By Working On An Issue Area He Had Lobbied Within The Last Two Years. According to the New York Times, "Yet while his most recent work did not involve lobbying the E.P.A. directly, his activities — particularly on behalf of the coal industry, which is subject to E.P.A. regulations on fossil-fuel emissions — have drawn sharp questions from Democrats and environmental groups. Mr. Wheeler faces at least one formal complaint, by the nonpartisan government watchdog group Public Citizen, alleging that he “appears to be working on the same specific issue areas he had lobbied on within the last two years.” That is a potential violation of President Trump’s ethics rules limiting the influence of former lobbyists on the government, the group asserts." [New York Times, 8/1/18]
December 2019: Dan Broulliette Confirmed To Be Secretary Of Energy. According to the New York Times, "The Senate on Monday confirmed Dan Brouillette, a former lobbyist for Ford Motor Company, to be President Trump’s second secretary of energy, replacing Rick Perry, who has become embroiled in the impeachment proceedings against Mr. Trump." [New York Times, 12/2/19]
December 2019: Brouillete Was A Lobbyist For Ford Motor Company. According to the New York Times, "The Senate on Monday confirmed Dan Brouillette, a former lobbyist for Ford Motor Company, to be President Trump’s second secretary of energy, replacing Rick Perry, who has become embroiled in the impeachment proceedings against Mr. Trump." [New York Times, 12/2/19]
May 2019: Trump Nominated Former Boeing Executive Patrick Shanahan As Secretary Of Defense. According to the New York Times, “President Trump will nominate Patrick M. Shanahan as his second defense secretary, trying to cement the acting Pentagon chief against an expected challenging battle with lawmakers and Defense Department officials skeptical of him, White House officials said on Thursday. The announcement, in a tweet from Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, followed a monthlong Pentagon ethics investigation that found that Mr. Shanahan, a former Boeing executive, had not acted improperly in official meetings when discussing military contractors." [New York Times, 5/9/19]
Boeing Was The Second Largest Government Contractor In FY 2019, Receiving Over $28 Billion In Contracts. [Federal Procurement Data System, Top 100 Contractors Report, viewed 5/18/19]
Shanahan Was Cleared Of Allegations That He “Repeatedly Dumped” On Boeing Competitors During Official Discussions About Military Contractors. According to the New York Times, “Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan overcame a major hurdle to obtaining the top Pentagon job on Thursday when an internal ethics investigation cleared him of allegations that he promoted his former employer, Boeing, and disparaged its competitors in official discussions about military contractors. But while the Defense Department’s inspector general found no evidence to support complaints that Mr. Shanahan ‘repeatedly dumped’ on Boeing’s competitors, it did cite a number of times that he praised the Boeing 787 Dreamliner that he famously rescued as a senior executive at the aircraft maker before joining the government." [New York Times, 4/25/19]
The Ethics Report Said Shanahan Praised The Boeing 787, Which He Worked On As A Boeing Executive, During Official Meetings. According to the New York Times, “Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan overcame a major hurdle to obtaining the top Pentagon job on Thursday when an internal ethics investigation cleared him of allegations that he promoted his former employer, Boeing, and disparaged its competitors in official discussions about military contractors. But while the Defense Department’s inspector general found no evidence to support complaints that Mr. Shanahan ‘repeatedly dumped’ on Boeing’s competitors, it did cite a number of times that he praised the Boeing 787 Dreamliner that he famously rescued as a senior executive at the aircraft maker before joining the government." [New York Times, 4/25/19]
Trump Pressured U.S. Allies To Buy Boeing Jets. According to Reuters, “Trump has also put pressure on U.S. allies to buy products from Boeing, the country’s second largest defense contractor which received $104 billion in unclassified defense contracts between 2014 and 2018. U.S. officials and defense industry sources said that weeks after Trump pressed the Emir of Kuwait in 2018 over a long-delayed deal for Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets, Kuwait said it would proceed with the order.” [Reuters, 3/12/19]
Under Trump, The U.S. Was One Of The Few Countries To Allow Boeing 737 Planes To Continue Flying After Multiple Major Crashes. According to Reuters, “Muilenburg told Trump in Tuesday’s morning call that the aircraft was safe and did not need to be grounded, two people briefed on the conversation said. Later in the day, aviation officials repeated that U.S. flights of the plane would continue. That leaves the United States as an outlier in its response to Sunday’s crash of a Boeing 737 MAX that killed 157 people. The European Union’s aviation safety regulator on Tuesday suspended all flights by the plane in the bloc; of the top 10 countries by air passenger travel, all but the United States and Japan have halted flights. U.S. officials, including a bipartisan group of five Senators, are asking why the FAA is not doing the same. U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican who chairs the Senate subcommittee on aviation and space, said he intends to convene a hearing to investigate.” [Reuters, 3/12/19]
The Trump Administration Grounded Boeing 737 Jets After Most Other Nations Had Already Suspended Operations. According to CNN, “Facing mounting pressure, President Donald Trump said Wednesday his administration was ordering Boeing 737 Max jets grounded until more information is gathered about the crash of an Ethiopian aircraft. It was a turnabout from the administration's earlier position, which deemed the planes safe to fly even as dozens of other nations banned them after they were involved in two fatal disasters. […] That view changed by midday, as Canada's minister of transport said the country would no longer allow Boeing 737 Max 8 or 9 aircraft to take off or land in Canada. A day earlier, the European Union suspended operations of the model. That followed announcements from countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East declaring use of the plane forbidden, for now. Startling real-time flight tracking maps showed the plane flying only over North America -- and nowhere else -- as the White House and the FAA continued to deem the aircraft safe. While the President was not explicitly pushing for the grounding over the last 24 hours, Canada's decision made it untenable for the US to hold out, according to an official familiar with the matter.” [CNN, 3/13/19]
Trump Publicly Supported A Federal Bailout Of Boeing Amid Coronavirus Concerns. According to CNN, “President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Boeing should get financial assistance from the federal government in the face of the coronavirus crisis. Boeing confirmed that it is seeking $60 billion in federal help, primarily in loan guarantees for the aerospace industry. It did not say how much of that assistance it would seek to access itself. Before it revealed the details of the package it was seeking, Trump had voiced support for helping the company. Trump was already on record supporting help for the nation's airlines, who have asked for about $50 billion in help for passenger airlines, along with $8 billion for cargo airlines and $10 billion for the nation's airports. And when asked if he supported help for Boeing (BA) and aircraft suppliers such as General Electric (GE), he said only that he would help Boeing and did not address help for suppliers.” [CNN, 3/17/20]
Boeing Contributed $1 Million To Trump Inaugural Events, Which Included Tickets To “Candlelight Dinner At Which Trump And His Wife Melania Will Appear.” According to USA Today, “The company already had committed $1 million to help underwrite inaugural events when Trump took aim at the manufacturer this week, according to a Boeing official familiar with the planning, who requested anonymity to speak frankly about the discussions […] Big benefactors will enjoy big benefits, according to a widely circulated fundraising brochure. Among the perks for ‘underwriters’ who contribute $1 million or more: eight tickets to a candlelight dinner at which Trump and his wife Melania will appear.” [USA Today, 12/8/16]
Boeing Employees Contributed $249,109.66 To Trump Since 2015. [FEC.gov, accessed 4/4/24]
June 2019: Mark Esper, Former Vice President Of Government Relations For Raytheon And Registered Lobbyist Was Tapped To Serve As Trump’s Acting Secretary Of Defense. According to Open Secrets, “Patrick Shanahan, a former Boeing executive who served as acting secretary since February, withdrew his nomination and resigned from his Pentagon post Tuesday. Mark Esper, current Secretary of the Army and a former Raytheon lobbyist, will serve as the new acting Secretary of Defense. Esper worked as vice president of governmental relations for Raytheon from 2010 to 2017 before taking the Trump administration job. He was a registered lobbyist for more than a decade, representing the Aerospace Industries Association of America and then the U.S. Chamber of Commerce before lobbying on behalf of the defense giant.” [Open Secrets, 6/18/19]
Raytheon Was Fourth Largest Government Contractor In FY 2019 With Over $16 Billion in Contracts. [Federal Procurement Data System, Top 100 Contractors Report, viewed 5/18/19]
Raytheon’s Business Widely Spanned Across The Department Of Defense And Was A Major A Supplier Of Guided Missiles And Patriot Missile Defense System. According to Defense News, “It would be a significant challenge for Esper to stay away from all decisions related to Raytheon, whose highly varied defense business spans the Department of Defense. The Massachusetts-based firm is a major supplier of guided missiles as well as the Patriot missile defense system, whose sales to foreign governments is geopolitically important.” [Defense News, 7/15/19]
Esper Did Not Commit To Recusing Himself From Matters Involving Raytheon As Defense Secretary. According to Defense News, “U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, Mark Esper, must ‘take additional steps’ to wall himself off from his previous role as the top lobbyist for defense contractor Raytheon, according to Sen. Elizabeth Warren.[…] ‘I am troubled by your unwillingness to fully address your real and perceived conflicts of interest, and write to ask that you reconsider your refusal to extend your Raytheon recusal through the duration of your tenure at DoD,’ Warren said in the letter, which she made public Monday. Warren said she came away from a meeting with Esper last week ‘extremely disappointed by your unwillingness to take the steps needed to clear any ethics cloud related to your former lobbying work for Raytheon.’” [Defense News, 7/15/19]
Azar Formerly Headed The Pharmaceutical Company Eli Lilly And Company, Where He Worked For Most Of The Prior Decade. According to Fierce Healthcare, “Unlike previous HHS secretaries who had backgrounds in government, Alex Azar, 50, comes from an industry that the federal agency regulates: pharmaceuticals. As the former head of Eli Lilly and Company, Azar, if confirmed, would be tasked with reducing rising prices of prescription medications including those that the pharmaceutical company manufactures. […] Azar worked for Eli Lilly for the greater part of the last decade. He held several positions at the company, including as president, senior vice president of corporate affairs and communication and vice president of managed healthcare services for Puerto Rico.” [Fierce Healthcare, 11/16/17]
Azar Started Consulting Firm For Biopharmaceutical And Health Insurance Industries. According to Fierce Healthcare, “After 5 years leading the company, Azar stepped down in January to start a consulting firm, Seraphim Strategies, LLC, in Indianapolis. The firm provides strategic consulting and counsel to the biopharmaceutical and health insurance industries.” [Fierce Healthcare, 11/16/17]
While Azar Was President At Eli Lilly, The Company Tripled Insulin Prices. According to Business Insider, “In particular, Azar was a senior executive at Lilly during a time when the price of insulin steadily increased. Insulin prices rose three-fold during the period he was there, including when he served as president of the company, even though the medicine remained the same. […] Even though he's already served in the department that he's now being tapped to run, Azar was also a senior executive at Eli Lilly. Lilly is one of three companies that have substantially increased the price of insulin, the lifesaving drug used to treat diabetes. Some of those increases came while Azar was president of the company's US unit.” [Business Insider, 11/14/17]
Azar Staffed His Department With Industry Insiders, Such As Hospital Executives And Advisors Who Worked At Drug Or Insurance Companies. According to the Washington Post, "In the first few months of his tenure, Azar has surrounded himself with industry insiders whose résumés boast combined decades of influence in the insurance, pharmaceutical and medical provider sectors. Peter Urbanowicz, the chief of staff he brought on in January, spent four years as a hospital executive. All three of the senior advisers Azar has appointed – one more adviser announcement is expected soon – have worked long stints at drug or insurance companies." [Washington Post, 4/20/18]
Top HHS Priority For Trump Administration Was Controlling Opioid And Reducing Drug Prices. According to the Washington Post, “Other priorities Azar will oversee include trying to control rampant opioid addiction that is ravaging many U.S. communities. He will be under pressure to find ways to constrain drug prices — a realm in which suspicions of him run high given his years as a top executive of Eli Lilly. In addition, he will be at the vortex of the ongoing political feud over the Affordable Care Act, the 2010 law that has spread insurance to millions of Americans and is a main target of the administration and congressional Republicans." [Washington Post, 1/24/18]
Axios: Trump’s USMCA Deal Let Pharma “Off The Hook” From Major Drug Pricing Blow Until 2021. According to Axios, “Pharma didn't get what it wanted on trade, but it's still doing just fine. The big picture: In this political climate, with this much scrutiny on drug prices, preserving the status quo is an enormous victory for this incredibly powerful industry. And though it failed to win a new victory on trade, the status quo is perfectly intact. Driving the news: Democrats and the Trump administration have agreed to a new trade pact among the U.S., Mexico and Canada — without protections for brand-name biologic drugs. […] The bottom line: It's increasingly likely that pharma will be off the hook until 2021 — and that's an enormous victory for an industry that's been criticized from all sides.” [Axios, 12/11/19]
The Hill: USMCA Contained Provisions To Protect Pharmaceutical Companies From Competing With New Generic Drugs. According to The Hill, “At issue is a section of the USMCA that would protect pharmaceutical companies with new biologics from generic competition, so-called ‘biosimilars.’ […] Biologics have been found to be the most significant driver of prescription medicine prices. Citing a report by IQVIA Institute, Forbes magazine reported that ‘biologic drugs represented 2 percent of all U.S. prescriptions, but 37 percent of net drug spending. Since 2014, biologic drugs account for nearly all of the growth in net drug spending: 93 percent of it, in fact.’ For this reason, many have argued to lower the number of years for biologic exclusivity, not increase them.” [The Hill, 6/23/19]
The Rebate Rule Championed By Azar Would Raise Seniors’ Premiums And Cost Federal Government Billions Without Hurting Pharmaceutical Profits. According to Politico, “Azar had spent months championing the rebate rule, warning that it was the administration’s best shot at lowering drug list prices. But analyses indicated the rebate rule would raise seniors’ premiums and cost billions without touching pharmaceutical profits. Grogan and Mulvaney seized on that point in meetings with Trump, said three individuals with knowledge of those conversations, warning that seniors could see a price hike ahead of the 2020 elections." [Politico, 7/11/19]
Scalia Was Confirmed As Trump’s Secretary Of Labor. According to Politico, “The Senate voted 53-44 Thursday to approve Eugene Scalia for Labor secretary.” [Politico,9/26/19]
Scalia Represented Walmart And Boeing On Employee Health Care And Union Disputes. According to the New York Times, “Mr. Scalia also represented Walmart in a fight against a Maryland law that would have required it to spend more on health care and Boeing in a case involving a union that accused it of violating labor law." [New York Times, 9/26/19]
Scalia Spent His Career Defending Corporations In Labor Disputes, Not Workers. According to Vox, “However, like many people Trump nominates to head federal departments, Scalia doesn’t have a great track record of fighting for the people or institutions he’s supposed to protect — which in this case is workers. […] Scalia has spent the past 20 years working as a high-profile lawyer in the Washington office of Gibson, Dunn, and Crutcher, a prominent corporate law firm. His legal record involves fighting labor laws on behalf of America’s largest businesses, including Wall Street banks, Walmart, and SeaWorld. [...] However, a few kind words for labor unions hardly cancel out decades spent fighting workers in court.” [Vox, 9/27/19]
Scalia’s Labor Department Has Faced Criticism For Limiting Access To Unemployment Benefits And Making It Easier For Employers To Not Pay For Family Leave Benefits. According to the Washington Post, “The Labor Department is facing growing criticism over its response to the coronavirus pandemic as the agency plays a central role in ensuring that the tens of millions of workers affected by the crisis get assistance. The criticism ranges from direct actions that the agency has taken to limit the scope of worker assistance programs to concerns that it has not been aggressive enough about protecting workers from health risks or supporting states scrambling to deliver billions in new aid. In recent days, Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia, who has expressed concerns about unemployment insurance being too generous, has used his department’s authority over new laws enacted by Congress to limit who qualifies for joblessness assistance and to make it easier for small businesses not to pay family leave benefits. The new rules make it more difficult for gig workers such as Uber and Lyft drivers to get benefits, while making it easier for some companies to avoid paying their workers coronavirus-related sick and family leave.” [Washington Post, 4/10/20]
Scalia’s Labor Department Did Not Advance Any Measures To Strengthen Protections For Health-Care Workers. According to The Washington Post, “At the same time, frustrations have built among career staff at the Labor Department that the agency hasn’t ordered employers to follow safeguards, including the wearing of masks, recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to protect workers. Two draft guidance documents written by officials at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, part of the Labor Department, to strengthen protections for health-care workers have also not been advanced, according to two people with knowledge of the regulations granted anonymity to discuss the internal deliberations.” [Washington Post, 4/10/20]
February 2107: Devos Was Confirmed As Trump’s Secretary Of Education. According to NPR, “Today the Senate confirmed Betsy DeVos as President Trump's education secretary, 51-50.” [NPR, 2/7/17]
DeVos Was Forced To Divest From 102 Assets That Could Pose Conflict Of Interest In Role As Head Of Department Of Education. According to Politico, "Betsy DeVos has agreed to sever ties to several companies that provide services to schools and colleges, as well as a debt collection agency that collects student loans on behalf of the Education Department, according to government ethics paperwork released Friday. DeVos, a Michigan billionaire with a complicated web of financial holdings, reached an agreement on Thursday with government ethics officials that will require her to divest from 102 of those assets that could potentially pose a conflict for her as Education secretary." [Politico, 1/20/17]
Companies DeVos Divested Included Student Loan Debt Collection, School Employee Benefit Plans, Day Care And Child Education Programs, School Athletic Software, And Charter Schools In Michigan. According to Politico, “DeVos listed on her financial paperwork a holding company that invests in Performant Business Services, Inc., which the Education Department hires to collect defaulted federal student loans. The holding company, from which DeVos has agreed to divest, also has investments in T2 Systems Inc., which provides parking payment services to colleges and universities, and in U.S. Retirement Partners, Inc., a financial services company that ‘specializes in public school and governmental employee benefit plans,’ according to the disclosure statement. DeVos listed an investment between $500,001 and $1 million in KinderCare Education, formerly Knowledge Universe Education, which is a provider of day care and early childhood education programs. She agreed to divest from the company. In addition, DeVos has agreed to divest from an ‘early stage venture fund’ that invests in Varsity News Network, Inc., a software developer for school athletics, and Flip Learning, which develops interactive digital textbooks for college students. She will also divest her interest, through a holding company, in N2Y, LLC, which ‘provides cloud-based learning services for special education,’ and in a company, Caldwell and Gregory, Inc., which provides laundry equipment for colleges and universities and apartments. DeVos’ financial disclosure statement also lists Dick DeVos as a co-borrower on a more than $1 million loan from PNC Financial Services Group for West Michigan Aviation Academy, the charter school that the DeVos’ founded and have funded." [Politico, 1/20/17]
The Hill: DeVos And Her Husband Had Investments Between $5-25 Million In Neurocore, A “Science And Research Brain-Based Program” Targeted Toward Children. According to The Hill, "For example, DeVos intends to maintain the $5 million to $25 million she and her husband have invested in Neurocore, a biotech company that claims to have ‘helped thousands of children’ with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Neurocore is listed with its logo and a link to its website along with several other investments on a website operated by Windquest Group, an investment company owned by DeVos and her husband. DeVos retaining her interest in Windquest Group raises significant concerns about how her and her spouse’s investments in the company, and her affiliation with it, will be managed so as to avoid potential conflicts of interest now and in the future. Having the Secretary of Education continue to hold an investment in ‘a science and research brain-based program’ that produces ‘life-changing results’ targeted towards children is a departure from precedent and common sense." [The Hill, 2/6/17]
Norman Eisen Op-Ed Argued DeVos’s Role As Secretary Of Education “Effectively Acts As An Endorsement” Of Neurocare. According to The Hill, "As owners of the Windquest Group, Betsy and Dick DeVos are the primary backers of Neurocare. The fact that Neurocare will continue to be held and promoted by her and her spouse’s investment management company on its website is startling, since doing so effectively acts as an endorsement by the Secretary of Education once she takes office. Nor does recusal solve the problem. After all, much of what she does as Secretary will target ‘life-changing results’ for children. Both of us would have advised such a nominee (and the president) that this tie had to be severed." [The Hill – Norman Eisen, 2/6/17]
Plaintiffs Alleged Department Of Education Garnished Wages To Pay Federal Student Loans During Coronavirus Pandemic. According to Forbes, “The lead plaintiff is Elizabeth Barber, a home health aide, who earns $12.36 per hour. According to her complaint, Barber says her work schedule has been reduced, she has no money in her bank account, unpaid local taxes, a lien on her home, and is past due on student loans as well as water and electric bills. Despite these financial challenges, Barber says that the Education Department garnished her wages (an apparent violation of the CARES Act) to pay her past-due federal student loans.” [Forbes, 5/1/20]
DeVos Rolled Back The Obama-Era Borrower-Defense Rule, Which Provided Defrauded Student Borrowers A More Straightforward Process For Student Loan Forgiveness. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, “The U.S. Department of Education is beginning the process of rolling back two Obama-era regulations aimed at holding for-profit colleges accountable and helping students who may have been misled or defrauded by them: the borrower-defense-to-repayment regulation, which was scheduled to go into effect on July 1, and the gainful-employment regulation, which was already in effect […] The borrower-defense-to-repayment regulation was meant to allow borrowers who feel they have been defrauded by their college or program to have a simpler process for having their student loans forgiven by the federal government.” [Chronicle of Higher Education, 6/14/17]
October 2019: DeVos Was Fined $100,000 For Violating A Court Order To Stop Debt Collection Efforts Against Former Students At Bankrupt Corinthian Colleges Inc. According to Bloomberg, “U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos was hit with a $100,000 fine for violating a judge’s order to stop debt collection efforts against former students at bankrupt Corinthian Colleges Inc. Despite the order, the department went as far as seizing the students’ tax refunds and wages. U.S. Magistrate Judge Sallie Kim in San Francisco issued the fine Thursday, after finding DeVos in contempt of court. Kim ordered the $100,000 to go to a fund held by the students’ lawyers to help the more than 16,000 borrowers who she said suffered damages from the violation. Both sides must submit a plan for administering the fund by Nov. 15.” [Bloomberg, 10/24/19]
Trump’s FY 2018 Budget Proposed An Unprecedented $1.4 Billion Shift Toward Expanding Charter Schools, Private-School Vouchers, And Other Alternatives To Public Schools. According to the Washington Post, “Along with the cuts, among the steepest the agency has ever sustained, the administration is also proposing to shift $1.4 billion toward one of President Trump’s key priorities: Expanding charter schools, private-school vouchers and other alternatives to traditional public schools. His $59 billion education budget for 2018 would include an unprecedented federal investment in such “school choice” initiatives, signaling a push to reshape K-12 education in America.” [Washington Post, 3/16/17]
In Her Fiscal Year 2019 Budget Proposal, DeVos Requested $500 Million For The Charter Schools Program. According to the Department of Education, “Highlights from the President's FY 2020 Budget Request include: 1. Education freedom for more of our nation’s students […] $500 million for the Charter Schools Program which is an increase of $60 million over FY19.” [Department of Education, Accessed 1/22/20]
DeJoy, A Top Donor To Trump And The RNC, Was Named The New Postmaster General. According to the Washington Post, “A top donor to President Trump and the Republican National Committee will be named the new head of the Postal Service, putting a top ally of the president in charge of an agency where Trump has long pressed for major changes in how it handles its business. The Postal Service’s board of governors confirmed late Wednesday that Louis DeJoy, a North Carolina businessman who is currently in charge of fundraising for the Republican National Convention in Charlotte, will serve as the new postmaster general. The action will install a stalwart Trump ally to lead the Postal Service, which he has railed against for years, and probably move him closer than ever before to forcing the service to renegotiate its terms with companies and its own union workforce. Trump’s Treasury Department and the Postal Service are in the midst of a negotiation over a $10 billion line of credit approved as part of coronavirus legislation in March.” [Washington Post, 5/6/20]
Op-Ed: Trump’s New Postmaster General Could Corrupt The Postal Service Ahead Of Election Day
Op-Ed: Trump’s New Postmaster General Politicized The Postal Service, A Key Institution Ahead Of Election Day. According to an NBC News op-ed by Donald Sherman, deputy director for CREW and Sylvia Albert, director of voting and elections at Common Cause, “Cronyism in high government positions has been a trademark of the Trump administration, but the selection of Republican mega-donor and Trump ally Louis DeJoy to lead the U.S. Postal Service threatens to corrupt one of America's most trusted institutions at a key moment. Cronyism in high government positions has been a trademark of the Trump administration, but the selection of Republican mega-donor and Trump ally Louis DeJoy to lead the U.S. Postal Service threatens to corrupt one of America's most trusted institutions at a key moment. Throughout his presidency, Donald Trump has attacked democratic institutions and undermined independent agencies. Now, as millions of voters are relying on the Postal Service to support our elections during the coronavirus pandemic, Trump is politicizing another once-nonpartisan government agency. Having a political ally with ethical and competence questions like DeJoy lead the agency potentially puts November's election at risk.” [Donald Sherman & Sylvia Albert – NBC News, 7/19/20]
Op-Ed: DeJoy’s Lack Of Relevant Experience And Previous Work Posed Potential Conflicts Of Interests. According to an NBC News op-ed by Donald Sherman, deputy director for CREW and Sylvia Albert, director of voting and elections at Common Cause, “DeJoy's appointment raises several concerns about his qualifications and about potential ethics problems. When DeJoy took the job in June, he became the first person in decades to lead the Postal Service without experience as a letter carrier. Although DeJoy has previously worked with the Postal Service as a contractor, some have questioned his credentials and whether his lack of institutional memory will affect operations. DeJoy's previous work also poses potential financial conflicts of interests. DeJoy and his wife, a Trump appointee to the Commission on White House Fellowships who is his nominee to be the U.S. ambassador to Canada, own $30.1 million to $75.3 million in assets in Postal Service competitors or contractors, like UPS and the trucking company J.B. Hunt. Although DeJoy likely had to divest these conflicting assets, his ethics agreement and personal financial disclosure statement are not yet available on the Office of Government Ethics' website for the public to confirm.” [Donald Sherman & Sylvia Albert – NBC News, 7/19/20]
DeJoy’s Financial Disclosure Form Showed He Had A $30 Million Stake XPO Logistics And Stock In Amazon, Both USPS Competitors. According to CNN, “Postmaster General Louis DeJoy continues to hold a multimillion-dollar stake in his former company XPO Logistics, a United States Postal Service contractor, likely creating a major conflict of interest, according to newly obtained financial disclosures and ethics experts. Outside experts who spoke to CNN were shocked that ethics officials at the postal service approved this arrangement, which allows DeJoy to keep at least $30 million in XPO holdings. DeJoy and USPS have said he fully complied with the regulations. Raising further alarms, on the same day in June that DeJoy divested large amounts of Amazon shares, he purchased stock options giving him the right to buy new shares of Amazon at a price much lower than their current market price, according to the disclosures.” [CNN, 8/12/20]
DeJoy Earned Between $1.2 – 7 Million In Rental Payments From XPO On Top Of The Previously Known Shares. According to the New York Times, “Reports filed by XPO to the Securities and Exchange Commission show the company paid Mr. DeJoy $1.86 million in rent in 2018. Mr. DeJoy reported to the Office of Government Ethics — which requires government officials to provide a range of income, rather than a specific amount — that he stood to earn $1.2 million to $7 million from the arrangements. Mr. DeJoy has insisted that he has fully complied with federal ethics rules and maintained that the new measures he has put in place are necessary to modernize the Postal Service.” [New York Times, 8/17/20]
USPS Has Paid $286 Million To DeJoy’s Company XPO Logistics, Including A Surge Of $14 Million In The 10 Weeks After DeJoy Became Postmaster General. According to the New York Times, “The United States Postal Service has paid about $286 million over the past seven years to XPO Logistics, the former employer of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. He still holds at least a $30 million stake in the company, which has ramped up its business with the Postal Service since he took the helm at the agency. […] Through about 100 contracts with XPO Logistics and its subsidiaries, the Postal Service has paid the firm $33.7 million to $45.2 million annually since 2014 for services that include managing transportation and providing support during peak times. The documents also show a surge in revenue for XPO from the Postal Service since Mr. DeJoy took over on June 15. The Postal Service paid XPO Logistics and its subsidiaries about $14 million over the past 10 weeks, compared with $3.4 million during the same time frame in 2019 and $4.7 million in 2018.” [New York Times, 9/2/20]
DeJoy Unveiled A Sweeping Overhaul Of The Nation’s Mail Service, Including The Reassignment Or Displacement Of 23 Postal Executives And Banning Overtime. According to the Washington Post, “Postmaster General Louis DeJoy unveiled a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s mail service, displacing the two top executives overseeing day-to-day operations, according to a reorganization memo released Friday. The shake-up came as congressional Democrats called for an investigation of DeJoy and the cost-cutting measures that have slowed mail delivery and ensnared ballots in recent primary elections. Twenty-three postal executives were reassigned or displaced, the new organizational chart shows. Analysts say the structure centralizes power around DeJoy, a former logistics executive and major ally of President Trump, and de-emphasizes decades of institutional postal knowledge. All told, 33 staffers included in the old postal hierarchy either kept their jobs or were reassigned in the restructuring, with five more staffers joining the leadership from other roles. The reshuffling threatens to heighten tensions between postal officials and lawmakers, who are troubled by delivery delays — the Postal Service banned employees from working overtime and making extra trips to deliver mail — and wary of the Trump administration’s influence on the Postal Service as the coronavirus pandemic rages and November’s election draws near.” [Washington Post, 8/7/20]
DeJoy’s Restructuring And An Impending Hiring Freeze Left People Scratching Their Heads. According to the Washington Post, “‘One of the things that’s led to a lot of head scratching is how some of these folks have been reassigned. We’re not sure he put the right players in the right spots, but maybe he sees something we don’t,’ said one person with deep knowledge of the leadership team, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to give a candid assessment. ‘We’re all going to wait and see and hope he’s done the right things, but who knows? It looks as if most of the people we’ve all worked with for years and years are still there, just moved around.’ The Postal Service will implement a hiring freeze, according to the reorganization announcement, and will ask for voluntary early retirements. It also will realign into three ‘operating units’ — retail and delivery, logistics and processing, and commerce and business solutions — and scale down from seven regions to four. The structure displaces postal executives with decades of experience, moving some to new positions and others out of leadership roles entirely, including McAdams, Williams and chief commerce and business solutions officer Jacqueline Krage Strako, who previously held the title of executive vice president and chief customer and marketing officer.” [Washington Post, 8/7/20]
Analysts Worried That DeJoy’s First Eight Weeks And Restructuring Recast The Nation’s Mail Service As A For-Profit Arm Of Government Rather Than An Essential Service. According to the Washington Post, “But the changes worried postal analysts, who say the tone of DeJoy’s first eight weeks and his restructuring have recast the nation’s mail service as a for-profit arm of the government, rather than an essential service. ‘He keeps referring to the USPS as ‘our business.’ But he’s been appointed postmaster general. You don’t run a business,’ said Philip Rubio, a history professor at North Carolina A&T State University and a former postal worker. ‘He’s not accountable to shareholders. He’s accountable to the American people and Congress.’ Earlier Friday, congressional Democrats demanded an investigation of DeJoy’s cost-cutting initiatives, which postal workers blame for delivery slowdowns.” [Washington Post, 8/7/20]
The USPS Began Plan To Decommission 671, Or 10%, Mail Sorting Machines Before Public Outcry Forced DeJoy To Rollback Cost Saving Plans. According to the Washington Post, “This week, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy pulled back on a host of cost-saving measures at the U.S. Postal Service after a public outcry over delivery delays and the potential to upset mail-in voting come November. Of particular concern was the removal of hundreds of mail-sorting machines. According to a grievance filed by the American Postal Workers Union and obtained by The Washington Post, the Postal Service was poised to decommission 671 of the massive machines, about 10 percent of its inventory, and capable of sorting 21.4 million pieces of paper mail per hour. The Postal Service, by comparison, processes as much as 500 million items each day.” [Washington Post, 8/20/20]
USPS Paused Plans To Remove Mailboxes Until After The Election As Social Media Panic Erupted. According to the Washington Post, “After the removal of dozens of mailboxes in several states set off a social media panic and high-profile blowback this week, the U.S. Postal Service has suspended all such operations nationwide. ‘We are not going to be removing any boxes,’ USPS spokesman Rod Spurgeon told NBC News on Friday. ‘After the election, we’re going to take a look at operations and see what we need and don’t need.’” [Washington Post, 8/14/20]
The USPS Had Seen A Slowing Of Mail Delivery In Some Places Under DeJoy, Prompting Fears That Ballots Would Not Reach Election Offices In Time. According to CNN, “The commitment by DeJoy, a longtime Trump ally and fundraiser, echoes the agency's resolute stance earlier this week that it has the capacity to handle the added volume of mail-in ballots in November's general election. The President has cast doubt on whether it will be able to handle an election that is expected to see significant numbers of mail-in ballots as the coronavirus pandemic rages on […] USPS is also seeing a slowing of mail delivery in some places under DeJoy. The agency has recently implemented new efforts that some workers blame for delivery delays of at least two days across the country -- prompting fears that many ballots may not reach election offices in time if the problems aren't corrected by November.” [CNN, 8/7/20]
In The Weeks Before DeJoy Was Installed As Postmaster General, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin Held One-On-One Meetings With Members Of The Board Of Governors. According to NBC News, “In the weeks before Republican donor Louis DeJoy was installed as postmaster general, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin held a series of one-on-one meetings with members of the Postal Service Board of Governors, multiple people familiar with the encounters told NBC News. Those people said Mnuchin met with Republican board members, as well as with Robert Duncan, the board's chairman, who once chaired the Republican National Committee. All six members of the current Postal Service board were appointed by President Donald Trump, although two members, Donald Moak and Ron Bloom, were recommended for appointment by Democrats. NBC News attempted to reach the three Republican board members who were in their posts during DeJoy's interview process to ask about the nature of their meetings with Mnuchin, but did not get a response. Neither the Treasury Department nor the Postal Service would comment on the meetings or even confirm that they occurred.” [NBC News, 8/21/20]
Any White House Of Treasury Involvement With The Postal Service Would Be A Breach Of Its Charter As An Independent, Nonpolitical Public Entity. According to NBC News, “Any White House or Treasury involvement with the Postal Service would be a breach of its charter as an independent, nonpolitical public entity, said Tim Stretton, a policy analyst for the nonpartisan Project on Government Oversight. The Postal Service operates on its own revenues separate from any federal appropriations process.” [NBC News, 8/21/20]
Trump Campaigned That He Would Not Be One Of “Puppets” Like Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Or Hillary Clinton - And That He Was “Not Controlled By […] Donors, Special Interests Or Lobbyists.” According to Politico, "In the primaries, Trump called Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio ‘puppets’ for accepting big money. He also attacked Hillary Clinton for meeting with donors to the Clinton Foundation when she was secretary of state, even though he overstated the proportion of such meetings, and those donations went to charity, not toward putting Clinton or other Democrats in office. ‘By self-funding my campaign, I am not controlled by my donors, special interests or lobbyists,’ Trump declared on Facebook in September 2015. ‘I am only working for the people of the U.S.!’" [Politico, 12/27/16]
The RNC And Trump Solicited Donations To Support GOP Efforts To “Simplify The Tax Code” During The Last Few Months Of 2017. According to Mother Jones, “The RNC formally used the hope of tax cuts at least twice to encourage donations. In a Sept. 25, 2017, email to supporters, the RNC, under Trump’s name, told donors “it’s time to simplify the tax code” and asked them to take a survey about proposed tax changes. Once submitted, respondents were asked to donate. The RNC sent another email under Trump’s name on Oct. 29, 2017, four days before the tax bill was introduced in the House, reminding donors that, with their help, Republicans have ‘been able to advance some of the biggest projects you voted for last November, including: tax cuts and once-in-a-lifetime reform’ as well as other policies. Loyal billionaire donors also were holding high-priced fundraising events where tax cuts were mentioned. On Dec. 2, the day the Senate passed its tax bill in the early morning hours, Trump attended three Republican fundraisers in New York City, one a meal held by Blackstone CEO Schwarzman at his New York apartment, according to The Washington Post. At the event, which required at least a $100,000 donation, Trump reportedly touted the tax bill to the ultra-wealthy donors who would receive a windfall from the legislation.” [Mother Jones, 2/7/19]
Wealthy GOP Donors Threatened To Withhold Campaign Donations Until Tax Reform Passed And The Affordable Care Act Was Repealed. According to Mother Jones, “In late June 2017, Texas political mega-donor Doug Deason had a stern message for Republicans seeking campaign donations: The ‘Dallas piggy bank’ was closed until they repealed Obamacare and passed major tax cuts. Deason said he had urged about two dozen of his wealthy Texas friends to do the same. The billionaire Koch brothers Charles and David also hinted at withholding money. Just weeks later, the GOP effort to repeal Obamacare collapsed. Tax reform, which one Republican senator said would make repealing Obamacare look like a piece of cake, ominously loomed as the next item on the GOP agenda, and time was running out. Panic set in. By November, as Congress struggled to push a massive tax cut bill forward, Rep. Chris Collins from New York summed up the stakes: ‘My donors are basically saying: ‘Get it done or don’t ever call me again.'” [Mother Jones, 2/7/19]
Hundreds Of Wealthy Donors Lavished GOP Politicians With Hefty Campaign Donations At The End Of 2017 As Legislators Worked To Pass Tax Reform. According to Mother Jones, “From the looks of it, GOP politicians got what they wanted, too. From the time the tax bill was first introduced on Nov. 2, 2017, until the end of the year, a 60-day period, dozens of billionaires and millionaires dramatically boosted their political contributions unlike they had in past years, giving a total of $31.1 million in that two months, a Center for Public Integrity analysis of data from the Center for Responsive Politics found. The Center’s analysis found that 144 wealthy donors, some household names and some behind-the-scenes, contributed at least $50,000 to Republicans and conservative groups in that time frame. For 87 of those, three out of five, the surge of giving at year’s end reflected a marked change in their giving behavior. These well-heeled donors increased the share of their annual giving in the last two months of 2017 compared with previous off-year elections going back to 2009. Most telling, say campaign finance experts, is that 25 wealthy donors gave all their 2017 money in the final two months of the year, the first time they did so during the previous four off-election years—2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, according to the Center’s analysis of data collected by the Center for Responsive Politics.” [Mother Jones, 2/7/19]
Vox Headline: “Billionaire Trump Donor Explains He’s In It For The Tax Cuts, Not The Racism.” [Vox, 8/8/19]
Ross Said That He And Trump Agreed On Many Things, While Also Disagreeing On Others. According to Vox, “In an effort to stave off criticism, Ross told the press that he has ‘known Donald Trump for 40 years’ and that ‘while we agree on some issues, we strongly disagree on many others.’ He didn’t explain which issues were which, but he concluded by saying ‘I have been, and will continue to be, an outspoken champion of racial equality, inclusion, diversity, public education, and environmental sustainability, and I have and will continue to support leaders on both sides of the aisle to address these challenges.” [Vox, 8/8/19]
Trump Tax Cuts Estimated To Save Stephen Ross $4.4 Million In Estate Taxes, Thousands A Year In Basic Rate Cuts, And Special Provisions Aimed To Cut Taxes For Real Estate Developers. According to Vox, “The issue on which Ross agrees with Trump is likely taxes. Ross has an estimated net worth of $7.7 billion. And while you might think that part of the pleasure of having $7.7 billion is that you don’t need to sweat the small stuff, the fact of the matter is that Trump’s changes to the estate tax alone are worth $4.4 million to a guy like Ross. The median American’s net worth is about $97,000, meaning that Trump and congressional Republicans handed Ross a chunk of change that’s more than 40 times as large as the typical American’s total wealth. That’s a pretty good reason to care passionately about the 2020 election. But of course Trump’s tax cuts didn’t stop there. Ross is getting thousands of dollars a year in basic rate cuts. And while he is best known for his fitness-related consumer brands, he’s also a major commercial real estate developer, and since Trump is also in this line of business, his tax law is loaded with special provisions to specifically help that genre of rich person.” [Vox, 8/8/19]
New York Times: Opportunity Zone Tax Incentives “Fueled A Wave Of Developments Financed By And Built By The Wealthiest Americans.” According to the New York Times, “But the Trump administration’s signature plan to lift them — a multibillion-dollar tax break that is supposed to help low-income areas — has fueled a wave of developments financed by and built for the wealthiest Americans.” [New York Times, 8/31/19]
New York Times: The Opportunity Zone Tax Break Has Largely Attracted People With “Personal Or Professional Connections To The President.” According to the New York Times, “The tax break is largely benefiting the real estate industry — where Mr. Trump made his fortune and still has extensive business interests — and it is luring people with personal or professional connections to the president.” [New York Times, 8/31/19]
Trump Tweeted He “Created Successful Opportunity Zones.” According to a tweet from Donald Trump, “Under the Trump Administration, African American unemployment is the lowest (best) in the history of the United States. No President has come close to doing this before! I also created successful Opportunity Zones. Waiting for Nancy and Elijah to say, ‘Thank you, Mr. President!’" [Twitter, @realdonaldtrump, 7/28/19]
Adelson Had A Direct Line To Trump. According to the New York Times, "Mr. Adelson in particular enjoys a direct line to the president. In private in-person meetings and phone conversations, which occur between the two men about once a month, he has used his access to push the president to move the United States embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and, more recently, cut aid to the Palestinians, according to people familiar with their discussions, who spoke anonymously to discuss private matters. Mr. Trump has done both, triggering a backlash from some American allies." [New York Times, 9/22/18]
The U.S. Policy Goals On Israel, Such As Trump’s Middle East Peace Plan And Relocating The Embassy To Jerusalem, Were In Sync With Adelson And Other Conservative Donors Wishes. According to the Guardian, “Ever since the 2016 campaign, Adelson and Trump have courted one another, bonding more closely as Trump has tilted US policies on Israel to favor goals in sync with Adelson and other big conservative donors and activists in the Jewish and evangelical worlds. With a net worth that Forbes pegs at $39bn, Adelson has long championed several of the hardline pro-Israel moves that Trump has made, including relocating the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and ditching the Iran nuclear deal signed by the Obama administration. Last month, the Adelsons were at the White House for the unveiling of Trump’s Middle East peace plan, which Palestinians and most Arab countries rejected as too favorable to Israel but Trump dubbed the “deal of the century”. Before the official ceremony, Adelson met briefly with Trump, according to one source. During his presidency, Adelson has had other meetings with Trump in Washington and Las Vegas, and periodically they talk by phone, say sources.” [Guardian, 2/10/20]
GOP Fundraiser Mel Sembler: “Adelson Was An Important Factor In All These Decisions” In Reference To Pulling Out Of The Iran Nuclear Deal And Moving The U.S. Embassy In Israel. According to the Guardian, “The day before Trump announced in May 2018 that the US was pulling out of the nuclear accord with Iran, Adelson flew into DC from his home in Las Vegas and met privately with Trump and a few top aides, including the vice-president, Mike Pence, and the then national security adviser, John Bolton, with whom Adelson had strong ties. A few days later, Adelson was in Jerusalem with a few dozen fellow board members of the RJC and some top Trump aides, including Jared Kushner, to celebrate the official ceremony marking the US embassy move to Jerusalem, a top priority for Adelson and the RJC. The veteran GOP fundraiser Mel Sembler, who also sits on the RJC board, thinks Adelson’s input was significant in Trump’s decisions to move the embassy and pull out of the Iranian nuclear deal. “Adelson was an important factor in all these decisions,” Sembler told McClatchy in May 2018.” [Guardian, 2/10/20]
Trump Conveyed Adelson’s Request To Legalize Gambling In Japan To Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. According to ProPublica, “Adelson had a potent ally in his quest: the new president of the United States. Following the business breakfast, Abe had a meeting with Trump before boarding Air Force One for a weekend at Mar-a-Lago. The two heads of state dined with Patriots owner Bob Kraft and golfed at Trump National Jupiter Golf Club with the South African golfer Ernie Els. During a meeting at Mar-a-Lago that weekend, Trump raised Adelson’s casino bid to Abe, according to two people briefed on the meeting. The Japanese side was surprised. ‘It was totally brought up out of the blue,’ according to one of the people briefed on the exchange. ‘They were a little incredulous that he would be so brazen.’ After Trump told Abe he should strongly consider Las Vegas Sands for a license, ‘Abe didn’t really respond, and said thank you for the information,’ this person said. Trump also mentioned at least one other casino operator. Accounts differ on whether it was MGM or Wynn Resorts, then run by Trump donor and then-Republican National Committee finance chairman Steve Wynn. The Japanese newspaper Nikkei reported the president also mentioned MGM and Abe instructed an aide who was present to jot down the names of both companies. Questioned about the meeting, Abe said in remarks before the Japanese legislature in July that Trump had not passed on requests from casino companies but did not deny that the topic had come up.” [ProPublica, 10/10/18]
Adelson Stood To Make A Fortune From Legalized Gambling In Japan After Investing In A Major Casino Resort. According to ProPublica, “Adelson was in town to see the Japanese prime minister about a much greater sum of money. Japan, after years of acrimonious public debate, has legalized casinos. For more than a decade, Adelson and his company, Las Vegas Sands, have sought to build a multibillion-dollar casino resort there. He has called expanding to the country, one of the world’s last major untapped markets, the ‘holy grail.’ Nearly every major casino company in the world is competing to secure one of a limited number of licenses to enter a market worth up to $25 billion per year. ‘This opportunity won’t come along again, potentially ever,’ said Kahlil Philander, an academic who studies the industry.” [ProPublica, 10/10/18]
Adelson Supported Trump’s Move To Replace McMaster With Bolton As National Security Advisor. According to the New York Times, “Mr. Trump installed a longtime Adelson ally and Iran hard-liner, John Bolton, as his national security adviser. Mr. Bolton displaced Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, whose ouster Mr. Adelson helped hasten when, after some hesitation, he decided to support a campaign that publicly accused the general of undermining Israel’s security." [New York Times, 9/22/18]
The Adelsons Contributed $82 Million To Back Trump And Republican Candidates In 2016. According to the Guardian, “In 2016, the Adelsons gave $82m overall to Super Pacs and committees that backed Trump and Republican candidates, including the Super Pac Future 45, which received $25m from Adelson to run ads against Hillary Clinton, according to public reports. The Adelsons donated tens of millions more to some dark money groups, say Republican donors. At an inaugural gala, Trump praised the Adelsons, thanking them for ponying up $120m to help his campaign and other GOP candidates in 2016, say two attendees at the event.” [Guardian, 2/10/20]
The Adelsons Donated A Personal Record Of $124 Million To Super PACs, Campaigns, And Candidates In 2018. According to the Guardian, “Adelson and his wife have been opening their wallets wider in the Trump era. The Adelsons, who typically give some of their bigger checks towards the end of campaigns, in 2018 spent a personal record of $124m – just in publicly disclosed donations to Super Pacs, campaign committees and candidates, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.” [Guardian, 2/10/20]
Adelson Contributed $5 Million To Trump’s Inaugural Fund. [Open Secrets, accessed 4/4/24]
**Adelson Donated Over $190 Million To Republicans, Including Trump In 2020.**According to Newsweek, “Meanwhile, during Trump's re-election bid in 2020, the Adelsons gave $50 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund, which is the top House GOP super PAC, as well as $70 million to the Senate Leadership Fund. By October 2020, the Adelsons had funded Preserve America, a pro-Trump super PAC, to the tune of $75 million.” [Newsweek, 1/12/21]
December 2019: Fisher Industries Was Given $400 Million Border Wall Contract. According to the Washington Post, "A company that President Trump urged military officials to hire for border wall construction has been awarded a $400 million contract to build a span of new barrier across an Arizona wildlife refuge, according to a Defense Department announcement Monday. North Dakota-based Fisher Sand and Gravel won the contract to build in the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge in Yuma County, Ariz., the Defense Department said, with a target completion date of Dec. 30, 2020." [Washington Post, 12/2/19]
The Department Of Defense Inspector General Opened An Investigation Into The Federal Border Wall Contract With Fisher Industries. According to the Washington Post, “The Office of Inspector General for the Department of Defense will investigate a $400 million contract for border wall construction awarded to a North Dakota company after President Trump privately pushed the deal. The chairman of the House Homeland Security committee, Representative Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, called for the inquiry into the decision made by the United States Army Corps of Engineers last week, raising concerns of ‘inappropriate influence.’ Mr. Thompson wrote in a letter that Fisher Sand & Gravel ‘did not meet the operational requirements of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and its prototype project came in late and over budget.’” [Washington Post, 12/12/19]
Trump Pushed The Army Corps Of Engineers To Give Fisher Industries A Border Wall Contract. According to the Washington Post, "President Trump has personally and repeatedly urged the head of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to award a border wall contract to a North Dakota construction firm whose top executive is a GOP donor and frequent guest on Fox News, according to four administration officials. In phone calls, White House meetings and conversations aboard Air Force One during the past several months, Trump has aggressively pushed Dickinson, N.D.-based Fisher Industries to Department of Homeland Security leaders and Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite, the commanding general of the Army Corps, according to the administration officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive internal discussions. The push for a specific company has alarmed military commanders and DHS officials." [Washington Post, 5/23/19]
Cramer Said Trump Liked Fisher Because He Watched Him Advocate For His Border Wall Design On Fox News. According to the Washington Post, "Cramer said Trump likes Fisher because he had seen him on television advocating for his version of the barrier: ‘He’s been very aggressive on TV,’ Cramer said of the CEO. ‘You know who else watches Fox News?’ Cramer asked." [Washington Post, 5/23/19]
Jared Kushner And Sen. Cramer Also Promoted Fisher Industries. According to the Washington Post, "Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, has joined in the campaign for Fisher Industries, along with Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), an ardent promoter of the company and the recipient of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Fisher and his family members, according to campaign finance records. Cramer, in an interview Thursday, said the Trump administration has shown a great deal of interest in his constituent’s company." [Washington Post, 5/23/19]
Tommy Fisher And His Wife Contributed Over $10,000 To Cramer’s Senate Campaign And Met Trump After Attending State Of The Union As Cramer’s Guest. According to the Washington Post, "Tommy Fisher and his wife gave more than $10,000 — the maximum allowable contribution — to Cramer in 2018 as he ran for Senate, campaign finance records show. Fisher was Cramer’s guest at Trump’s State of the Union speech in February that year, and the CEO said he shook the president’s hand afterward. Trump backed Cramer last year in his campaign to unseat Democrat Heidi Heitkamp. During his Senate run, Cramer appeared in a social media video at Fisher headquarters in North Dakota, driving an excavator." [Washington Post, 5/23/19]
A Montana-Based Firm Donated Hundreds Of Thousands To Republican Candidates And Received Over $1 Billion In Border Wall Contracts From Federal Government. According to Business Insider, “According to a public notice posted by the Pentagon on Tuesday, the US Army Corps of Engineers announced a $569 million no-bid contract to BFBC, a firm affiliated with Barnard Construction, to build 17.7 miles of the border wall in El Centro and San Diego, California to be completed in June 2021. The Bozeman, Montana based firm has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to Republican politicians over the years, and been awarded over $1 billion in federal contracts to build sections of the border wall so far.” [Business Insider, 4/17/20]
April 2020: The Department Of Defense Awarded BFBC A $569,000 Contract To Design And Build 17.17 Miles Of Border Wall. According to a Department of Defense Press Release, “BFBC LLC, Bozeman, Montana, was awarded a $569,000,000 modification (P00011) to contract W912PL-19-C-0014 for 17.17 miles of border wall design-build construction. Work will be performed in San Diego and El Centro, California, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2021. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $569,000,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Albuquerque, New Mexico, is the contracting activity. (Awarded April 11, 2020)” [Department Of Defense Press Release, 4/13/20]
BFBC Received Higher Than Average Contracts Per Mile For Border Wall Construction. According to Business Insider, “Notably, the Army is also paying BFBC far above the average rate per mile to build the designated section of the wall, the Daily Beast reported. While the Trump administration pays contractors on average around $20 million per mile of wall, BFBC is receiving $33 million per mile for the latest contract.” [Business Insider, 4/17/20]
BFBC Donated $5,600 To Trump’s Re-Election And Contributed Hundreds Of Thousands To Top Republicans Since 2015. [FEC.gov, accessed 4/4/24]
The Trump Administration Doubled Government Spending On Private Prisons Operated By The GEO Group. According to Newsweek, “Under the Donald Trump administration, the U.S. has more than doubled its spending on services from one of the biggest private prison companies in the world, with the majority of that spending going towards the detention of immigrants across the country. In the first 11 months of fiscal year 2019 alone, the U.S. has seen more than $595 million in obligated spending dedicated to The GEO Group, a Florida-based for-profit correctional institutions company operating prisons around the world, according to the U.S. government's federal spending website. The total is more than double the nearly $260 million that the U.S. government obligated to The GEO Group under the Barack Obama administration in 2014, five years ago, with the amount dedicated to the private prison company seeing a sharp spike in President Donald Trump's first year in office, 2017, and steadily increasing over the following two years.” [Newsweek, 9/25/19]
April 2017: The GEO Group Earned A Lucrative Contract From The Trump Administration Over Competitors. According to Newsweek, “The GEO Group seems to have benefited from its generosity. In July 2015, under the Obama administration, it submitted a bid to build a 1,000-bed immigration detention center in Texas that would replace the Houston Contract Detention Facility run by its competitor Core Civic. (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not answer a question from Newsweek about why the Obama administration didn't award the contract). Then, in April, the Trump administration said the GEO Group would build the center, which it anticipates will generate $44 million a year in revenue. It was a move that angered the company's opponents. In March, the GEO Group had been served with a class action lawsuit, alleging that it had violated the constitution and anti-slavery laws by forcing around 60,000 current and former immigrants to work for less than a dollar a day at its detention center in Colorado.” [Newsweek, 5/11/17]
The GEO Group Contributed $570,000 To Trump. [FEC.gov, accessed 4/4/24]
The GEO Group Contributed $250,00 To Pro Trump PAC Ahead Of The 2016 Election. According to Newsweek, “On August 19, the day after Yates' announcement, GEO Corrections Holdings Inc., a subsidiary of the GEO Group, donated $100,000 to the pro-Trump PAC Rebuilding America Now. Then, on November 1 —seven days before the presidential election— it gave another $125,000 to the organization. In addition, GEO Corrections Holding Inc. had donated $200,000 to the Senate Leadership Fund, a Republican PAC, on September 27, 2016, and $100,000 to the Conservative Solutions PAC on April 17, 2015.” [Newsweek, 5/11/17]
The GEO Group Gave $250,000 To Trump’s Inauguration. According to Newsweek, “Despite the ongoing complaint, for the moment, the GEO Group has won: The candidate it backed is now in the White House. When Trump began sourcing donations for his inauguration festivities, the GEO Group, and Core Civic (The U.S.' largest private-prisons contractor, the GEO Group is the second-largest) each gave $250,000.” [Newsweek, 5/11/17]
GEO Senior Executive Billed Stays At Trump International D.C. To The Corporate Account While Lobbying The Trump Administration For A Multimillion Dollar Deal. According to the Daily Beast, “A senior executive of the GEO Group—the nation’s largest private prison and immigrant detention company—who lobbied the Trump administration for a multimillion-dollar cash infusion has also been staying in the luxurious Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C., billing an unknown sum to his corporate expense account, according to previously unreported records unearthed by the Project On Government Oversight (POGO), a non-profit watchdog.” [Daily Beast, 11/18/19]
Senior VP Of GEO Admitted To Staying At Trump Hotel, D.C. Between 10 and 20 Times And Charging Expenses To Corporate Account. According to Venturella’s deposition, “Q-Have you been there before? A-To the Trump Hotel? Yes Q- Have you put any GEO expensed credit cards on bills that you’ve accrued at the Trump Hotel? A-yes Q- All right, how many times? A- I don’t – I don’t recall […] Q- Okay so somewhere between ten and twenty? A- Correct.” [Venturella Deposition, 6/13/19]
GEO Group Held Its Annual Conference At Trump Doral In 2017. According to the Daily Beast, “Previous news reports have highlighted how GEO—a significant financial backer of Trump’s political campaigns—has patronized the president’s businesses since Trump entered the White House. GEO held its annual conference in 2017 at the Trump National Doral Miami golf resort in Florida. (The administration recently picked the Doral resort to host the G-7 summit, then in short order reversed its decision under pressure from Congress.) In September 2019, roughly a thousand supporters of the president attended an event at Trump’s Doral resort ‘to discuss a variety of unsupported theories’ damaging to the president’s political opponents, according to WNYC and ProPublica. That event was supported by a $25,000 GEO donation.” [Daily Beast, 11/18/19]
Daily Beast: GEO Spending Was More Evidence Of Corporations And Foreign Governments Engaging In “Stay To Play” Strategy To Curry Favor With Trump Administration. According to the Daily Beast, “His choice of the Trump International Hotel in D.C. is the first publicized instance of GEO Group’s disbursements at that facility, based in the Old Post Office Building, which the Trump Organization leases from the federal government. The new details of GEO Group’s spending are likely to provide further fuel to critics who contend that Trump’s businesses, from which he has not fully divested, offer an easy way for corporations, foreign governments, and others to curry favor with the president and his administration—essentially a system of ‘stay to play.’” [Daily Beast, 11/18/19]
Trump’s Directive To Subsidize Coal And Nuclear Power Plants Bailed Out Top Energy Donors. According to Market Watch, “President Donald Trump recently directed Secretary of Energy Rick Perry to prepare steps to subsidize coal and nuclear power plants, which are struggling to compete against cheaper, cleaner alternatives. This directive would bail out some of his largest donors while increasing energy costs for millions of Americans, showing once again the grift and graft ethos at the center of his economic policy” [Market Watch, 6/14/18]
Coal Barons Bob Murray And Joseph Craft Pushed For A Federal Bailout Of Coal And Nuclear Power While Contributing Millions To Trump And His Allies. According to Market Watch, “Coal barons Bob Murray and Joseph Craft, who have strongly pushed the bailout, have given Trump and Trump-aligned groups millions of dollars. FirstEnergy Solutions FE, +0.97% , another company that would benefit, paid Perry’s former campaign manager Jeff Miller more than $300,000 to lobby Perry for the bailout. Miller is also a major fundraiser for a Trump Super PAC, which got him access to Trump at an exclusive donor dinner; and the day after the dinner, Trump signaled his support for the coal baron bailout.” [Market Watch, 6/14/18]
Craft Donated $1 Million To Trump’s Inauguration In Exchange For Favorable Pro-Coal Executive Orders From Trump. According to Bloomberg, “Little known to the general public, the camera-shy Craft is now being thrust into the spotlight. In January, he donated $1 million for Trump’s inauguration. In March, he sat front and center at the Environmental Protection Agency as the president signed an executive order and declared the “war on coal” over. And he’s well-connected: Craft’s wife, Kelly Knight Craft, a political fundraiser in her own right, has been nominated as U.S. ambassador to Canada. In Trump, Craft sees a return to the pro-coal policies that lured him into the industry four decades ago -- and reason to believe Alliance can keep growing into the 2020s.” [Bloomberg, 7/19/17]
Franklin Haney Was Under Investigation For Contributing $1 Million To Trump Inaugural Fund While He Sought Regulatory Approval And Financial Support From The Federal Government For His Nuclear Power Plant. According to the Associated Press, “Real estate mogul Franklin Haney contributed $1 million to President Donald Trump’s inaugural committee and all he’s got to show for the money is the glare of a federal investigation. The contribution from Haney, a prolific political donor, came as he was seeking regulatory approval and financial support from the government for his long-shot bid to acquire the mothballed Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant in northeastern Alabama. More than two years later, he still hasn’t closed the deal.” [Associated Press, 5/27/19]
Trump Created A 220-Person Task Force To Advise The White House On Restarting The Economy. According to ABC News, “The White House announced the appointment of 220 individuals this week assembled by President Donald Trump to serve on an advisory council to assist the White House coronavirus task force in developing a plan to restart the U.S. economy. The list features prominent leaders from a range of major industries, from real estate to finance to sports. But scattered among them are several of Trump’s friends, supporters, and political donors.” [ABC News, 4/17/20]
Twenty-Five People On Trump’s Task Force Made Substantial Donations To Trump Or Groups Supporting Trump. According to Business insider, “In total, ABC News identified at least 25 individuals appointed to the advisory council who have made substantial donations to his political campaigns or to outside groups supporting his presidency, raising concerns among prominent ethics watchdogs.” [ABC News, 4/17/20]
Palmer Was A California Real Estate Developer Who Gave Over $10 Million To Trump’s Campaign And Supporting PACs. According to ABC News, “People like Geoffrey Palmer, a colorful California real estate developer who plays professional polo and owns multimillion-dollar mansions in Beverly Hills, Malibu and Aspen, will join the council’s ‘Construction/Labor/Workforce’ group, alongside leaders from major unions, including AFL-CIO, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and Laborers’ International Union of North America. Palmer has also been one of Trump’s most generous political donors, hosting multiple Trump fundraisers at his luxurious Los Angeles home and giving more than $10 million to the president's various fundraising vehicles, including Trump’s presidential campaign, multiple Trump-aligned super PACs, and a legal defense fund set up to help pay legal bills for Trump allies caught up in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election.” [ABC News, 4/17/20]
Trump Donors Sheldon Adelson And Phil Ruffin Were Assigned To The “Hospitality” Group Of Trump’s Economic Task Force. According to ABC News, “Trump also appointed Treasure Island Hotels owner Phil Ruffin and casino mogul Sheldon Adelson to the council and assigned to its “hospitality” group. Ruffin has given nearly $1 million to Trump Victory, the president's joint fundraising committee with the Republican National Committee, and another $1 million to Trump's inaugural committee. Adelson dropped a $5 million check to the president's inaugural committee in 2017 and has given $15 million to Trump-aligned super PACs.” [ABC News, 4/17/20]
Ruffin Gave Almost $1 Million To Trump And His Various Related Political Enterprises. According to ABC News, “Ruffin has given nearly $1 million to Trump Victory, the president's joint fundraising committee with the Republican National Committee, and another $1 million to Trump's inaugural committee. Adelson dropped a $5 million check to the president's inaugural committee in 2017 and has given $15 million to Trump-aligned super PACs.” [ABC News, 4/17/20]
Bernie Marcus Founded Home Depot And Gave $7 Million To Trump Supporting Groups. According to ABC News, “Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus, who retired more than 20 years ago but has given $7 million to super PACs supporting Trump, is listed in the council’s ‘retail’ group alongside Home Depot Chief Executive Officer Craig Menear and another co-founder Ken Langone, who has given $2,700 to the Trump campaign, the maximum an individual can give to a campaign per election.” [ABC News, 4/17/20]
Stephen Schwarzman: Was Appointed To The “Financial Services” And “Real Estate” Groups After He Gave Over $4 Million To Trump And Supporting Groups. According to ABC News “Stephen Schwarzman, CEO of the asset management group Blackstone, will join the council's ‘financial services’ and ‘real estate’ groups. Schwarzman gave nearly $1 million to Trump Victory and the Trump inaugural committee and gave another $3 million to America First Action.” [ABC, 4/17/20]
Trump Donor Vince McMahon Was Appointed To The “Sports” Group. According to ABC News, “World Wrestling Entertainment Vince McMahon, the husband of major Trump donor and fundraiser Linda McMahon, is also listed as a member under the ‘sports’ group. Linda McMahon, who was previously the Trump administration’s small business administrator, is now leading pro-Trump super PAC America First Action.” [ABC News, 4/17/20]
Prominent Trump Donors Harold Hamm, Paul Singer, Bob Kraft, And Ray Washburne Were Appointed To The Business Council. According to Business insider, “Other prominent Trump donors on the council include Harold Hamm of Continental Resources, Paul Singer of Elliot Management, New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft, and M Crowd Restaurant owner Ray Washburne.” [ABC, 4/17/20]
John Paulson Was Named To Trump’s “Great American Economic Revival” Team To Advise White House On Reopening Economy. According to press release, “Today, President Donald J. Trump announced many of the esteemed executives, economists, scholars, and industry leaders who together will form various Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups.These bipartisan groups of American leaders will work together with the White House to chart the path forward toward a future of unparalleled American prosperity. The health and wealth of America is the primary goal, and these groups will produce a more independent, self-sufficient, and resilient Nation. […] Financial Services Blackstone – Stephen Schwarzman Paulson & Co. – John Paulson” [Donald Trump Announces Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups, 4/14/20]
John A. Paulson Of Paulson & Company Contributed $592,372 To Trump Since 2015. [FEC, accessed 4/7/20]
John Paulson Hosted A Fundraiser For Trump At His Manhattan Home. According to Page Six, “The top banana of the Trump billionaires’ club, John Paulson, is hosting an intimate dinner for the president next week at his 28,500-square-foot East 86th Street townhouse. Hedge funder Paulson, who made billions betting against the American housing market prior to the financial crisis, was the first Wall Street bigwig to back Trump and remains a staunch supporter and economic adviser.” [Page Six, 9/17/19]
The White House Hosted Advisory Roundtable With Industry Leaders Who Contributed Over $440,000 To Trump’s Campaign. According to Business Insider, “The first fast-food franchisee to publicly advise the White House on reopening restaurants across the US has donated more than $440,000 to President Donald Trump's reelection campaign. On Monday afternoon, Trump is set to participate in a roundtable discussion with restaurant-industry leaders on the field's recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. The leaders include Panera CEO Niren Chaudhary; Jose Cil, the CEO of Burger King and Popeyes' parent company, Restaurant Brands International; Thomas Keller, a fine-dining restaurateur; and Muy Cos. CEO James Bodenstedt.” [Business Insider, 5/18/20]
Ashford Inc. Was The Top Recipient Of Coronavirus Relief From The Paycheck Protection Act Nationwide. According to the Daily Beast, “In late March, real estate investment firm Ashford Inc. was on the verge of financial ruin. But it had an ace in the hole: a pair of D.C. lobbying firms stacked with Trump fundraisers and White House alumni. A few weeks later, Ashford is now the top recipient nationwide of coronavirus relief aid from the $350 billion Paycheck Protection Act.” [Daily Beast, 4/23/20]
Ashford CEO’s Companies Secured $96.1 Million In Loans From The Federal Paycheck Protection Program. According to Popular Information, “One person who isn’t having trouble getting cash from the Paycheck Protection Program: Trump donor Monty Bennett, who is a multi-millionaire. Bennett, like Trump, is in the hotel business. Bennett is the CEO of Ashford Inc., which makes money ‘advising’ two related companies, Ashford Hospitality Trust and Braemar Hotels & Resorts, which own hotels. (Bennett serves as chairman of the board of the two subsidiaries.) The companies had ‘combined revenue last year of $2.2 billion.’ According to filings with the SEC, Bennett’s three companies have secured $96.1 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans. And more may be on the way. According to a fact sheet produced by the three companies, they’ve applied for a total of $126 million in Paycheck Protection Act loans.” [Popular Information, 4/27/20]
2019-2020: Bennett Gave Over $200,000 To The Trump Campaign And RNC. According to the Daily Beast, “The Dallas-based Ashford does extensive business in the hotel industry through a pair of real estate investment trusts. Its chairman, Monty Bennett, penned an open letter on March 22 detailing just how devastating the virus had been for his company. […] Bennett himself is a huge Trump donor. He’s given over $200,000 to the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee, and a joint fundraising committee supporting both of them since last year, according to Federal Election Commission records. He chipped in even more in support of Trump’s 2016 campaign.” [Daily Beast, 4/23/20]
Continental Material Corp Received $5.4 Million In PPP Loans. According to the Intercept, “Continental Materials Corp., a construction equipment product company, received $5.4 million in PPP loans. The firm is owned by the family of Ronald Gidwitz, who has donated $50,000 to Trump and over $109,000 to the Republican National Committee in recent years.” [Intercept, 4/24/20]
The Family That Owned Continental Material Corp. Gave Over $50,000 To Trump And $109,000 To The RNC. According to the Intercept, “Continental Materials Corp., a construction equipment product company, received $5.4 million in PPP loans. The firm is owned by the family of Ronald Gidwitz, who has donated $50,000 to Trump and over $109,000 to the Republican National Committee in recent years.” [Intercept, 4/24/20]
2019: Trump Accepted $105,600 From Jarrett Streebin. According to the Intercept, “Jarrett Streebin, the founder and CEO of the shipping and tracking start-up EasyPost, gave $105,600 to Trump last year, utilizing a joint fundraising PAC. Streebin’s company obtained ‘a few million dollars in a PPP loan,’ according to an account in the Wall Street Journal.” [Intercept, 4/24/20]
Streebin Was The CEO Of EasyPost, Which Received Millions In PPP Loans. According To The Intercept, “Jarrett Streebin, the founder and CEO of the shipping and tracking start-up EasyPost, gave $105,600 to Trump last year, utilizing a joint fundraising PAC. Streebin’s company obtained ‘a few million dollars in a PPP loan,’ according to an account in the Wall Street Journal.” [Intercept, 4/24/20]
Nikola Motor Company, Run By Trevor Milton, Received $4.1 Million In PPP Loans. According To The Intercept, “Nikola Motor Company, a startup that develops electric trucks, received $4.1 million in PPP loans. The company is run by Trevor Milton, a billionaire Trump donor. The hotel company owned by Gordon Sondland, the hotel magnate who donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration, and later received an ambassadorship from the president, received PPP loans.” [Intercept, 4/24/20]
Trump Accepted More Than $1,000 From Milton [FEC.gov, accessed 4/24/24]
Kushner’s Task Force Volunteers Were Told To Prioritize PPE Tips From Political Allies And Associates Of Trump, Tracking Them On A “V.I.P. Update” Spreadsheet. According to the New York Times, “As the federal government’s warehouses were running bare and medical workers improvised their own safety gear, Dr. Hendricks found his offer stalled. Many of the volunteers were told to prioritize tips from political allies and associates of President Trump, tracked on a spreadsheet called ‘V.I.P. Update,’ according to documents and emails obtained by The New York Times. Among them were leads from Republican members of Congress, the Trump youth activist Charlie Kirk and a former ‘Apprentice’ contestant who serves as the campaign chair of Women for Trump. Trump allies also pressed FEMA officials directly: A Pennsylvania dentist, once featured at a Trump rally, dropped the president’s name as he pushed the agency to procure test kits from his associates. Few of the leads, V.I.P. or otherwise, panned out, according to a whistle-blower memo written by one volunteer and sent to the House Oversight Committee.” [New York Times, 5/5/20]
2017: GSA Announced Decision To Cancel New FBI Headquarter Project. According to a GSA press release, “The General Services Administration (GSA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) today announced the decision to cancel the procurement for the new FBI headquarters consolidation project.” [GSA Press Release, 7/11/17]
IG Report Showed GSA Staff Discussed FBI Headquarter Plan With The President And White House Staff. According to a report from the Office of the Inspector General for the GSA , “Murphy told us that she believed her answers to Representative Quigley were truthful. We agree that her responses were literally true. However, we found that because she omitted any mention in her answers of her discussions with Kelly, Mulvaney, and the President during the decision-making process for the Revised FBI Headquarters Plan, her testimony was incomplete and may have left the misleading impression that she had no discussions with the President or senior White House officials in the decision-making process about the project. […] As described above, Murphy herself told us that at the January 24, 2018, meeting with Kelly and Mulvaney, she and Mulvaney assured Wray that the FBI could return to the JEH site after a rebuild, which helped persuade Wray to support the raze and rebuild scenario rather than the renovation option the FBI had been advocating. Under these circumstances, we cannot ignore Murphy’s failure to disclose that she had discussed those very issues with the President and others at the White House.” [Office of the Inspector General Report - GSA , 8/27/18]
2018: The Trump Administration Announced Plans To Keep FBI HQ In D.C. And Requested $2.2 Billion To Renovate The Building. According to The Washington Post, “Instead, on Monday the Trump administration proposed keeping about 8,300 FBI headquarters staff in the Washington area, split between a new headquarters to be built in place of the aging J. Edgar Hoover Building and Quantico, Va., home to the bureau’s training academy. […] When the GSA canceled the previous plan, in July, it cited the need for appropriations as the reason. But the new plan calls for seeking $2.2 billion in appropriations.” [Washington Post, 2/12/18]
Trump International Hotel In D.C. Was A Block Away From The FBI Headquarters Building. [Google Maps, accessed 2/13/20]
Developers Expressed Interest In Building A Competing Hotel At FBI HQ. According to CREW, “The relocation of the FBI headquarters may have led to new competition for the nearby Trump Hotel. Developers had expressed interest in building a hotel on the site of the headquarters.” [CREW, accessed 2/13/20]
2019: Trump Announced U.S. Troops Would Withdraw From Northern Syria. According to CNN, “In a remarkable announcement late Sunday night, the White House said that United States forces in northern Syria would move aside in advance of a planned Turkish military offensive.” [CNN, 10/7/19]
Aydin Dogan And Mehmet Ali Yalçındağ Developed Trump Towers Istanbul. According to a press release from the Trump Organization, “Donald and Ivanka Trump began their visit with a press conference attended by the developers of the project, Aydin Dogan, Dogan Holding’s Honorary Chairman and Mehmet Ali Yalçındağ, Dogan Yayin Holding, Member of the Board as well as VIP guests and key media outlets. Speaking in sequence, Donald Trump and Ivanka Trump expressed their great pride and enthusiasm for Trump Towers Istanbul.” [Trump Organization Press Release, 5/9/12]
New York Magazine: Aydin Dogan Was An Erdogan Ally Giving Trump A “Multimillion-Dollar Motivation To Avoid Pursuing Any Policy That Might Incur Dogan’s Wrath.” According to New York Magazine, “Critically, Trump does not actually own these towers. Rather, he licenses his brand to the building’s owner, Turkish tycoon Aydin Dogan, an ally of Erdogan. This arrangement may actually leave our president more vulnerable to extortion from the Turkish regime than if he owned the towers outright. According to Trump’s financial disclosures, he has collected between $3.2 million and $17 million in royalties from the licensing deal since 2012. This means that Trump could ostensibly lose millions of dollars, should Dogan terminate their partnership. Which is to say: The president could have a multimillion-dollar motivation to avoid pursuing any policy that might incur Dogan’s wrath.” [New York Magazine, 10/8/19]
CREW: Trump May Have Taken Action Favorable To Turkey To Protect Business Interests. According to CREW, “Conflict: Taking an action contrary to Turkey’s geopolitical interests could endanger Trump’s business interests, particularly since Erdogan has shown a willingness to take his political frustration out on the Trump Organization.” [CREW, accessed 4/4/24]
Trump’s Tax Overhaul Could Save His Companies Millions Of Dollars. According to the Wall Street Journal, “President Donald Trump’s tax-overhaul proposal could preserve millions of dollars in savings for companies controlled by his family. Companies that are part of the Trump Organization pay more than $20 million a year in interest on their debts, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of financial disclosures and other public information about the companies’ outstanding loans and their interest rates. Under current tax law, those interest payments can be deducted from a taxpayer’s total taxable income, reducing the amounts owed to the government. The Journal's estimate of $20 million is conservative, meaning Mr. Trump's or his companies' tax savings from being able to deduct interest payments from taxable income might be higher.” [Wall Street Journal, 1/29/17]
Spring Creek Towers Sold For $900 Million, Earning The Trump Family $33 Million, A Deal That Required Approval From HUD Secretary Ben Carson. According to Forbes, “Other deals wouldn’t turn heads if the seller were anyone but the president of the United States. With Trump in the Oval Office, however, things can get strange. Take the roughly $900 million sale of Spring Creek Towers, America’s largest federally subsidized housing complex. Trump owned a 4% stake, a remnant of his father’s outer-borough empire. Secretary of Housing & Urban Development Ben Carson had to give his approval to make the deal happen, according to property records. That put Trump’s subordinate in the awkward position of having to green-light a transaction that paid his boss an estimated $33 million.” [Forbes, 10/2/19]
Trump’s Golf Clubs Were Subject To Regulation Under An Expanded Waters Of The United States Rule That Was Finalized Under The Obama Administration. According to NPR, “At a campaign event in October, Trump said he was especially proud of Doral’s four golf courses. ‘As you know, the Blue Monster is one of the great courses of the world,’ he said. But like any golf course, it is subject to various regulations. And there’s a pending rule that the golf industry hates. In 2015, under the Obama administration, the EPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finalized the Waters of the United States rule to apply clean water regulations to thousands of new streams, lakes and wetlands. Under the rule, the Blue Monster — and all golf courses in the U.S. — would be subject to closer federal regulation. The rule is opposed by a long list of industries, including manufacturers, farmers and golf course owners like Trump.” [NPR, 1/29/17]
January 2020: Trump Rolled Back Waters Of The U.S. Rule. According to the New York Times, “The Trump administration on Thursday finalized a rule to strip away environmental protections for streams, wetlands and groundwater, handing a victory to farmers, fossil fuel producers and real estate developers who said Obama-era rules had shackled them with onerous and unnecessary burdens. From Day 1 of his administration, President Trump vowed to repeal President Barack Obama’s ‘Waters of the United States’ regulation, which had frustrated rural landowners. His new rule, which will be implemented in about 60 days, is the latest step in the Trump administration’s push to repeal or weaken nearly 100 environmental rules and laws, loosening or eliminating rules on climate change, clean air, chemical pollution, coal mining, oil drilling and endangered species protections.” [New York Times, 1/22/20]
More Foreign Governments (13) Sought Lease Approval At Trump World Tower Following Trump’s Inauguration, Than In The Previous Two Years Combined. According to Reuters, “The records show that in the eight months following Trump’s January 20, 2017 inauguration, foreign governments sent 13 notes to the State Department seeking permission to rent or renew leases in Trump World Tower. That is more solicitations from foreign governments for new or renewed leases in that building than in the previous two years combined.” [Reuters, 5/2/19]
Trump’s State Department Approved Requests For Iraq, Kuwait, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Thailand, And The EU To Lease A Combined Eight Units At Trump World Tower. According to Reuters, “The governments of Iraq, Kuwait, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Thailand and the European Union got the green light to rent a combined eight units in Trump World Tower and followed through with leases, according to other documents viewed by Reuters and people familiar with the leases. Five of those governments - Kuwait, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and the European Union - had also sought to rent units there in 2015 and 2016, State Department records showed. Reuters could not confirm whether the State Department signed off on two other lease requests from Algeria and South Korea and three additional requests from Kuwait.” [Reuters, 5/2/19]
Trump Did Not Submit Congressional Approval For Foreign Leases. According to Reuters, “Congressional staffers confirmed to Reuters that the Trump World Tower lease requests were never submitted to Congress. Elijah Cummings, chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, said his committee has been ‘stonewalled’ in its efforts to obtain detailed information about foreign government payments to Trump’s businesses.” [Reuters, 5/2/19]
Trump Reduced OSHA Authority To Cite Employers For Workplace Injuries Up To Five Years After The Fact, Reducing Authorization Period To Six Months. According to OSHA Law Blog, “Yesterday President Trump signed H.J. Res 83, which finalized the Congressional Review Act (‘CRA’) process and nullified OSHA’s rule ‘Clarification of Employer’s Continuing Obligation to Make and Maintain Accurate Records of Each Recordable Injury and Illness,’ informally referred to as the ‘Volks’ rule. […] This means that OSHA is prohibited from issuing employers citations for failing to record injuries or illnesses beyond the six-month statute of limitations set out in the OSH Act, which is precisely what the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia held when it decided the Volks decision. AKM LLC d/b/a Volks Constructors v. Sec’y of Labor, 675 F.3d 752 (D.C. Cir. 2012).” [OSHA Law Blog, 4/4/17]
2008: A Trump Contractor Was Fined $104,000 For OSHA Violation After A Trump SoHo Subcontractor Fell To His Death During Construction. According to Safety and Health Magazine, “Trump offers the unprecedented case of an incoming commander-in-chief who has been fined multiple times by OSHA for safety violations at his worksites. His businesses also have relied on contractors and subcontractors who have been hit with major penalties. One of his contractors was fined $104,000 after a construction worker fell 42 stories to his death in 2008 at the Trump SoHo hotel condominium in New York City. The penalty was later reduced to $44,000.” [Safety and Health Magazine, 1/29/17]
July 2019: Trump’s EPA Did Not Ban Chlorpyrifos From Pesticides, Despite Being Linked To Health Problems In Children. According to the New York Times, “The Trump administration took a major step to weaken the regulation of toxic chemicals on Thursday when the Environmental Protection Agency announced that it would not ban a widely used pesticide that its own experts have linked to serious health problems in children. The decision by Andrew R. Wheeler, the E.P.A. administrator, represents a victory for the chemical industry and for farmers who have lobbied to continue using the substance, chlorpyrifos, arguing it is necessary to protect crops.” [New York Times, 7/18/19]
Golf Course Lobby Featuring Trump Golf Superintendents Supported Pesticide Deregulation. According to Public Citizen, “The EPA lists golf courses as a top non-agricultural user of chlorpyrifos.52 Dow Chemical sells a chlorpyrifos-containing pesticide, Dursban, which is marketed to golf courses. The golf course lobby group Golf Course Superintendents Association of America — which includes on its member rolls more than 20 Trump employees — has a history of supporting pesticide deregulation and is a member of the Pesticide Policy Coalition, which applauded Pruitt’s reversal of the ban.” [Public Citizen, 10/11/17]
2001: Residents Cited Pesticide Pollution As They Sought To Block Trump’s Plans To Build Westchester Golf Course. According to the New York Times, “DONALD TRUMP'S plan for a golf course in northern Westchester is drawing criticism as a threat to the water supply of Mount Kisco. […] A mailing by the group last month to about 600 residents spelled out why it believes Mr. Trump's proposal should be rejected, citing the risk of pollution by pesticides and fertilizer.” [New York Times, 3/18/01]
Trump And Kushner Were Among The Potential Beneficiaries Of Opportunity Zone Legislation. According to NBC News, “The Trump Organization, the family real estate interests of presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner and Trump friend Richard LeFrak, a New York developer, could all benefit from a new federal program that has designated ‘opportunity zones’ in ‘economically distressed’ areas around the country and offers tax benefits for developers.” [NBC News, 12/12/18]
Trump’s New Jersey Golf Course Was In An Opportunity Zone. According to NBC News, “Kushner also has existing properties in two Maryland opportunity zones, while the Trump Organization owns a New Jersey golf course inside another. Kushner's family company and the Trump Organization did not respond to requests for comment.” [NBC News, 12/12/18]
Kushner Cos. Spent $13 Million On Opportunity Zone Properties, Making The Company Eligible For Opportunity Zone Tax Break. According to Bloomberg, “Only property purchased since the law was enacted is eligible, meaning the apartment building and the planned hotel can’t directly benefit. But since the area received the designation in April, Kushner Cos., owned by the family of Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has spent more than $13 million buying additional properties in the zone, putting the company in position to take advantage of the tax breaks on future projects in the expanding beachfront complex. Jared Kushner hasn’t had any role in Kushner Cos. since becoming a senior adviser to the president in January 2017, his representatives have repeatedly said. A spokeswoman for the company didn’t comment.” [Bloomberg, 12/6/18]
Trump’s Labor Department Proposed Regulations To Simplify H-2A Visa System. According to Bloomberg, “The Trump administration proposed new immigration rules Monday for temporary agricultural workers that officials said would make it easier for employers to apply for the visas. […] The Labor Department said in a statement announcing the proposed new regulations that the changes would simplify the H-2A program through electronic filing of job orders and applications and allowing employers the option of staggering entry of H-2A workers on a single applications.” [Bloomberg, 7/15/19]
United Farm Workers Said The Proposed Rules Would Make It Easier For Farmers To Hire Temporary Foreign Agricultural Guest Workers For Cheaper Over More Expensive Domestic Workers. According to Bloomberg, “United Farm Workers President Teresa Romero and UFW Foundation Executive Director Diana Tellefson Torres said the proposed rules ‘would make it easier to deny jobs to domestic farm workers so growers can hire more temporary foreign agricultural guest workers and pay them less, thereby depressing pay for domestic workers.’” [Bloomberg, 7/15/19]
| Date Posted | Start Date | End Date | Job Title | Min. Salary | No. Requested |
| 2/16/2017 | 4-3-17 | 10-27-17 | Vineyard Farmworker | 11.27 | 23 |
| 12/19/2016 | 1-31-17 | 6-30-17 | Vineyard Farmworker | 10.72 | 6 |
| 2/18/2016 | 3-28-16 | 10-28-16 | Vineyard Farmworker | 10.72 | 19 |
| 2/19/2015 | 3-30-15 | 10-30-15 | Vineyard Farmworker | 10.32 | 19 |
| 1/17/2014 | 2-17-14 | 10-31-14 | Vineyard Worker | 9.87 | 20 |
Trump Winery Was Owned By Eric Trump. According to the New York Daily News, “Trump bought the vineyard in 2011, but turned it over to his second son, Eric Trump, who now runs Trump Winery. ‘Trump Winery is a registered trade name of Eric Trump Wine Manufacturing LLC, which is not owned, managed or affiliated with Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization or any of their affiliates,’ a disclaimer on the company’s websites says.” [New York Daily News, 8/15/17]
2019: Trump’s Labor Department Doubled The Number Of H-2B Visas For Seasonal Foreign Workers To Legally Work At Companies, Such As Hotels. According to the Washington Post, “The Homeland Security and Labor departments plan to grant an additional 30,000 H-2B visas this summer on top of the 33,000 they had already planned to give out, the agencies confirmed. The H-2B visa allows foreign workers to come to the United States legally and work for several months at companies such as landscapers, amusement parks or hotels. About 80 percent of these visas went to people from Mexico and Central America last year, government data shows.” [Washington Post, 4/6/19]
The Economic Policy Institute Estimated H-2B Visa Holders Were Paid Less Than U.S. Workers For The Same Job. According to the Washington Post, “The Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank, put out research this week showing that H-2B visa workers are typically paid less than American workers who do the same jobs. For example, landscaping workers on the visa are paid an average of $12.94 an hour, more than a dollar less than the $14.28 average wage paid to U.S. workers, according to an analysis of data from the Labor Department and H-2B visa applications.” [Washington Post, 4/6/19]
| Date Posted | Start Date | End Date | Job Title | Min. Wage | No. Requested |
| 7/20/2017 | 10-1-17 | 5-31-18 | Cook | $13.34 | 6 |
| 7/19/2017 | 10-1-17 | 5-31-18 | Server | $11.88 | 10 |
| 7/25/2016 | 10-1-16 | 5-31-17 | Cook | $12.74 | 6 |
| 7/25/2016 | 10-1-16 | 5-31-17 | Waiter/Waitress | $11.13 | 7 |
| 8/6/2015 | 10-15-15 | 5-31-16 | Waiter/Waitress | $10.99 | 9 |
| 8/20/2014 | 10-1-14 | 5-31-15 | Waiter/Waitress | $10.60 | 10 |
| 10-1-13 | 5-31-14 | Waiter/Waitress | $10.09 | 8 |
[United States Department of Labor Office of Foreign Labor Certification, accessed 9/13/17]
| Date Posted | Start Date | End Date | Job Title | Min. Wage | No. Requested |
| 4/5/2017 | 5-22-17 | 10-31-17 | Server | $14.08 | 8 |
| 4/20/2016 | 5-18-16 | 10-31-16 | Waiter/Waitress | $13.21 | 10 |
| 6-10-03 | Greenskeeper II | $15.50 | 1 |
[United States Department of Labor Office of Foreign Labor Certification, accessed 9/13/17]
| Date Posted | Start Date | End Date | Job Title | Min. Wage | No. Requested |
| 9/14/2016 | 12-6-16 | 9-6-17 | Assistant Food and Beverage Server | $11.19 | 10 |
| 9/9/2016 | 12-6-16 | 9-6-17 | Server | $10.36 | 20 |
| 11/12/2015 | 1-20-16 | 8-30-16 | Pool Attendant | $10.35 | 5 |
| 9/15/2015 | 12-1-15 | 8-30-16 | Server | $10.36 | 21 |
| 9/15/2015 | 12-1-15 | 8-30-16 | Assistant Food and Beverage Server | $10.49 | 7 |
| 9/15/2015 | 12-1-15 | 8-30-16 | Bartender | $14.47 | 3 |
| 9/14/2015 | 12-1-15 | 8-30-16 | Host/Hostess | $11.62 | 2 |
| 9/14/2015 | 12-1-15 | 8-30-16 | Housekeeper | $9.97 | 11 |
[United States Department of Labor Office of Foreign Labor Certification, accessed 9/13/17]
| Date Posted | Start Date | End Date | Job Title | Min. Wage | No. Requested |
| 2/25/2015 | 5-1-15 | 10-31-15 | Waiter/Waitress | $10.41 | 9 |
| 8/20/2014 | 5-1-14 | 10-31-14 | Waiter/Waitress | $13.00 | 9 |
| 5-15-12 | 10-31-12 | Waiter/Waitress | $14.00 | 7 | |
| 5-20-11 | 10-31-11 | Waiter/Waitress | $11.00 | 9 | |
| 5-1-09 | 11-1-09 | Waiter/Waitress | 9 | ||
| 4-15-08 | 11-1-08 | Waiter/Waitress | $7.06 | 9 |
[United States Department of Labor Office of Foreign Labor Certification, accessed 9/13/17]
| Date Posted | Start Date | End Date | Job Title | Min. Wage | No. Requested |
| 7/20/2017 | 10-1-17 | 5-31-18 | Housekeeper | $10.33 | 15 |
| 7/20/2017 | 10-1-17 | 5-31-18 | Cook | $13.34 | 20 |
| 7/20/2017 | 10-1-17 | 5-31-18 | Server | $11.88 | 35 |
| 7/27/2016 | 10-1-16 | 5-31-17 | Waiter/Waitress | $11.13 | 30 |
| 7/27/2016 | 10-1-16 | 5-31-17 | Cook | $12.74 | 19 |
| 7/27/2016 | 10-1-16 | 5-31-17 | Housekeeper | $10.17 | 15 |
| 7/20/2015 | 10-1-15 | 5-31-16 | Cook | $13.01 | 19 |
| 7/20/2015 | 10-1-15 | 5-31-16 | Waiter/Waitress | $10.99 | 30 |
| 7/20/2015 | 10-1-15 | 5-31-16 | Housekeeper | $10.07 | 20 |
| 8/22/2014 | 10-1-14 | 5-31-15 | Cook | $12.96 | 30 |
| 8/22/2014 | 10-1-14 | 5-31-15 | Housekeeper | $9.85 | 30 |
| 8/22/2014 | 10-1-14 | 5-31-15 | Waiter/Waitress | $10.60 | 30 |
| 8/27/2013 | 10-1-13 | 5-31-14 | Cook | $12.95 | 29 |
| 8/27/2013 | 10-1-13 | 5-31-14 | Housekeeper | $9.70 | 28 |
| 8/26/2013 | 10-1-13 | 5-31-14 | Waiter/Waitress | $10.09 | 30 |
| 10-1-12 | 5-31-13 | Cleaner, Housekeeping | $9.50 | 30 | |
| 10-1-12 | 5-31-13 | Waiter/Waitress | $10.50 | 30 | |
| 10-1-12 | 5-31-13 | Cook | $12.00 | 30 | |
| 10-1-11 | 5-31-12 | Cook | 30 | ||
| 10-1-11 | 5-31-12 | Cleaner, Housekeeping | $9.50 | 30 | |
| 10-1-11 | 5-31-12 | Waiter/Waitress | $10.50 | 30 | |
| 10-1-10 | 5-31-11 | Housekeeper | $7.44 | 30 | |
| 10-1-10 | 5-31-11 | Waiter/Waitress | 30 | ||
| 10-1-10 | 5-31-11 | Cook | 30 | ||
| 10-1-09 | 5-31-10 | Housekeeper | $7.50 | 30 | |
| 10-1-09 | 5-31-10 | Cook | $10.69 | 30 | |
| 10-1-09 | 5-31-10 | Waiter/Waitress | $7.37 | 30 | |
| 10-1-09 | 5-31-10 | Housekeeper | $7.50 | 30 | |
| 10-1-09 | 5-31-10 | Cook | $10.69 | 30 | |
| 10-1-09 | 5-31-10 | Waiter/Waitress | $7.37 | 30 | |
| 10-1-08 | 5-31-09 | Waiter/Waitress | $6.79 | 30 | |
| 10-1-08 | 5-31-09 | Housekeeper | $7.02 | 30 | |
| 10-1-08 | 5-31-09 | Cook | $9.88 | 30 | |
| 10-1-07 | 5-31-08 | Cook | $8.50 | 24 | |
| 10-1-07 | 5-31-08 | Waiter/Waitress | $6.67 | 26 | |
| 10-1-07 | 5-31-08 | Cleaner, Housekeeping | $6.94 | 28 | |
| 10-10-06 | 5-15-07 | Dining Room Attendant | $6.50 | 7 | |
| 10-10-06 | 5-15-07 | Kitchen Helper | $6.54 | 9 | |
| 10-10-06 | 5-15-07 | Cleaner, Housekeeping | $6.94 | 23 | |
| 6-20-06 | Cook | $9.40 | 20 | ||
| 6-26-06 | Waiter/Waitress, Informal | $6.40 | 20 | ||
| 12-16-05 | Waiter/Waitress, Informal | $7.87 | 8 | ||
| 12-16-05 | Cook | $9.50 | 1 |
[United States Department of Labor Office of Foreign Labor Certification, accessed 9/13/17]
Trump’s Department Of Justice Declined To Defend A New Overtime Rule Proposal, Leading To Defeat In Court. According to Public Citizen, “: In May 2016, the Labor Department required employers to pay overtime to people who earn up to $47,476 per year and work more than 40 hours in a week. This change was twice the previous threshold of $23,660 per year. […] After corporate groups and 21 Republican state attorneys general sued the Labor Department, a federal judge delayed the rule’s implementation, which was slated to take effect on Dec. 1, 2016.30 On Aug. 31, the judge struck down the rule.31 Less than a week later, the Trump administration’s Justice Department declined to defend the rule, 32 although it is reportedly considering issuing a more modest standard that would rely on a much lower threshold, and take into account other factors.” [Public Citizen, 10/11/17]
Hotel And Restaurant Associations Opposed The Proposed Overtime Rules Suggesting Trump’s Many Hotels And Restaurants Benefitted From The Defeat. According to Public Citizen, “While it is impossible to know how many of the Trump Organization’s purported 22,450 employees would have been impacted by the new rule, hotel and restaurant associations opposed it. In an op-ed, the presidents of the American Hotel and Lodging Association, the National Restaurant Association and the International Franchise Association predicted the rule would result in ‘severe, negative’ impacts on the intended beneficiaries of the rule including decreased worker hours. ‘Employers will be very careful to monitor and limit employee hours to avoid costly overtime. Hourly workers that could be eligible to become salaried employees would most likely become more stagnant.’33 The Trump Organization operates seven hotels with restaurants in the U.S.34” [Public Citizen, 10/11/17]
Undocumented Trump Employees Claimed They Were Forced To Work Overtime Without Pay. According to the Washington Post, “In interviews, six former Trump workers told The Washington Post that they felt systematically cheated because they were undocumented. […] Others recounted practices that could violate labor laws. Two told The Post that they had been required to perform unpaid side work. Two others said managers made them work 60-hour weeks without paying them overtime.” [Washington Post, 4/30/19]
Trump’s White House Blocked A Regulation That Required Businesses With Over 100 Employees To Record Ethnicity And Gender Pay Data (EEOC) To Help Address The Gender Pay Gap. According to Public Citizen, “The regulation required businesses with more than 100 employees to include race, ethnicity and gender data along with basic pay data as part of confidential annual reports businesses are already required to file.. 58 The goal of the disclosures was to provide the U.S. Department of Labor with data that could be used to inform the development of policies that address pay disparities across the American workforce. Risk status: On Aug. 29, Neomi Rao, the administrator of the White House’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, issued a memo immediately halting the rule’s implementation.59 Earlier this year, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce asked the White House to rescind the rule.60 The announcement, which effectively blocks a major effort to address the gender pay gap, came just three days after Trump’s proclaimed ‘Women’s Equality Day.’” [Public Citizen, 10/11/17]
Trump Owned Several Businesses With Over 100 Employees That Could Have Benefited From The Rule Change By Reducing Compliance Costs. According to CREW, “Trump’s Business Interest: The Trump Organization owns several businesses with more than 100 employees such as the Trump International Hotel in Washington and the Trump National resort near Miami. Conflict: Halting this rule makes policing pay discrimination more difficult and reduces the compliance costs for large businesses generally.” [CREW, 2/13/20]
The Department Of Interior Proposed Restrictions For Demonstrations On NPS Property Including Sidewalks On Pennsylvania Avenue. According to The Washington Post, “Last month, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced the administration’s radical, anti-democratic rewriting of regulations governing free speech and demonstrations on public lands under federal jurisdiction in Washington. […] And it goes beyond just the Mall. Want to protest in front of the Trump hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue? Under this proposal, you’ll have to take out your checkbook, because the NPS maintains control over the broad sidewalks of Pennsylvania Avenue. In addition to the upfront costs to even request a permit, you may be billed for the cost of barricades erected around the hotel — fencing you didn’t ask for but that the hotel wants.” [Washington Post, 9/11/18]
Trump’s Hotel In D.C. May Have Benefitted From The Rule, As Limiting Disruptions In Front Of Hotel That May Have Deterred Potential Customers. According to CREW, “Trump’s Business Interest: President Trump owns the Trump International Hotel in D.C. Conflict: The rule would benefit the president’s hotel by restricting public demonstrations that might take place in front of it, possibly deterring potential customers from visiting it.” [CREW, accessed 4/4/24]
The Trump Administration Made It Easier For Coastal Communities To Take Sand From Protected Ecosystems To Replenish Beaches. According to the New York Times, “The Trump administration changed a 25-year-old policy to make it easier for coastal communities to take sand from protected ecosystems to improve their beaches. The shift makes it cheaper for some of the wealthiest communities in the country to replenish their beachfronts, which are increasingly under threat from more frequent and intense storms, rising seas and other effects of climate change. Critics say that comes at the expense of vulnerable coastal ecosystems.” [New York Times, 11/7/19]
Trump Owned Several Properties At Risk Of Flooding Due To Global Sea Level Rise. According to the Guardian, “Mar-a-Lago. Trump National Doral Miami. Trump Palace. Trump Royale. Trump International Beach Resort Miami. Trump Hollywood. These Trump-owned or Trump-branded properties are in south Florida, in the path of Hurricane Irma. All are exalted by the Trump Organization and by the president himself. All could be underwater by the end of the century. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) predicts that the sea level will rise in south Florida by as much as 34in by 2050. The Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact says the increase could be up to 81in by 2100.” [Guardian, 9/9/17]
Federal Investigators Looked Into Allegations That Deutsche Bank Was Involved In Money Laundering. According to the New York Times, “Federal authorities are investigating whether Deutsche Bank complied with laws meant to stop money laundering and other crimes, the latest government examination of potential misconduct at one of the world’s largest and most troubled banks, according to seven people familiar with the inquiry.” [New York Times, 6/19/19]
The Department Of Justice Opened An Investigation Into Money Laundering Violations By Deutsche Bank Linked To Jared Kushner. According to the New York Post, “The Justice Department has opened up a criminal investigation into potential money- laundering violations by Deutsche Bank — including transactions linked to President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, according to a report. The DOJ is investigating why the bank didn’t alert the US Treasury to potentially suspicious transactions by Kushner’s family and the Kushner Cos. in 2016, including money to Russian individuals, according to the New York Times.” [New York Post, 6/19/19]
Trump Was In Position To Influence How Agencies Attempted To Regulate And Investigate Deutsche Bank. According to CREW, “Conflict: Trump’s position gives him influence over how agencies within his administration regulate a bank that he does business with.” [CREW, accessed 4/4/24]
Trump Owed Over $350 Million To Deutsche Bank. According to Rolling Stone, “Trump took office in 2017 as the most indebted president in the history of America. Of his many debts, he owed the most, more than $350 million, to Deutsche Bank. And while Robert Mueller’s investigation, the crisis at the border, and the prospect of impeachment have dominated the headlines lately, there’s an equally important and potentially explosive story brewing that involves Trump, his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Deutsche Bank.” [Rolling Stone, 6/21/19]
Trump Applied Intense Public Pressure On Chairman Of The Fed Jerome Powell To Cut Rates. According to Politico, “President Donald Trump has taken over Jerome Powell’s life. The Federal Reserve’s expected decision on Wednesday to cut interest rates again will spark new questions about whether Powell, its chairman, is caving to intense public pressure by Trump. While Powell strongly rejects that notion, the president’s policies have clearly forced the central bank’s hand.” [Politico, 9/18/19]
July 2019: Powell Announced The Fed Would Cut Rates. According to CNN, “The Federal Reserve on Wednesday lowered interest rates for the first time since the Great Recession in 2008 to help stave off the possibility of an economic downturn. Policymakers led by Fed Chairman Jerome Powell voted 8-2 in favor of a small cut in the federal funds rate, and recommitted to their promise to "act as appropriate" to sustain the country's longest economic expansion in history. Interest rates, which affect the cost of borrowing for credit cards and mortgages, are now set to hover between 2% and 2.25%. ” [CNN, 7/31/19]
Trump Had $340 Million Debt With Interest Rates Tied To Federal Funds Rate Set By Central Bank. According to Bloomberg, “President Donald Trump owes Deutsche Bank AG about $340 million of debt with interest rates that will rise or fall depending on the future policies of Jerome Powell, the new Federal Reserve chair Trump nominated on Thursday. While many of his Trump Organization’s largest loans have fixed interest rates, others are tied to the prime rate or Libor, the London interbank offered rate. Those borrowing costs fluctuate with the federal funds rate set by the central bank. Higher rates would make Trump’s loans more expensive.” [Bloomberg, 11/2/17]
Jared Kushner And Ivanka Trump Reported Loans That Were Tied To Rates Set By The Fed. According to CREW, “In 2019, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump reported five outstanding variable rate liabilities worth at least $17 million. These liabilities are tied to the Prime rate and LIBOR, which tend to track the rates set by the Fed. Since the liabilities are reported in broad categories, it is impossible to know the exact dollar figure, but they could total as much as $85 million.” [CREW, 8/30/19]
October 2019: The Trump Administration Announced A 25% Tariff On European Goods, Including French Wine. According to Slate, “The U.S. has settled on a list that, in part at least, reads like a catalog of stuff that bougie blue state urbanites love. Along with a 10 percent tariff on airplanes, the administration is placing new 25 percent tariffs on an array of clothes, industrial goods, and agricultural products. French wine, Spanish olive oil, Scotch whiskey, Italian hams, German knives, and all manner of cheese—pecorino,” [Slate, 10/2/19]
December 2019: The Trump Administration Announced Increased Tariffs On European Products, Including Sparkling Wine. According to the Washington Post, “Hours later, Robert E. Lighthizer, the president’s chief trade negotiator, released the results of a five-month investigation that concluded a French digital services tax discriminated against American Internet companies and should be met with tariffs of up to 100 percent on $2.4 billion in products such as cheese, yogurt, sparkling wine and makeup.” [Washington Post, 12/2/19]
Trump Winery Stood To Benefit Directly From Tariffs On French Wine. According to The Huffington Post, “President Donald Trump and the Trump Winery stand to directly benefit from tariffs on French wine threatened by the president. […] ‘I’ve always liked American wines better than French wines, even though I don’t drink wine,’ Trump, a professed teetotaler, told reporters in the Oval Office. ‘I just like the way they look. American wines are great.’” [Huffington Post, 7/29/19]
Tariffs On French Wines Were Estimated To Boost U.S. Wine Sales, Including The 36,000 Cases Produced Per Year At Trump Winery. According to the Huffington Post, “Tariffs on French wine would boost prices in the U.S., helping sales of American wines, including the estimated 36,000 cases of wine produced annually by the Trump Winery in Charlottesville, Virginia, which Trump purchased in 2011.” [Huffington Post, 7/29/19]
A Sheriff’s Deputy Sued Her Employer After She Was Prevented From Working At Her Old Position Due To Heart Surgery. According to the Daily Beast, “The lawsuit at issue is in Richmond, Virginia, where a sheriff’s deputy, Emily Hall, had to temporarily leave her job to get surgery for a heart condition in September 2012. After her surgery, she tried to return to work but wasn’t physically capable of taking her old position. The sheriff’s department told her she could apply for a less strenuous job. When she applied, she didn’t get that position, according to court documents.” [Daily Beast, 8/7/17]
The Obama Department Of Justice Had Joined Suit On Behalf Of Deputy. According to the Daily Beast, “The lawsuit at issue is in Richmond, Virginia, where a sheriff’s deputy, Emily Hall, had to temporarily leave her job to get surgery for a heart condition in September 2012. After her surgery, she tried to return to work but wasn’t physically capable of taking her old position. The sheriff’s department told her she could apply for a less strenuous job. When she applied, she didn’t get that position, according to court documents.” [Daily Beast, 8/7/17]
The Obama Justice Department Appealed Ruling Against Deputy. According to the Daily Beast, “When a federal judge in Virginia ruled that the sheriff hadn’t violated Hall’s rights, Hall and the Justice Department appealed the ruling to the Fourth Circuit Court of appeals.” [Daily Beast, 8/7/17]
The Justice Department Under Trump Asked Court To Dismiss Its Own Appeal. According to the Daily Beast, “But on July 28, the Justice Department moved to dismiss its own appeal, and the court granted the dismissal.” [Daily Beast, 8/7/17]
Observers Saw Dismissal As Sign Of Larger Reduction In ADA Enforcement Cases From The Trump Justice Department. According to the Daily Beast, “Top officials who worked in the Civil Rights Division under Obama say that may be an ominous sign—an indicator that Sessions’ Justice Department may be far less aggressive in defending the rights of people with disabilities than President Barack Obama’s. They fear the dismissal could be the beginning of a shift away from the prior administration’s energetic stance.” [Daily Beast, 8/7/17]
Trump’s Washington Hotel, Doral Golf Course, And Pine Hill Golf Course Faced Four Americans With Disabilities Act Complaints. According to the Huffington Post, “Donald Trump’s new Washington, D.C., hotel violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, alleges a complaint filed on Sept. 29 with the Department of Justice. Three other complaints filed on or since that date allege ADA violations at Trump’s hotel and golf course in Doral, Florida, and at his golf course in Pine Hill, New Jersey, according to documents obtained by The Huffington Post.” [Huffington Post, 10/7/16]
A Decision To Decline To Pursue From The Justice Department Was Not Based On The Merits Of The Claim. According to a letter from the Justice Department, “After carefully reviewing the information that you provided, we have decided not to take any further action on your complaint. Unfortunately, because the Section receives thousands of ADA complaints each year, we do not have the resources to resolve all of them. It is important to note that the Justice Department has made no determination regarding the merits of your complaint or wheth.er it could be redressed under the ADA or another statute. Moreover, our decision not to take further action does not affect your right to pursue your complaint in another manner.” [Department of Justice 2/16/17]
Trump’s Plan To Roll Back Obama-Era Cuba Policies Could Negatively Impact His Domestic Hotel Competitors’ Overseas Expansion Plans. According to the Washington Post, “By rolling back Obama-era policies that allowed more private business investment in Cuba, President Trump would be leveraging the power of his office, like others who came before him, to shift Washington’s approach to the communist island. But as the owner of a real estate company with a big stake in hotels and resorts, Trump brings an added element to an issue that is unique to his presidency — the ability, through his official actions, to undermine a growth area for his industry rivals who have raced in recent years to establish a foothold in a lucrative new market. Starwood Hotels and Resorts, which merged with Marriott International to form the world’s largest hotel chain, last year debuted the first Cuban hotel managed by a U.S. company in nearly 60 years, taking advantage of President Barack Obama’s 2014 move to normalize relations with Cuba and lighten regulations enforcing the U.S. embargo on the island.” [Washington Post, 6/15/17]
Trump’s Administration Planned To Ban Certain Financial Transactions Between U.S. Businesses And The Cuban Military, Which Controls A Large Share Of Cuba’s Tourism And Hotel Sector. According to the Washington Post, “Trump is expected to announce in Miami on Friday his intention to ban certain financial transactions between U.S. businesses and the Cuban military, whose companies control much of the island’s economy and a significant share of the tourism and hotel sector.That directive could undercut efforts by the U.S. hotel industry, which hopes to use the Starwood deal as a template as it continues to push Congress to lift the ongoing U.S. embargo completely. The issue offers a reminder of Trump’s dual roles, public and private, as a result of his decision to retain his sizable ownership stake in his company.” [Washington Post, 6/15/17]