Corruption and Capture
Political allies get positions, protection, and payouts while opponents get investigated. The SEC enforcement chief resigned after cases were blocked. A Supreme Court justice's son worked secretly at an agency his father ruled on. These briefs trace how the pattern works.
8 briefs in this series
- 64
- recusals by Justice Alito for stock holdings — but not when his son worked at Treasury CREW
- $9B
- in border wall contracts to a company whose previous wall nearly collapsed ProPublica
- 0
- SEC enforcement actions approved without political appointee review since March 2025 Reuters
The Justice System
Allies pardoned. Opponents investigated. Inspectors general fired. The pattern.
1,600 Pardons in 16 Months. The Pattern Is the Point.
Trump's pardon record reveals a system that rewards loyalty and erases accountability. Here is who got pardoned, why, and what you can do.
A Supreme Court Justice's Son Worked Secretly at Treasury While His Father Voted on a Treasury Case
Philip Alito worked as a lawyer in Treasury's Office of General Counsel with no public listing while the Supreme Court heard a case where Treasury was a named party. Justice Alito did not recuse.
Trump Fired 17 Inspectors General in One Night and Courts Refused to Reinstate Them
17 federal watchdogs fired without notice. A judge called it illegal but won't fix it. Here's what they were investigating.
1 more brief coming soon.
The Money
$9B to a contractor whose wall collapsed. $6.3B in presidential profits. Where the money goes.
$9 Billion to a Contractor Whose Wall Almost Collapsed
Fisher Sand & Gravel got $9 billion in border wall contracts despite a history of shoddy construction, treaty violations, and ties to a fraud-convicted nonprofit. 73% of contract value went to two companies.
The Corruption Is Not a Series of Scandals. It Is a System.
A $400M jet from Qatar. $1.4B in personal gains. Inspectors general fired overnight. The pattern is not a series of scandals.
1 more brief coming soon.
The Regulators
CFPB gutted from 1,700 to 200. SEC froze enforcement. EPA dropped 87%. The capture.
The CFPB Had 1,700 Employees and Returned $6.2 Billion to Consumers. Then It Was Gutted to 200.
The SEC froze enforcement. The CFPB was gutted from 1,700 employees to 200. The EPA dropped enforcement actions by 87%. The pattern is not deregulation. It is capture. The industries being regulated now run the regulators.
Zero SEC Enforcement Actions Have Been Approved Without Political Review Since March 2025
The SEC enforcement chief resigned after political appointees began reviewing every case. Since March 2025, zero enforcement actions have been approved without political sign-off. The result is functional corporate immunity.
1 more brief coming soon.