Follow the Money
$6.3 billion in presidential profits. $1.9 billion in dark money. 47 lobbyists regulating the industries that paid them. $9 billion to a border wall contractor whose wall collapsed. These briefs trace where the money goes and who it protects.
15 briefs in this series
- $6.3B
- presidential net worth 16 months after returning to office. Was $2.4 billion. Forbes
- $1.9B
- dark money in 2024 federal elections. No donor disclosure. OpenSecrets
- 47
- former lobbyists now in senior government positions. 16 regulate the industries that paid them. Campaign Legal Center
- $400M
- jet accepted from Qatar without congressional consent. The Constitution requires it. NPR
Who Pays
$1.9 billion in dark money. $277 million from one donor. 73% of super PAC money from 100 people.
Dark Money Hit $1.9 Billion in 2024. It Was the Most Secretive Election Since Citizens United.
$1.9 billion in dark money flooded the 2024 federal elections. The Brennan Center called it a record. Outside spending hit $4.5 billion total. More than half came from groups that do not disclose their donors.
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.
A democracy cannot function effectively when its constituent members believe laws are being bought and sold.
Who Profits
$9B to a wall contractor whose wall collapsed. $1.8B slush fund for January 6 defendants. A Supreme Court justice's son at Treasury.
$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 Administration Redirected $1.8 Billion Into a Fund for January 6 Defendants. Capitol Police Got Nothing.
The administration sued the IRS, engineered a $10 billion settlement, and redirected $1.8 billion into the Anti-Weaponization Fund. $335 million has been distributed to January 6 defendants. Capitol Police officers received $0.
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.
Who's Protected
Allies pardoned. Opponents investigated. Inspectors general fired. The pattern.
The DOJ Said It Would End Two-Tier Justice. Then It Built One.
The attorney general promised to end weaponization. Since then: allies pardoned, opponents investigated, enforcement chief resigned, and the DOJ dropped cases against political friends.
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.
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.
Fox News Paid $787.5 Million for Lying About the Election. Then Kept Broadcasting the Lies.
Fox News settled the Dominion lawsuit for $787.5 million. Internal texts showed hosts knew the election claims were false. No on-air correction was issued. 63% of Republicans still believe the 2020 election was stolen.
Who Watches
CFPB gutted. SEC froze enforcement. 47 lobbyists run the agencies they lobbied.
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.
The SEC's Top Enforcement Official Quit After Political Appointees Killed Cases Tied to Trump
SEC enforcement actions have plunged. The enforcement chief resigned after clashing with appointees over cases involving Trump allies. Subpoena authority was revoked.
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.
47 Former Lobbyists Run the Agencies They Used to Lobby. There Is No Ethics Rule Stopping Them.
47 former lobbyists hold senior government positions. 16 now regulate the industries that paid them. Lobbying spending hit $3.8 billion in nine months. Trump rescinded the ethics rules and never replaced them.
The Lies
8 claims fact-checked. The infrastructure that makes corruption possible.
Every dollar has a destination. Every appointment has a donor. Every dropped investigation has a beneficiary. This series traces the connections that the people involved would prefer you not see.
What you can do
Track the money, contact your representatives, and support the organizations investigating.