Donald Trump has set the precedent that public office is a perk to be used for personal gain, and this permeates his entire administration. Accusations of corruption and sex scandals are coming particularly thick at the moment from the Department of Labor.
The Daily Beast provides an overview:
Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer is under investigation over allegations of misconduct, fraud and an “alcohol stash” found in her office, while her husband, Dr. Shawn DeRemer, has been banned from the department’s headquarters following allegations that he sexually harassed at least one female employee. (Dr. DeRemer has called the allegations “false.”)
Chavez-DeRemer is, specifically, facing claims that she engaged in an improper relationship with a member of her security detail. Additionally, The New York Times reported that formal complaints were filed with the department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) alleging that her top aides “pressur[ed] staff to direct the awarding of department grants to benefit the secretary’s political career and elevate her standing with donors and consultants.” According to NBC News, the secretary’s chief of staff and his deputy allegedly engaged in “travel fraud” by setting up professional events as an excuse for personal travel. …
Now, wait for it: The man responsible for investigating whether Chavez-DeRemer used taxpayer dollars to further an inappropriate relationship was himself accused of using taxpayer dollars to further an inappropriate relationship. That man is Anthony D’Esposito, the Labor Department’s Inspector General—a partisan actor who is deeply compromised and lacks the credibility required for such a role.
It wasn’t just Trump’s personal example that gave the green light to this kind of corruption. It was also his decision, shortly after returning to office, to fire independent, nonpartisan inspectors general, replacing them with political hacks. This has led a lot of the people he appointed to think they can get away with anything.
The Executive Watch is a project of the Institute for the Study of Modern Authoritarianism, and its flagship publication The UnPopulist, to track in an ongoing way the abuses of the power of the American presidency. It sorts these abuses into five categories: Personal Grift, Political Corruption, Presidential Retribution, Power Consolidation, and Policy Illegality. Click the category of interest to get an overview of all the abuses under it.
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