This Is Pay-for-Play Corruption, Plain and Simple
Maybe the seminal work of conservative political art in this era was Jon McNaughton's "Crossing the Swamp" painting. It was such a fantastic exhibition of Fox News poisoning and all its accompanying delusion that it may never be topped. The work put Donald Trump, American president, in the role of George Washington as he crossed the Delaware-except our hero was crossing The Swamp with his merry band of patriot-staffers.
The somewhat scattered message was that Trump is shining his lantern on The Swamp, exposing it to the world, which is kind of like Draining it, which is what he pledged to do during the campaign. It's a fine notion, except for the fact that his administration may be the most transparently corrupt in modern history.
There was yet another example of that this Wednesday, courtesy of a report from ProPublica and WNYC:
[Sheldon] 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.
And why was Trump such a potent ally for Adelson? Maybe it's because he's a total heartthrob. Or maybe it's because the casino magnate and his wife wrote checks adding up to $20 million to benefit his campaign, and gave a further $5 million for his inaugural festivities. Here's the President of the United States, using a summit meeting with another world leader to lobby for his crony's business interests-directly and without a lick of shame. This is pay-for-play corruption, pure and simple, the kind that has always dogged our politics-and been unleashed in the era of unlimited political spending after the Citizens United decision-but which usually is conducted with a bit of finesse.
For instance, Adelson was involved in another incident that made a mockery of our new campaign finance system. The difference was this arrangement allowed the Elected Representative involved-Speaker of the House Paul Ryan-a bit of plausible deniability, according to Politico:
The long-sought donation was sealed last week when, according to two senior Republicans, House Speaker Paul Ryan flew to Las Vegas to meet with the billionaire at his Venetian Hotel. Also at the meeting with Adelson was his wife, Miriam; Norm Coleman, the former Minnesota senator who chairs the Republican Jewish Coalition; Corry Bliss, who oversees the super PAC; and Jake Kastan, Ryan's No. 2 political aide. They laid out a case to Adelson about how crucial it is to protect the House.
As a federally elected official, Ryan is not permitted to solicit seven-figure political donations. When Ryan (R-Wis.) left the room, Coleman made the ask and secured the $30 million contribution.
This is a joke, and it happened well into The Trump Era. Apparently his Swamp Lantern didn't pick this one up.
As in all things, Trump has turned the small print into letters on the side of a skyscraper when it comes to corruption. He made a big show of how he was "divesting" from his companies after he was elected, holding a press conference next to a stack of manila folders containing Definitely Not Blank papers he wouldn't let reporters examine. This was an almighty sham, and now foreign dignitaries are staying at his D.C. hotel-the epicenter of the New Swamp-and other properties in an attempt to curry favor with him. Lobbyists meet them there.
Speaking of lobbyists, many work in his administration, and are often tasked with regulating the industries they just finished representing. Conflicts of interest appear to be his organizational model. His Cabinet members can frequently be found resigning in disgrace after running up hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer bills for private jets, and spending large shares of their time getting wined-and-dined by, you guessed it, lobbyists and executives the industries they're tasked with regulating. You'll notice departed EPA chief Scott Pruitt and former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price didn't make it into McNaughton's phantasmagorical painting.
The only hope here-as his administration rolls back key policies to combat climate change, placating the energy lobby, as the UN issues a report we have 12 years left to save the planet as we know it-is that the sheer blatant nature of Trump's corruption will get enough people's attention that we can really do something about this. Like Brett Kavanaugh's nakedly partisan ascension to the Supreme Court, maybe the loud-and-proud Trumpishness of it all will scratch the veneer off a long-troubled institution. Or maybe we'll all just look on in envy at his Swamp Patriot Boat as the rising tides lick at our ankles.
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