What We Found in Trumps Drained Swamp: Hundreds of Ex-Lobbyists and D.C. Insiders

[poboy2]

What We Found in Trump’s Drained Swamp: Hundreds of Ex-Lobbyists and D.C. Insiders

ProPublica
Derek Kravitz, Al Shaw, Isaac Arnsdorf
4 hrs ago

Today we’re making available, for the first time, an authoritative searchable database of 2,475 political appointees, including Trump’s Cabinet, staffers in the White House and senior officials within the government, along with their federal lobbying and financial records. Trump Town is the result of a year spent filing hundreds of Freedom of Information Act requests; collecting and organizing staffing lists; and compiling, sifting through and publishing thousands of financial disclosure reports.

Here’s what we found: At least 187 Trump political appointees have been federal lobbyists, and despite President Trump’s campaign pledge to “drain the swamp,” many are now overseeing the industries they once lobbied on behalf of. We’ve also discovered ethics waivers that allow Trump staffers to work on subjects in which they have financial conflicts of interest. In addition, at least 254 groups affiliated with Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and at least 125 staffers came from prominent conservative think tanks, many of whom are on teams to repeal Obama-era regulations.

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. 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.

We also found — for the first time — dozens of special-government employees, or SGEs, who work as paid consultants or experts for federal agencies while keeping their day jobs in the private sector. This rare government gig allows them to legally work for both industry and the Trump administration at the same time. Under the Obama administration, Huma Abedin, the longtime aide to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, benefited from this policy while simultaneously working at the State Department, the Clinton Foundation and a corporate consulting firm, drawing scrutiny from the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Government Accountability Office.
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https://www.propublica.org/article/what-we-found-in-trump-administration-drained-swamp-hundreds-of-ex-lobbyists-and-washington-dc-insiders

[poboy2]

1. Venturing Into the Swamp, Trump Dines With Major Donors

Venturing Into the Swamp, Trump Dines With Major Donors

The New York Times
By KENNETH P. VOGEL
1 hr ago

WASHINGTON — President Trump dined at the ornate Georgetown home of a prominent Washington lawyer on Wednesday night with wealthy donors who are expected to play crucial roles in financing his re-election campaign.

The dinner was the latest in a series of donor events associated with a pair of independent groups — America First Policies and America First Action — that are aiming to raise $100 million this year, mostly in large donations, to support Mr. Trump’s agenda and the election campaigns of allied congressional candidates.

Attendees included donors and operatives who are working to raise money for the America First groups, such as the Dallas financial executive Roy W. Bailey and the Oklahoma oil billionaire Harold Hamm, as well as the president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., according to someone briefed on the list of attendees and published reports.
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The evening also highlights the extent to which Mr. Trump has embraced features of Washington politics that he denounced on the campaign trail. He had pledged to “drain the swamp” of the city’s permanent political class and to forsake the contributions of wealthy donors, who he said had too much power.

Mr. Gray could not be reached for comment. Mr. Walsh and Donald Trump Jr. did not respond to requests for comment.
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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/venturing-into-the-swamp-trump-dines-with-major-donors/ar-BBK0Bf4?li=BBnb7Kz

[ffr]

2. Corruption on a scale I've never witnessed in my lifetime or ever read about in history books.

We're living the swamp.

[Caliman73]

3. Not surprised. It's good to have it on the record, but unlikely to be a game changer.

The problem for rational people that is posed by Trump's approach, is that he uses vague, often contradictory speech. You can project whatever you want into a Trump speech.

For many of us on the Democratic side, "draining the swamp" likely means ridding the Federal government of the corporate interests that have captured many politicians on both sides of the aisle. Stopping the Financial Industry, Pharmacology Companies, Defense Contractors, Multi-National business interests, and the NRA from having such out sized influence. Stopping the revolving door where politicians are hired by these corporations, not because they are so gifted in the fields into which they go, but because they retain access to other legislators. We want to stop lobbyists from being elected to office or appointed, as in the case of Ajit Pai. That to us, is draining the swamp. Putting the needs of those of us who cannot afford expensive lobby shops at the forefront.

To Trump's real constituency (the wealthy) and his idiot followers, "drain the swamp" simply meant getting rid of liberals who fight for the rights of marginalized and less powerful people.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. Kicking back to the top.

Retweeted by David Fahrenthold: https://twitter.com/Fahrenthold

Here’s what we found in reporting and building our Trump Town app: At least 187 Trump political appointees have been federal lobbyists, and many are now overseeing the industries they once lobbied on behalf of

Link to tweet

[poboy2]

6. thank you -nt

[malaise]

5. Word is that he drained

the swamp so he could fill it with folks from the sewer