Last fall, @propublica.org and @documented.net broke the story that Russell Vought, Trump’s current budget chief, said he planned to put career civil servants “in trauma.”
Now, we're investigating the full extent of Vought's impact on the federal government. We need your help… 🧵 1/
“It is hard to see how Sinema can credibly argue that luxury hotels, meal expenses, and extensive air travel are connected to her candidacy or officeholder duties, given that she is no longer a candidate or officeholder,” I told
@NOTUSreports.
A few thoughts: 🧵
Each move, in isolation, might be defensible. But taken together, they reveal a pattern: empower MAGA-aligned groups and donors, and disempower everyone else. This is not principled policymaking, but instead part of an effort to tilt the playing field. (end)
— The Trump administration is refusing to defend a campaign finance law that limits how much parties can spend in coordination with candidates—after GOP committees sued to overturn it, and despite objections from Democratic committees. 6/
The Trump admin’s move to let churches engage in partisan politics is part of a broader strategy to loosen the rules when it benefits MAGA allies, and tighten them when it hurts the opposition. 🧵 1/ www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/u...
Bottom line: Trump's latest effort to profit off the presidency creates deep conflicts of interest—and new vulnerabilities to foreign influence. (end)
Alternatively, China could offer Trump’s companies targeted deals to win concessions from the administration, even if granting those concessions may not advance American interests. 4/
If the Trump family is serious about building these phones in the US, then President Trump now has a personal financial stake in tariff and trade negotiations.
It also means that China has a potentially new source of leverage over the president.
Both raise major conflict of interests. 1/
One implication of Trump’s plan to sell green cards for $5 million is that it would allow foreign billionaires and oligarchs to start legally pouring money into U.S. elections (including into Trump’s political operation).
The Elon Musk-backed, Trump-aligned dark money group Building America’s Future is behind the multi-million dollar “Make America Affordable Again” ad campaign pushing "lawsuit reform," FCC records show.
SLOW BURN: Seven months after @propublica.org + @documented.net exposed Russ Vought's plan to put federal workers "in trauma," he's still getting asked about it.
This time on CNN's flagship Sunday show.
He doesn't look comfortable responding to it: www.yahoo.com/news/trump-o...
Irony is not dead: Pennsylvania Rep. Tom Jones is asking people to fork over between $500-$2,000 for a June 25th fundraiser titled, "Surviving the Swamp." 🤔 Check out the invite in our Swamp Dollars database: documented.net/swamp-dollar...
The fundraising never stops: From golf outings to happy hours, politicians are schmoozing all around the Washington, DC area. You can see a whole list of political invites from Reps like Jefferson Shreve, Scott Fitzgerald, Blake Moore, John James and more: documented.net/swamp-dollar...
This week’s main story is about the Alliance Defending Freedom, the landmark Supreme Court cases they’ve been behind, and how obsessed they are with the word “winsome.” It’s inexplicable. They could just say “appealing” but no. It’s winsome this, winsome that. Absolutely baffling stuff. You’ll see.
Our Tweet Ended Kathleen Sgamma’s Bid to Lead Trump Public Lands Agency www.theshakedown.documented.net/p/tweet-kath...
"This week, the investigative news outlet Documented published a memo it had obtained showing that Ms. Sgamma had criticized President Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol." -- @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2025/04/10/c...
It comes after the investigative group Documented on Tuesday released a 2021 letter in which Sgamma wrote that she was “disgusted” by Trump “spreading misinformation” about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.
Breaking news: Kathleen Sgamma, President Trump’s pick to lead the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management, abruptly withdrew her nomination Thursday morning, just as her confirmation hearing was about to begin.
Maybe not coincidentily, Sgamma's nomination to lead BLM just got yanked.
Her email account still responds to messages with an auto reply saying she's in DC for her nomination hearing.
🚨 Kathleen Sgamma just withdrew her nomination to lead BLM—right before her Senate hearing. Did the recently unearthed memo exposing her past criticism of Trump's election denial play a role?
The Republican State Leadership Committee is hosting a Women's Leadership Summit today and tomorrow in Boca Raton, Florida. For just $10,000 *per attendee* guests can take part in the trip as well as a roundtable discussion with politicians. documented.net/swamp-dollar...
🧵1/ Kathleen Sgamma, Trump’s pick to run the Bureau of Land Management, wrote in 2021 she was "disgusted" by Trump's role "spreading misinformation" on Jan. 6, accusing him of "dishonoring the vote of the People," per a memo to oil execs obtained by @documented.net. Her Senate hearing is Thursday.
Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain is taking a trip to Puerto Rico - and you could join for a cool $1,500 - $5,000 contribution to her reelection campaign. From April 4-6 "Team McCLain" will be staying at the Fairmont El San Juan. documented.net/swamp-dollar...
Thanks for the shoutout!
"The story drew on private recordings of a series of speeches given in 2023 and 2024 by Russell Vought obtained by our colleagues at Documented, a news site with a remarkable knack for uncovering information powerful interests would prefer remained secret."
If you're asking yourself, "What's Ziklag?" be sure to check out their reporting on the secretive group of ultra wealthy Christian donors and their efforts to swing the 2024 election to Trump here: documented.net/reporting/in...
Congrats to @nicksurgey.bsky.social, @andykroll.bsky.social, @phoebepetrovic.bsky.social, and Ava Kofman for being a finalists for the 2025 Toner Prize for Excellence in National Political Reporting for their investigation into Ziklag! news.syr.edu/blog/2025/03...
“Throughout the 2024 cycle, we saw crypto money deployed to take out crypto critics and support crypto backers, and this might be an indication of how crypto not only attacks its enemies, but also also rewards its friends.” - @brendanfischer.bsky.social www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
On March 11, Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA) will be having a 'Merica Mules' fundraiser to support his reelection campaign. Donors can wet their whistle with the congressman for the cost of $500-$5,000. See more of our political fundraising invites here: documented.net/swamp-dollar...
Utah Congressman Blake Moore is asking public action committees to cough up $5,000 per PAC for a "2025 Season Pass Dinner" fundraiser on March 4. This is part of our log of political fundraisers, Swamp Dollars, and you can find the invite here: documented.net/swamp-dollar...
GOP Chair Lisa McClain is hard at work...fundraising. Donors can get special access to McClain at an upcoming Key Biscayne, Miami fundraiser on 3/1 where tickets run up to $5,000 a head. See more of our political fundraisers in our Swamp Dollars archive: documented.net/swamp-dollar...
