When the investigators get fired, corrupt actors get away with it.
Public office is a public trust.
Officials who trade taxpayer dollars for campaign cash, or sell access to the country's most powerful office, should face investigation, regardless of party or family name.
But now, when we need it most, independent oversight is nowhere to be seen. The FBI and Justice Department teams dedicated to investigating public corruption have effectively been dismantled, with nearly all their former staff sacked or sidelined, ongoing investigations shuttered, and nobody left to pursue new cases.
A Growing List of Concerns
- A Russian Oligarch's Gift to the President's Son: According to reporting from ProPublica, Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev—who has close ties to Vladimir Putin—secretly bankrolled lavish post-wedding celebrations in the Bahamas for Donald Trump Jr.
- The Bribery Investigation That Died: Also according to ProPublica, defense contractor Martin Kao provided the FBI a 50-page road map detailing how he bankrolled lawmakers so they would give him juicy Defense Department contracts that had no value. In 2024, the FBI was poised to widen its investigation into alleged bribery, but in 2025, soon after taking office, the Trump administration purged the corruption squad and the investigation stalled.
These are just two recent stories in a long list of corruption concerns that have been going unaddressed.
A Pattern, Not an Accident
Anti-corruption capabilities are being dismantled piece by piece:
- Watchdogs gutted: The FBI's public corruption squad and DOJ's Public Integrity Section have been hollowed out.
- Charges dropped: Bribery charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams were dismissed following a DOJ motion, sparking a mass resignation of career prosecutors.
- Foreign bribery enforcement paused: A White House Executive Order halted enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which blocks U.S. companies from bribing foreign officials.
- Fraudsters pardoned: The president has repeatedly pardoned allies and donors convicted of fraud.
Accountability Shouldn't Be Partisan
In a positive first step, Republican Senator John Curtis (R-UT) sent an official letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee calling for a formal probe of presidential family corruption, including subpoenas for both Donald Trump Jr. and Hunter Biden to investigate the use of presidential relationships for private financial gain.
Buying influence in Washington is a bipartisan problem that leaves taxpayers footing the bill, and makes our system fundamentally unfair. Every American deserves a government that cannot be bought, backed by investigators who follow the facts wherever they lead.