Weekly Update: June 23

Your weekly rundown of the latest kleptocratic actions by the Trump administration.

Jun 26, 2025

$1.3 Billion: What Trump's Pardon Corruption Cost You, the Taxpayer

A report from House Judiciary Democrats concludes that Trump's flurry of pardons has cost taxpayers $1.3 billion in restitution and payments.

Remember, these were people convicted of crimes by juries of their peers for attacking the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Taxpayers have had to to pay for the cleanup from the attack, as well as restitution owed to victims. Reportedly, only 15% of restitution payments for the Capitol riots have been paid so far.

But that's not all. Because the pardons were not reserved for insurrectionists. According to the report: "With a far greater financial effect, President Trump's pardon spree has also swept in big-time corporate fraudsters, millionaire tax evaders, and other white-collar criminals. Thanks to President Trump's pardons, these convicted criminals now get to keep $1.3 billion in ill-gotten gains they stole from their victims and American taxpayers." (Some of the insurrectionists have even sued the government for their "hardship.")

A few of the greatest hits from the flurry of pardons to date:

Todd Chrisley: Convicted of bank fraud and still owed $22 million in payments to people he defrauded before his pardon (according to CBS News).
Carlos Watson: Owed $50 million in restitution payments to investors he defrauded (according to CBS News).
Lawrence Duran: Still owed $87 million in restitution for a $205 million Medicare fraud scheme (according to the Miami Herald).
Scott Jenkins: The Virginia Sheriff was caught on video taking bribes for badges, amounting to $75,000 (according to the Department of Justice).

These pardons, then, are a direct transfer of wealth from the taxpayer and victims back to the convicted perpetrators of these crimes.

Meanwhile, DOGE has continued to cause real world harm to Americans, including seniors and Americans with disabilities, who have experienced longer lines and and processing times for Social Security benefits. Contrary to Elon Musk's unfounded allegations of Medicare fraud being carried out by imagined loafers, a new 60 Minutes investigation reveals that white collar and organized crime inside and outside of the country is perpetrating real Medicare fraud.

The Big Picture

One of the things that makes kleptocracy so difficult to unravel is that only a few people benefit, but almost everyone pays. As articles shared on these pages have shown in the past, people living in kleptocracies end up poorer. Money goes missing, safety laws stop being enforced, and public goods are auctioned off to the highest bidder. Hungary, so often held up by Donald Trump as a model for what America should be, is now the poorest country in the Europe Union in terms of spending power.

The costs are not always monetary. As the Department of Justice's (DOJ) retreat from tackling corruption shows us, kleptocracy just as often tears at a country's social fabric by failing to hold wrongdoers accountable and benefiting the well-connected over the qualified.

In sum: Corruption is not a victimless crime. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more analysis on the casualties of corruption.

Let's Talk About One More Thing: Emil Bove III

One of the administration's main enablers is Emil Bove III, who currently works at the DOJ. Before serving in government, Bove was Trump's personal defense attorney. The White House has nominated Bove for the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, which covers New Jersey and Pennsylvania. As one might expect, his nomination is controversial.

Currently, he is accused of violating ethics rules and weaponizing the DOJ.

Whistleblower Erez Reuveni, a recently ousted attorney with a 14-year career at the DOJ, has now come forward with additional allegations:

Rule of law: Bove reportedly told officials to ignore court orders on mass deportation. Reuveni alleges that, during a March 14, 2025 meeting, Bove said the DOJ should consider telling the courts, “f___ you” and ignore any orders that hindered deportations.
Immigration enforcement actions: Bove was reportedly involved in efforts to deport immigrants, including Venezuelans, to a megaprison in El Salvador, sometimes in apparent violation of court orders. Judges found probable cause for contempt in some instances.
Politicized prosecutions: Bove oversaw the dismissal of federal corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, reportedly to secure Adams’ cooperation with federal immigration policy.
J6 retaliatory firings: He also ordered the firing of more than a dozen prosecutors working on January 6 insurrection cases and allegedly pressured the FBI to reveal the names of agents involved in those investigations.
Whistleblower retaliation: Whistleblower Reuveni was placed on administrative leave and ultimately fired. He has since submitted a detailed account to congressional committees and the DOJ inspector general, alleging a pattern of misconduct and cover-ups.

You can call your senator to demand a complete hearing and make sure that all documents and testimony are public before Bove wins a lifetime appointment as a federal judge.

Weekly Wins

Rules Matter

As Senate Republicans race to advance Donald Trump's "big, beautiful" budget reconciliation bill by the self-imposed deadline of July 4, Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough—responsible for providing non-partisan advice to senators and staff about Senate rules, precedents, and statutes as they pertain to Senate proceedings since 2012—has stepped in and rejected a number of proposals that run afoul of those rules. In crafting the reconciliation bill, Republicans have been counting on special provisions that shield the legislation from a filibuster, stripping the ability of Democrats to block it. However, in this type of bill, the inclusion of policy changes that are not directly related to spending or revenue or that would increase the deficit beyond a specified time are also prohibited.

The proposals that Parliamentarian MacDonough has rejected to date don't just violate Senate rules. Many of them would also further the Trump administration's efforts to weaken judicial checks and balances, erode consumer and environmental protections, and compromise the professional civil service. While the process continues to unfold, MacDonough's actions are an important reminder that even the most seemingly arcane rules matter. Some of the provisions that MacDonough has rejected include:

A measure that would essentially gut the ability of courts to hold people in contempt, potentially shielding President Trump and members of his administration from the consequences of violating court orders. We flagged this measure in our June 9 update.
Measures that would dramatically accelerate the approval of offshore oil and gas projects, minimizing or nullifying environmental review processes.
A measure to gut the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, established after the 2008 financial crisis to protect Americans from financial fraud.
A modified version of the REINS Act—Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny—requiring Congressional approval of all major regulations issued by federal agencies before those regulations could go into effect. Public Citizen has described the REINS act as "one of the most radical threats in generations to our government’s ability to protect the public from harm."
Measures targeting federal workers’ retirement benefits, their unions, and civil service protections.

There is still time to make sure your elected officials know that you care about the importance of following the rules and how you feel about this terrible, horrible, no good, very bad bill!

More positive acts of resisting kleptocracy

Federal Judge Deems Trump Administration’s Termination of NIH Grants Illegal - ProPublica

Weekly Update: June 23

Your weekly rundown of the latest kleptocratic actions by the Trump administration.

$1.3 Billion: What Trump's Pardon Corruption Cost You, the Taxpayer

The Big Picture

Let's Talk About One More Thing: Emil Bove III

Weekly Wins

Rules Matter

More positive acts of resisting kleptocracy

More links, more kleptocracy

Protection racket

Self-enrichment

Cronyism

Threats, intimidation, and surveillance

Executive power grabs

Weakening independent agencies

Military

Justice Department and the Judiciary

Civil service

Other agencies and local government

Attacks on civil society, media, and higher education

Aiding kleptocrats abroad

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