Let’s talk about Donald Trump and his new Attorney General pick Pam Bondi, because boy do we have a story to tell
From February 2008-May 2011, the Florida Attorney General’s office received at least 22 complaints regarding Trump University, the Trump Institute, and related entities
Jump ahead to 2013, the New York Attorney General filed a lawsuit against Trump University for “engaging in persistent fraudulent, illegal and deceptive conduct,” and then-Florida Attorney General Bondi’s office told multiple publications they were reviewing the suit and considering joining
A couple days later, the Donald J. Trump Foundation makes a $25,000 contribution to And Justice for All, a political group backing Bondi. The donation, illegal for a 501(c)(3) private foundation to give, was personally solicited by Bondi from Trump.
Despite previously acknowledging the 22 complaints to reporters, internal emails show that between October 17-18, 2013, Bondi’s employees weeded out any complaint about Trump Institute and related entities to claim there was only one complaint against Trump University.
In its 2013 taxes, the Trump Foundation claims it made no donations to political entities and replaces And Justice for All with a different, similarly named group in Kansas to which they would legally be allowed to donate.
We then filed complaints against Bondi with the Inspector General for Florida’s Office of the Attorney General and the state’s Commission on Ethics for potentially violating the law citizensforethics.org/legal-action/l…
Following CREW’s discovery that the Trump Foundation did not file an updated 990 tax form, the Washington Post discovered a $2,500 IRS penalty paid by the Foundation for the illegal donation, kicking off one of the biggest stories of the year. washingtonpost.com/news/post-poli…
We then filed criminal bribery complaints against Trump and Bondi with the Department of Justice and called for a criminal investigation into whether the Trump Foundation broke federal criminal law by making numerous false reports to the IRS on its tax forms. citizensforethics.org/news/press-rel…
And now Bondi gets her reward: the top law enforcement job in the country. The Senate Judiciary Committee needs to thoroughly investigate the Trump-Bondi scandal.
President Trump's invasion of Venezuela opens up unprecedented opportunities for corruption, is a startling escalation of his lawlessness and illustrates his administration’s deference to corporate interests over the American people and their representatives in Congress. 🧵
According to Rep. Jim Himes, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, President Trump did not even notify top congressional leadership, much less seek their approval for the operation in Venezuela. npr.org/2026/01/05/nx-…
In contrast, Trump claims to have tipped off oil executives, saying he was in contact with them “before and after” the operation.
Even a hint at the operation would have been more than he or his administration granted Congress. thehill.com/homenews/admin…
President Trump was just caught on a hot mic talking with the president of Indonesia.
He may have been talking about his business interests in the country–which would be exactly the kind of conflict of interest we’ve been warning about for years.
Just a reminder that Trump made $14 million from his business interests in Indonesia from 2015 to 2019, making it one of his most egregious conflicts of interest during his first term. citizensforethics.org/reports-invest…
With properties in two locations still under development in Indonesia during his second term, the conflicts have only intensified. citizensforethics.org/reports-invest…
Former FBI Director James Comey's indictment is more than a case—it's a warning.
It’s the most obvious instance yet of targeting political opponents, while letting allies off the hook. 🧵
Trump has openly cheered Comey's indictment—and it only came after a Trump appointee resigned rather than cave to pressure to bring charges, and was replaced by a loyalist. theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…
Critics warn this is politically motivated and highly dangerous. The prosecution hinges on proving Comey intentionally lied to GOP senators during a 2020 hearing about events from 3+ years earlier—and his answers may not have even been factually wrong.
🚨Congress is back from recess today. If they’re serious about protecting democracy in this crisis and beyond, here’s what they *must* do—immediately. 🧵
1. End the militarization of DC.
Pass Rep. Raskin's resolution to end Trump’s federal takeover of the city and reform presidential emergency powers so he can't run the same playbook nationwide.
2. Rein in executive overreach and protect the separation of powers.
Congress must safeguard its constitutional power of the purse. They can’t just sit back while Trump hijacks budgets for his own agenda.
Big win in our case: the DC Circuit Court of Appeals ordered Trump’s OMB to bring back its spending database by FRIDAY.
Transparency matters. Take it from the Bush-appointed judge who wrote the decision 🧵
“Benjamin Franklin’s view, shared by many Framers, that it is of central ‘importance that the people should know who had disposed of their money, & how it had been disposed of’ as ‘those who feel, can best judge’” citizensforethics.org/wp-content/upl…
Presidents are not kings—America’s founders made sure of that.
One way they did so is by giving Congress the power of the purse.