Dem
47
GOP
53
We don't enjoy writing about news like this, because it's a big downer, and it's part of an unending parade of self-dealing and other corrupt behavior. On the other hand, sometimes the shadiness is so extreme, we just have to say something.
This week's first nepotism story involves the Nepotist-in-Chief, Donald Trump Sr. (and yes, "nepotist" is a word). A couple of years ago, Vulcan Elements was founded; its business is trying to find alternatives to the rare minerals the United States gets from China. Last year, Donald Trump Jr.'s venture capital firm took a stake in Vulcan Elements. And shortly thereafter, in "support" of Vulcan's work, the Pentagon loaned $620 million to the firm.
Trump Jr. said he did not know anything about the arrangement, and that he and his family had nothing to do with it. If you believe this, then please make sure to contact us about that aforementioned land in Florida (see above). ProPublica has now collected the evidence that there was heavy-duty lobbying of Trump Sr. done by White House Senior Advisor Peter Navarro. It's problematic when lobbyists have direct access to the President. It's rather worse when they have that access because... they already work in the White House.
Of course, the Trumps aren't the only corrupt family in Washington. Joining them in the Hall of Shame this week are the Alitos. Philip Alito was able to get a top-flight undergrad education, at the University of Virginia, and an even topper-flight law degree, at Duke. But apparently, those benefits of being the son of Samuel were not quite enough. And so, strings were pulled, and the young Alito was appointed to a legal position in the Treasury Department.
We would say that Philip has done nothing wrong, other than accept the spoils of having an influential father. However, the younger Alito has almost certainly worked on cases that ended up before the elder Alito (it is hard to be sure, because the Treasury is obscuring the nature of Philip's work). The Associate Justice should have recused himself from any cases his son worked on, and should do so from any such cases in the future. Don't hold your breath waiting for him to do so, however.
At this point, just recall for a moment that Hunter Biden's work as a sorta lobbyist for Burisma (and a few other entities) was treated as a capital offense by many Republicans, who launched a dozen investigations. This is despite the fact that there's no evidence whatsoever that Biden secured any boons from his father, or from anyone working with or for his father. Certainly he never landed a $620 million loan, and he never worked on a case that would be heard by a judge who happens to be his parent. We can only assume that at least one special counsel will be appointed here, and there will be at least half a dozen investigations conduced by House committees. Right? Right? (Z)