The fact that Donald Trump has used the office of the presidency to enrich himself is well documented. But new information is coming to light that could change the political impact of his corruption.
You may think I’m referring to the jaw-dropping deal the Department of Justice announced with Trump to settle his lawsuit against the IRS over the leaking of his tax returns. The agreement halts all current and future tax audits of Trump, his family and his businesses. It also creates what amounts to a $1.8 billion slush fund to compensate Trump supporters who were supposedly victims of the Biden administration’s “weaponization” of the judiciary. The fund’s beneficiaries would likely include the Jan. 6 rioters who tried to halt Congress’ certification of Biden’s 2020 election victory.
But that announcement overshadowed another revelation of Trump’s presidential self-dealing that came just days before, when, compelled by ethics rules, he released a list of his recent stock transactions. The document, which covers only the first three months of this year, lists more than 3,600 transactions worth a total of between $220 million and $750 million. (The wide range is because trades are categorized in value bands rather than specific amounts.)