The Trump family is openly looting the federal government. Congressional Republicans have decided that’s fine.
My congressman, Rep. Bob Onder, recently sent a constituent email praising the Trump White House for its anti-fraud efforts. The irony was hard to miss.
Last week’s big story was that President Donald Trump backed down from his deeply fraudulent fund to reward his political supporters with almost $1.8 billion of the taxpayers’ money — potentially including rioters on Jan. 6, 2021 — because Senate Republicans revolted.
But that is so rare. Most of the time, Congressional Republicans look at the most documented corruption in modern American history — then turn around and send emails bragging about safeguards against fraud.
The oversight machinery of Congress exists precisely for moments like this: the committees, the subpoenas, the public hearings that serve as the counterweight to executive overreach. Republicans control all of it. They have chosen not to use any of it.
Consider what they are choosing to ignore.
Four days before Trump’s second inauguration, son Eric Trump signed a deal giving an Abu Dhabi-connected investment firm a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial, the Trump family’s cryptocurrency venture, for $500 million.
Of the first $250 million wired upfront, $187 million went directly to Trump family-controlled entities. At least $31 million more went to entities tied to the family of Steve Witkoff — subsequently appointed U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East.
His son, Zach Witkoff, serves as World Liberty’s co-founder. Months later, the Trump administration reversed a prior policy and authorized the export of America’s most sensitive AI chip technology to the UAE — to companies connected to those same investors.
The Biden administration had blocked that transfer over fears the chips could reach China.
That Trump had previously pardoned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao — who pleaded guilty to permitting his exchange to be used by terrorists, cybercriminals and child abusers — only deepened the questions. Congressional Republicans have not asked a single one.
Then in April, the Air Force agreed to purchase interceptor drones from Powerus, a defense company backed by Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr.
The brothers’ investment firm helped engineer a reverse merger between Powerus and Aureus Greenway, a golf club company they had previously backed, taking the entity public and landing them seats on its board.
That same week, Eric Trump celebrated a separate $24 million defense contract won by Foundation Industries, where he serves as chief strategic adviser.
According to a January report, Trump and his family have generated nearly $2.25 billion in realized, risk-free profits from foreign payments, corrupt businessmen and others — rising to as much as $9.72 billion when unrealized paper wealth from digital assets is included.
That’s a sitting president enriching his family at a scale that dwarfs anything in American history while his party controls Congress.
And congressional Republicans have blocked Democratic attempts to compel testimony and documents. The oversight machinery has been dismantled for partisan convenience.
As long as Republicans hold the majority, there will be no Watergate-style select committee, no Iran-Contra hearings, no special counsel. There will only be silence.
The message the Congress sends to the Trump family is clear: Take what you want. We will not look. Trump can only govern this way because the people constitutionally empowered to stop him have chosen, repeatedly, not to.
Every blocked subpoena is a permission slip. Every canceled hearing is an invitation to do more. Congressional Republicans are actively protecting a system of enrichment that degrades the government they were elected to run.
Let’s not forget that this is the same Republican Party that spent years investigating Hunter Biden’s laptop.
This will not change until the people who could stop it decide their oath to the Constitution outweighs their fear of a primary.
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
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