Progressive Perspectives on Corruption in U.S. Politics

There is much to be shocked about in an intelligence officer’s whistle-blower report that is roiling official Washington – but perhaps nothing more shocking than the fact that when it reached the Trump Justice Department, the complaint was met with a big “nothing to see here, folks.”

The allegations in the complaint, which was partially revealed [last] Thursday morning, go way beyond just one phone call between President Trump and the new president of Ukraine, in which Trump pressured the Ukrainian leader to do him a political favor. They detail a months-long pattern of abuse and evidence that “the president of the United State is using the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country in the 2020 US election,” the whistle-blower wrote.

The memo also raises the fear that “senior White House officials had intervened to ‘lock down’ all records” of Trump’s July 25 call with President Volodymr Zelensky of Ukraine “especially the official word-for-word transcript of the call.” The use of that separate system to shield the conversation is itself both suspect and further evidence that “White House officials understood the gravity of what had transpired in the call.”

– The Editorial Board
Excerpted from “Blowing the Whistle on Corruption”
The Boston Globe
September 27, 2019

Trump has been breaking norms since the moment he declared his candidacy and in many of his biggest policy and political moves while in office. In the past week, Trump has violated a notably large number of norms surrounding good government, but the general pattern of gleeful, frequent norm-breaking has defined most of the Trump presidency.

That’s the meta-scandal of the Trump administration: Each individual scandal stems from the president’s fundamental character, his lack of interest in the workings of democratic government and outright contempt for the idea that corruption might be a bad thing.

Trump sets the tone, and lower-ranked officials in his administration follow suit. The quality of American government is being eroded, slowly but surely, to the point where the kind of corrupt, undemocratic behavior that’s typically found in fragile young democracies is becoming a regular feature of the world’s oldest. This is the kind of norm erosion that’s undeniably scary, one that undercuts some of the rules of the road that democracies genuinely do need to function properly.

Now, it’s important to note that the problems in American democracy don’t start and end with Trump. There are much deeper sources of democratic rot in the United States, even in the Republican party alone, than one person. Trump is a symptom rather than a cause.

– Zack Beauchamp
Excerpted from “The Real Scandal Behind
the Last Week of Trump News”
Vox
September 9, 2019

When allegations of ethical lapses or wrongdoing surface against people on one side of the aisle, they can always claim that someone on the other side has done far worse. But taken together, all of these examples have contributed to a toxic norm. Joe Biden is the man who, as a senator, walked out of a dinner with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Biden was one of the most vocal champions of anti-corruption efforts in the Obama administration. So when this same Biden takes his son with him to China aboard Air Force Two, and within days Hunter joins the board of an investment advisory firm with stakes in China, it does not matter what father and son discussed. Joe Biden has enabled this brand of practice, made it bipartisan orthodoxy. And the ethical standard in these cases – people’s basic understanding of right and wrong – becomes whatever federal law allows. Which is a lot.

Who among us has not admired or supported people who have engaged in or provided cover for this kind of corruption? How did we convince ourselves it was not corruption? Impeachment alone will not end our national calamity. If we want to help our country heal, we must start holding ourselves, our friends, and our allies – and not just our enemies – to its highest standards.

– Sarah Chayes
Excerpted from “Hunter Biden’s Perfectly
Legal, Socially Acceptable Corruption”
The Atlantic
September 27, 2019

The Ukraine crisis exposes the bipartisan corruption inherent in the US imperialist foreign policy. An investigation into Ukraine may expose what are actually common practices by both Democratic and Republican administrations in regime change efforts. As John Kiriakou explained when he gave a talk at the Venezuelan Embassy during the Embassy Protection Collective action, the CIA has a secret regime change office that provides plans to overthrow any government the US chooses to target. These plans involve similar tactics – the investment of large amounts of money into NGOs (often “human rights groups”), support for a violent opposition, installing US-trained and controlled leaders and payoffs for those involved.

– Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers
Excerpted from “‘Ukrainegate’ Teaches Us More
About Ourselves Than Trump OR Biden”
Popular Resistance
September 29, 2019

The efforts by the Democratic Party and much of the press, including CNN and The New York Times, to remove Trump from office, as if our problems are embodied in him, will backfire. Our social, cultural, economic and political crisis created a demagogue like Trump. These forces will grow more virulent if Trump is impeached. The longer we fail to confront and name the corporate forces responsible for the misery of over half the U.S. population and our broken democracy, the more the disease of cultism will spread. It was the seizure of power by corporations that vomited up Trump. And it will be only by freeing ourselves from corporate rule, by rebuilding our democratic institutions, including the legislative bodies, the courts and the media, that we can roll back from the abyss.

– Chris Hedges
Excerpted from “The Problem With Impeachment”
TruthDig
September 26, 2019

Corruption largely operates on autopilot at equal levels within Democratic and Republican parties, resulting in a bloated concentration of control and an anti-democratic sense of entitlement at the top. It’s a problem that needs to be addressed with policy changes and beyond superficial modifications.

In her 1997 book, Healing the Soul of America, [2020 Democratic presidential candidate] Marianne Williamson wrote: “Clearly we must work on healing our own neuroses in order to become effective healers. But then, having worked on our own issues a while, another question begs for an answer: how healed can we ultimately become while the social systems in which we live and move, and have our earthly being, remain sick?”

Williamson has a background in grassroots organizing and recognizes the underlying issues propelling the widespread self-sabotage happening in our country. She describes this dynamic in her most recent book, A Politics of Love. She has a keen ability to identify proposed policies that hinder democracy and has adamantly opposed such policies, while supporting proposals that boost voter engagement.

– Sable Knapp
Excerpted from “Marianne Williamson Goes Beyond the Surface”
Bleeding Heartland
September 14, 2019

Related Off-site Links:
The Impeachment Inquiry: “We Could Not Ignore What the President Did” – Scott Pelley (CBS News, September 29, 2019).
After Dismissing Whistleblower Complaint as “Nancy Drew Novel,” Top Trump Aide Stephen Miller Destroyed by Direct Questions on Fox News – Jon Queally (Common Dreams, September 29, 2019).
The Week That Changed Everything – Lili Loofbourow (Slate, September 28, 2019).
Trump Acts as If He is Above the Law. The Law Has Begun to Fight Back – Sarah Churchwell (The Guardian, September 28, 2019).
Will Constitutional Outlaw Trump Implode With Lies Before He is Impeached? – Ralph Nader (Common Dreams, September 28, 2019).
Would Ousting Trump Rebuild the Country’s Faith in Government? Lessons from Latin America – Rachel E. Bowen (The Conversation, September 27, 2019).
Sen. Bernie Sanders: “Donald Trump is Probably the Most Corrupt President in the Modern History of This Country” – Lindsey Ellefson (The Wrap, September 27, 2019).
How Bill Barr Turned the Justice Department Into a Cover-up Operation for Trump – Jay Willis (GQ, September 27, 2019).
Trump Is Deserving of an Impeachment Inquiry, Many Times Over – Amy Goodman and Denis Moynihan (Common Dreams, September 27, 2019).
The Problem With Impeachment – Chris Hedges (TruthDig, September 26, 2019).
The Acting Director of National Intelligence Just Showed How Corrupt the Trump Administration Is – Paul Waldman (The Washington Post, September 26, 2019).
The Untold Story of the Trump-Ukraine “Scandal”: The Routine Corruption of US Foreign Policy – Joe Lauria (Consortium News, September 26, 2018).
Trump’s Ukraine Scandal Shows Why Leaks Are Vital to Democracy – Trevor Timm (Medium, September 26, 2019).
The 3 Favors Trump Asked the Ukrainian President in New Transcript – Morgan Baskin (VICE, September 25, 2019).
Rudy Giuliani “Directly Involved at Nearly Every Stage” of Ukraine Scandal – Devan Cole (CNN, September 25, 2019).
Nancy Pelosi Announces Formal Impeachment Inquiry of Trump – The New York Times (September 24, 2019).
Trump Has Figured Out How to Corrupt the Entire Government – Jonathan Chait (New York Magazine, September 9, 2019).
“Corruption in Plain Sight”: Trump's Son-in-Law Jared Kushner's Firm Took in $90 Million From Unnamed Foreign Entities Since 2017 – Eoin Higgins (Common Dreams, June 10, 2019).
Elizabeth Warren Makes a Case for Democrats to Be the Anti-Corruption Party – Sheelah Kolhatkar (The New Yorker, June 7, 2018).

UPDATES: Trump Is Tweeting About “Civil War” and Asking for His Political Opponent to Be Arrested – Jack Holmes (Esquire, September 30, 2019).
“Beyond Repugnant”: Cracks in GOP Begin to Show as Trump Suggests “Civil War” Over Impeachment – Igor Derysh (Salon, September 30, 2019).
Trump's “Civil War” Quote Tweet Is Actually Grounds for Impeachment, Says Harvard Law Professor – Alexandra Hutzler (The New York Times, September 30, 2019).
Trump Seeks Whistle-Blower's Identity – Annie Karni and Eileen Sullivan (The New York Times, September 30, 2019).
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Took Part in Ukraine Call, Official Says – Courtney McBride and Sadie Gurman (The Wall Street Journal, September 30, 2019).
Attorney General William Barr Personally Asked Foreign Officials to Aid Inquiry into CIA and FBI Activities in 2016 – Devlin Barrett, Shane Harris and Matt Zapotosky (The Washington Post via MSN, September 30, 2019).
Trump Asked Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison for Help Investigating Mueller Inquiry – Andrew Probyn, Conor Duffy, Andrew Greene and Brett Worthington (ABC News, September 30, 2019).
Rudy Giuliani, “Wildest of Wild Cards,” Subpoenaed For Trump Impeachment Inquiry – Eoin Higgins (Common Dreams, September 30, 2019).
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Says Senate Will Put Trump on Trial If House Votes to Impeach – Fadel Allassan (Axios, September 30, 2019).
Impeach the Malignant Fraudster – Charles Blow (The New York Times, September 30, 2019).
Donald Trump is Finished – Bill Blum (TruthDig, September 30, 2019).
Joe Biden’s Family Has Been Cashing in on His Career for Decades. Democrats Need to Acknowledge That – Ryan Grim (The Intercept, October 7, 2019).
Trump’s Children Take in Millions Overseas as President Slams Biden’s Son – Noah Bierman and Chris Megerian (The Los Angeles Times, October 10, 2019).
How Don Jr., Ivanka, and Eric Trump Have Profited Off Their Dad's Presidency – Jay Willis (GQ, October 14, 2019).
Trump Is a “Successful Sociopath” and a Predator Who “Lacks a Conscience and Lacks Empathy,” Says Former Harvard Psychiatrist – Shane CroucherR (Newsweek, October 29, 2019).
A Democracy-Killing Duo: How the Supreme Court and the Morbidly Rich Are Ruining Democracy in America – Thom Hartmann (Common Dreams, October 30, 2019).
Why the Impeachment Fight Is Even Scarier Than You Think – Thomas Pepinsky (Politico, October 31, 2019).
Democrats Can't Ignore Their Biden Problem Forever – Jacob Sugarman (Common Dreams, November 1, 2019).
Trump: The Most Corrupt President in U.S. History – The Real News Networks (November 13, 2019).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Hope in the Midst of Collapse
• Quote of the Day – May 23, 2018
• Presidential Candidate Marianne Williamson: “We’re Living at a Critical Moment in Our Democracy”
• Progressive Perspectives on Joe Biden's Presidential Run
• Bernie Sanders: Quote of the Day – February 6, 2018
• Progressive Perspectives on the Election of Donald Trump
• Progressive Perspectives on the Rise of Donald Trump

Image 1: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images.
Image 2: Visar Kryeziu / AP.