President Donald Trump’s regime is withdrawing from an effort against global corruption as evidence shows Americans are increasingly concerned about corrupt politicians.
Trump, who has conducted more stock trades than every member of Congress combined since retaking office and has shamelessly used the presidency to enrich his family, is leading the most brazenly corrupt administration in modern history. He has released convicted fraudsters from prison, and his political appointees have gutted a Justice Department unit designed to combat corruption. The president has even reportedly discussed offering mass pardons to “everyone who has come within 200 feet” of the Oval Office before he leaves office, a vow one might expect from a corrupt despot.
Given this pattern of behavior, Tuesday’s news about the Trump administration pulling out of a European anti-corruption watchdog, the Group of States Against Corruption, wasn’t entirely surprising, even if appalling.
As The Associated Press reported:
The Council of Europe said Tuesday that the U.S. formally notified it a day earlier that it would leave the Group of States against Corruption, or GRECO. Only two other countries have left GRECO before — Russia and Belarus.
The State Department confirmed the move, saying that U.S. participation, which requires an annual monetary contribution, “does not provide tangible benefits to U.S. national security.”
Shocker: An administration led by a man who has openly defended his family’s ability to profit from the presidency doesn’t see “tangible benefits” to partaking in this effort against corruption. (The White House has repeatedly said Trump and his family never engage in conflicts of interest and that he puts the interests of Americans first.)
The move also comes amid anti-corruption backlash that could hinder the MAGA movement’s political hopes in the weeks ahead — and beyond.
In early August, my colleague James Downie highlighted a CNN poll that found nearly two-thirds of Americans think Trump has “has gone too far” in “pursuing his personal business interests while serving as president.” Downie argued this showed why Democrats need to spotlight corruption — particularly, Trump’s corruption — with the midterms approaching.
And it turns out Democrats are doing just that, even if — as MS NOW’s Kevin Frey reported — some of them in Trump-friendly regions are avoiding using the president’s name and vowing to target “corruption” more generally.
A recent Gallup poll found that “Americans’ perceptions of government corruption in the U.S. are at their highest level in 20 years, with 89 percent of U.S. adults saying it is widespread.” Similarly, a recent YouGov poll found that 75% of Americans think most or many elected officials are corrupt.
These are all signs of an American public that has grown deeply distrustful of elected officials, while Trump — with his posh parties and seemingly endless self-enrichment — has simultaneously become the face of American corruption. And this choice to leave an anti-corruption watchdog certainly won’t help his or his party’s cause.
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