A Bridge Too Far

The level of corruption in this administration has reached unprecedented levels.

Trump’s recent effort to sue the government, which he also controls and whose Department of Justice is headed by his former private attorney, settle out of court, and then create a $1.776 billion fund to compensate his allies for supposed harassment by the Biden Justice Department when they were tried and sentenced for crimes like the Jan. 6 insurrection and election disruption, is the most brazen example of corruption by a notoriously corrupt administration that we’ve yet witnessed.

Though you’ve likely been following this story, just remember that not only is the whole premise of this fund bogus—Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS was without merit and would likely have been dismissed had he not withdrawn the lawsuit.  Moreover, there is no clear example that he or his Republican cronies can point to of a single person who was targeted for prosecution without justification. 

This “slush fund” is a transparent way for the administration to reward its allies using public funds, not allocated by Congress, controlled by Trump appointees who serve at his pleasure, through a vehicle that will conveniently sunset just before Trump leaves office.  

And if that weren’t enough, the deal includes a clause that the IRS is precluded from pursuing tax claims against Trump, members of his family or his business based on any currently pending audit.

This is rank corruption and, thankfully, there are a few lawsuits attempting to prevent it and some efforts in Congress to prevent or severely restrict it.  More surprisingly, those efforts have been more bipartisan than any in Congress this session to rein in this president.

It appears that even for sycophantic Republicans, this is a bridge too far.

To allow this to go forward would be to allow the administration to engage in exactly the sort of self-dealing behavior that our Constitution was designed to prevent.  And if he gets away with it, everyone appears to recognize that this will be another steppingstone to yet more far-reaching corrupt behavior.

There is an ancient rabbinic dictum that “one commandment leads to another, and one transgression leads to another.”  (Avot 4:2). The idea is that each religious obligation we fulfill makes it easier to do another, and conversely, each transgression we commit similarly make it easier to do another.  It is just human psychology.  When a person discovers that they can get away with deceit or corruption, they will be motivated to stay with it. 

This may be the turning point that we’ve been waiting for.  With the president’s approval rating continuing to fall, the midterm elections approaching, inflation continuing to rise, the unpopularity of the war with Iran, and Trump’s 2024 voters abandoning him and his party, we are facing an inflection point. 

This corrupt scheme cannot be allowed to stand.  If it does, I think we can fairly conclude that there will be no limit at all to what the administration will attempt. 

Some friends said to me more than a year ago that they were worried there wouldn’t be a midterm election.  At the time, I dismissed that as catastrophizing.  But if we don’t stop this, I think that—and yet more erosions of our liberties and constitutional rights—will soon follow.

Most of my blog posts have been reflections on the meaning of resistance; this one is an urgent call to action.   

Each of us needs to contact our Senators and Congressional representatives to express in the strongest possible terms that we will not tolerate this. 

Here is the link to contact your elected officials. 

Now, mobilize and encourage everyone you know to do the same. 

There are moments when we have the opportunity to face down corruption and defend transparency, decency, and the rule of law.  This is such a moment. 

There was another such moment when the Senate had the opportunity to convict Trump following the events of Jan. 6.  It failed to do so and we are living with the consequences of that failure. 

We dare not fail to rise to this moment.  It is our patriotic duty.  

Note:  Since I wrote this, two federal judges have challenged the creation of this fund.  How these will play out in the courts remains to be seen.  So, while this is surely good news, I repeat:  we need Congress to step in and make this and all such corrupt deals illegal.  Contact your representatives now!