When Donald Trump entered the White House in January 2017 – in the wake of his unfounded charge of corruption in the Obama Presidency – he proceeded to fill government positions with incompetent, inexperienced, unethical sycophants and lobbyists. Before long, corrupt Department heads Richard Cordray (CFPB), Ryan Zinke (Interior), and Scott Pruitt (EPA) were driven from their jobs for their abuse of office. Others with conflicts of interest remain, including Wilbur Ross (Commerce), Steve Mnuchin (Treasury), Sonny Purdue (Agriculture), Ben Carson (HUD), Betsy DeVos (Education), Elaine Chao (Transportation), and William Barr (Justice). Lower on the scale (to name a few) with conflicts are Seema Verda (Medicaid), Scott Angelle and Doug Demenech (Interior), Rachel Brand (Justice), Steve Censky, Brooke Appleton and Kailee Tkacz (Agriculture), and Nancy Beck (EPA), all former lobbyists for industries they now regulate.
Trump’s own hypocrisy and conflicts of interest and expensive (Secret Service) visits to his golf clubs are worthy of investigation and indictment. The willingness of Sen. Steve Daines and Rep. Greg Gianforte in supporting this corruption disqualify them from further office. The Biden administration will have a huge challenge in trying to unwind this interference with good government and American democracy.
John Shellenberger
Bozeman