corruption

The Scandal isn't in Clarence Thomas's Corruption, but His Jurisprudence

by Corey Robin

It's a mistake to ask if receiving gifts from a wealthy benefactor has shaped the Justice's rulings. His rulings have paved the way for the power of money in America. 

There's a Precedent for Trump's Indictment: Spiro Agnew

by Zach Messitte, Charles Holden and Jerald Podair

Nixon's VP pioneered the right-wing politics of grievance against coastal elites and higher education familiar today. He also had a tendency to accept bribes that is familiar. But in 1973 the Republican Party was willing to cut him loose. 

Does History Show a Remedy for Dark Money?

by Bo Blew

Until 1969's Tax Reform Act, private foundations allowed the rich to influence policy and avoid taxation with haphazard oversight by the states. The new generation of independent political action groups needs similar federal oversight.

The Ukraine Crisis Represents Kleptocracy Coming Home to Roost

Western powers have precipitated the possible war over Ukraine not by seeking to expand NATO but by allowing the unchecked reign of kleptocrats since the end of the Cold War. 

The President Who Beats Donald Trump at Corruption

by Kevin M. Kruse

"To find the real counterpart to Trump’s gang of money-grubbing grifters, we need to look back a century to the crime-riddled administration of Warren G. Harding."

Trump Cheated on His Taxes. What Happens Now?

by James D. Zirin

"When I was a federal prosecutor going after white collar criminals, I always looked for the accountant. He was the most likely witness for the government."

The County Where Cops Call the Shots

Aaron Bekemeyer's PhD dissertation research examines how police unions, like those in Suffolk County, NY, became powerful in the 20th Century. Jennifer Mittelstadt also comments on the exceptional status of police unions.

Cleaning House: Watergate and the Limits of Reform

by John A. Lawrence

The reform agenda of the "Watergate Babies" class elected to Congress in 1974 achieved important successes but failed to prevent either the rise of the imperial presidency or increased partisan polarization. 

Watergate Led to Reforms. Now, Would-Be Reformers Believe, So Will Trump

Jack Goldmith and Robert Bauer, legal veterans of the George W. Bush and Obama administrations respectively, are proposing a slate of reforms to limit executive branch powers. They hope to match the legislation passed after Watergate and the revelations of intelligence community abuses exposed by the Church Committee.

Nepotism Is Bad For Government. Trump’s Convention Reminds Us Why

by Christine Adams

The pervasive influence of Trump's family members on government compares to the courts of the Bourbon kings of France. Republicans might consider how that worked out. 

Historic Levels, but Not the Good Kind

by Heather Cox Richardson

Warren G. Harding created an atmosphere in which the point of government was not to help ordinary Americans, but to see how much leaders could get out of it.

Big Alex McKenzie and the Last Great Fraud of the Gilded Age

by Paul Starobin

Alexander McKenzie’s plot to corner Alaska’s gold proved to be the last great swindle of the original gilded age, as this seamy chapter in our national life gave way to what become known as the Progressive Era.

No More Business as Usual! It’s Time for Joe Biden to Defend our Democracy

by Claudia Koonz

A historian of European dictatorship argues that Joe Biden must recognize that not just the election but the health of democracy is at stake and challenge the administration's efforts to operate above the law.

Before Trump Called for Reevaluating Lockdowns, They Shuttered Six of His Top-Earning Clubs and Resorts

Trump is considering easing restrictions on movement sooner than federal public health experts recommend, in the name of reducing the virus’s economic damage.

Senator Dumped Up to $1.7 Million of Stock After Reassuring Public About Coronavirus Preparedness

Intelligence Chair Richard Burr’s selloff came around the time he was receiving daily briefings on the health threat.

How the Gilded Age's Top 1 Percent Thrived on Corruption

Railroads Were at the Forefront of Political Corruption  

The Long History of Unjust and Lawless Attorneys General

by Ronald L. Feinman

It isn't just William Barr. 

To Prevent Brain Drain, Kosovo Must Eradicate Corruption

by Alon Ben-Meir and Arbana Xharra

On the eve of the twentieth anniversary of the end of Kosovo war, the country is facing a dramatic large-scale brain drain.

The 47-Minute Presidency

by Tom Engelhardt

The 47 minutes that define Trump's presidency and why they are worth revisiting. 

How Do You Fire a Special Prosecutor? Ask Harry Truman.

by Andrew Coan

The Truman tax scandals teach an important lesson about the relationship between special prosecutors and democratic politics.