six weeks of corruption and malfeasance in Washington

Chris Murphy stood on the Senate floor and laid out a case that should have shattered Washington’s collective denial. Instead, it landed in the middle of a political climate too exhausted to react. In just six weeks, Trump and his billionaire allies had set up a system designed to funnel money and power directly into their hands.

Every safeguard was dismantled. Oversight mechanisms were gutted. Laws existed only for those outside Trump’s inner circle. The office of the presidency was transformed into a personal enterprise, where influence had a price tag and billionaires got what they paid for.

Trump’s Cryptocurrency Payoff Scheme

Murphy pointed to a moment in January when Trump introduced a cryptocurrency known as “meme coin.” This wasn’t a novelty project. The structure of the coin allowed anonymous buyers to transfer money directly to Trump without regulatory oversight. The former president held back 80% of the coin’s supply, releasing it only after the value spiked. The timing aligned with wealthy investors and foreign figures purchasing large amounts. Murphy called it what it was—an undisguised bribery system disguised as a digital asset (The Guardian).

Energy Policy as a Transaction

Oil executives entered closed-door meetings with Trump’s campaign and emerged with a deal. They provided him with financial backing, and his administration rewarded them with regulatory changes that undercut renewable energy competitors. Permits for wind energy vanished overnight, and oil companies received policy decisions that ensured their dominance. It was an exchange, not a governance strategy (CT Insider).

Eliminating the Watchdogs

Government officials responsible for investigating fraud were removed. Seventeen Inspectors General, whose work centered on ensuring financial accountability in federal agencies, were fired in a single purge. The decision had no justification beyond self-preservation. Watchdogs pose a problem when corruption operates in the open. Trump erased them before they could interfere (CT Insider).

Musk’s Direct Influence Over the Federal Government

Murphy drew a direct line between Trump’s administration and Elon Musk’s financial interests. The removal of key regulators at the National Labor Relations Board signaled a collapse of oversight at a time when Musk’s companies faced scrutiny for unsafe working conditions. The decision eliminated a regulatory threat to businesses aligned with Trump.

Internal data from the Department of Labor also reached Musk’s team. This information included enforcement details regarding workplace violations at SpaceX and Tesla. Access to such records gave Musk’s companies an advantage and compromised investigations before they began (AP News).

Regulatory agencies overseeing Musk’s Neuralink project faced their own purge. FDA officials responsible for reviewing the company’s medical devices were fired. Their positions were filled by individuals expected to support Musk’s interests. The timing created the impression of an approval process designed around corporate influence rather than public safety (AP News).

Department of Justice as a Political Tool

Trump’s Justice Department eliminated a federal corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. In exchange, Adams pledged political loyalty. Federal prosecutors within the department resigned in protest. The withdrawal of charges cemented a precedent—Trump’s DOJ would protect allies while punishing critics (AP News).

Foreign bribery laws faced suspension. U.S. corporations that previously operated under anti-corruption guidelines were now free to engage in financial dealings with foreign governments that had previously been classified as illegal. Trump’s administration framed the decision as a measure to remove regulatory burdens on American businesses. Murphy characterized it as a direct endorsement of corporate corruption (WSJ).

Musk’s Businesses Absorbing Government Contracts

Tesla was awarded a $400 million State Department contract without a competitive bidding process. The administration fast-tracked the deal, ignoring prior government plans that had allocated a fraction of that amount for electric vehicle purchases. The transaction functioned as a handout to one of Trump’s key allies (Business Insider).

Another contract, originally awarded to Verizon, shifted without explanation to Musk’s Starlink. The decision upended a longstanding agreement with a competitor. No transparency accompanied the shift. No justification was provided to explain the change. Trump’s administration simply removed Verizon and inserted Musk (Business Insider).

Corporate Advertising on Musk’s Platform as Political Insurance

Businesses adjusted their advertising strategies to accommodate Musk’s expanding political power. Advertising revenue on X, Musk’s social media platform, increased after major corporations returned as advertisers. This was not a reaction to increased user engagement or better performance metrics. Companies operated under the belief that advertising on X had become a necessary form of political insurance (WSJ).

Access to the President for a Price

The most explicit example of transactional corruption came with the revelation that business leaders could secure a private meeting with Trump in exchange for a $5 million payment. This was not a campaign fundraiser disguised as a policy event. The meetings were advertised as direct, one-on-one discussions with the president in exchange for financial contributions.

Murphy’s reaction was measured but direct:

“If any previous president had sent out an advertisement suggesting that you could meet with them for a payment of a million to five million dollars, in and of itself, we would deem that to be unacceptable.”

The administration no longer pretended to separate private financial interests from governance (The Guardian).

A Warning That Cannot Be Ignored

Murphy described a pattern of corruption that was too frequent to be dismissed. He outlined a strategy where unethical decisions were made so quickly that the public became numb.

“Democracies die when the very powerful people steal from us so regularly, so openly, so unapologetically that we come to believe that it’s normal.”

A slow, deliberate collapse of ethical governance is underway. Trump and Musk operate under the assumption that no one will stop them. The country must decide whether they are right.