Legalize Nuclear Bombs, Bribery, and Fraud
This weekend, Musk continued his infiltration of government agencies, stoking fears of an impending constitutional crisis.
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My next long-form analytical piece is in the works and should be out this week. For now, let’s cover the most recent chapter in what appears to be a brewing constitutional crisis.
Various Lawsuits Filed Against Trump Administration
“Judge blocks Trump administration from cutting research funding after 22 states sue”
“Judge Partially Blocks DOGE Data Access in Response to Lawsuit by AFGE, Allies” (Federal Workers Union)
“US ordered not to release list of FBI agents tied to Jan. 6 cases”
Trump Forces California to Needlessly Release Billions of Gallons of Water in Fire-related PR Stunt, Stoking Fears from Farmers That There Won’t Be Ample Water for the Summer
Trump to Allow Corporations to Bribe Foreign Officials
In the first days of Trump’s presidency, he had revoked existing executive orders which prevented lobbyists from bribing executive branch officials with gifts, money, and promises of future employment. Now, he has directed the DOJ to ease the enforcement of a law intended to stop U.S. companies from bribing officials overseas.
DOGE Infiltrates the Department of Energy, Risking Unqualified Access to Nuclear Secrets
In what appears to have become a theme, yet another group of unqualified twenty-something interns from one of Elon’s other ventures has gained access to a crucial government department, this time being the Department of Energy. Concerningly, this is the department tasked with overseeing nuclear weapons programs. Though Trump’s new energy secretary, fossil fuel executive Chris Wright, has sought to assuage concerns that the consultants’ lack of security clearance would bar them from accessing nuclear secrets, this hasn’t stopped them from accessing sensitive information from other agencies, like USAID and the Treasury.
Musk Tries to Kill Consumer Protection Agency so That He Can Do Fraud
Elon Musk is attempting to kill the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), likely in order to benefit his future X banking product as well as the financial interests of others in his orbit.
The CFPB is responsible for fighting fraud and abuse perpetrated by banks and other financial institutions. The agency has saved consumers billions over the years. Closing a single overdraft loophole late last year is estimated to save consumers $6 billion annually, and it’s unclear what’s going to happen to a new rule designed to remove medical debt from credit reports.
Several conflicts of interest are manifestly obvious here. Musk has long touted his plan to turn X into an “everything app” akin to Chinese super apps like WeChat, which include social functions and payment processing. Recently, X and Visa appear to have entered a partnership, bringing this concept closer to reality and meaning that Musk’s company would become imminently subject to the scrutiny of the CFPB. Musk and other billionaires in Trump’s orbit were notably involved in other financial products like PayPal and various crypto ventures, as well.
Judge Accuses the Trump Administration of Ignoring a Court Order to Unfreeze Spending
A judge had ordered the Trump administration to reverse its sweeping federal funding freeze. Although the administration has partially done so, funding for some agencies, like the National Health Institute (NIH) (which funds disease research) and USAID remain frozen.
Vice President J.D. Vance and Musk have both publicly questioned the authority judges wield over Trump and the executive branch. “Judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power,” Vance suggests. But if the administration feels that the judge has unfairly declared an executive action as unconstitutional (an act well within the constitutional designs of the judicial branch), there is an appeals process that they may follow to escalate accordingly. Simply ignoring judicial rulings, which is what Trump’s acolytes appear to be advocating for, would effectively grant dictatorial power to the executive and pave the way for a constitutional crisis. Let’s hope that, should it come to that, other institutions are robust enough to stand as a bulwark against unfettered centralization of governmental power.