Dan Weiner

A New Era of Crony Capitalism Washington hasn’t seen graft like this for at least a century.

Trump’s net worth has grown by $3 billion since he took office. That’s not a coincidence.

In President Trump’s second term, the need for action against corruption has never been clearer. Join @danw329.bsky.social and @eepetry.bsky.social for a Reddit AMA: 

How Congress Can Rein in Surging Political Corruption Federal lawmakers can protect the American public by passing a new law to fully implement the Constitution’s oldest anticorruption safeguards.

Corruption is hardly a new problem, but the abuses taking place now are unlike anything seen in generations. Here’s what Congress can do about it: bit.ly/43MmpHM

How Congress Can Rein in Surging Political Corruption Federal lawmakers can protect the American public by passing a new law to fully implement the Constitution’s oldest anticorruption safeguards.

President Trump has already made well over $1B off the presidency in his 2d term. Many of the deals he is profiting from appear to violate the Constitution’s foreign and domestic emoluments clauses. But Congress needs to codify them. Our new paper explains how: www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

Trump Pardons Convicted Binance Founder The pardon follows months of efforts by Changpeng Zhao to boost the Trump family’s own crypto company.

President Trump pardoned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao who pleaded guilty to money laundering in 2023. Binance is also reportedly a major supporter of the Trump family's World Liberty Financial. www.wsj.com/finance/curr...

Clarification: payments **other than** his salary.

Fixing this problem is how you start rebuilding Americans’ faith in their government. It’s happened before and will need to be a priority again.

The rules also have little to say about appointees he can fire at will getting involved in matters where he has a direct financial interest.

Proposals for Reform: National Task Force on Rule of Law & Democracy The National Task Force on Rule of Law and Democracy is a nonpartisan group of former public servants and policy experts who have come together to develop solutions to repair and revitalize our democr...

The bigger problem is that anticorruption rules for the federal government are in tatters. For one thing, the president is exempt from many of the most basic safeguards. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/pol...

Legal Ethics and the Rule of Law All practicing lawyers within and outside the government are bound by ethical rules, standards, and commitments that protect against abuses of power.

That’s the kind of basic conflict of interest all lawyers are supposed to avoid. See:

www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

As is often the case, the real question is: who decides? It definitely shouldn’t be people the president not only appointed but who were literally his personal lawyers handling some of the same matters giving rise to his claims.

But...the payout demand was first made in 2023 and arises from events that happened when Trump was not in office, so he can argue it’s not prohibited.

The Emoluments Clauses, Explained The framers wanted to insulate the president and federal officials from corrupting influences, but a new law is needed to ensure effective enforcement.

On its face, the Constitution’s Domestic Emoluments Clause bars payments to the president from the federal government. This would seem to be exactly the kind of scenario the Framers worried about when they included this provision. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

Trump Said to Demand Justice Dept. Pay Him $230 Million for Past Cases

Why should you care that the president’s appointees at DOJ, including his former personal attorneys, could decide whether he gets a $230M payout directly to him? Because that money is coming directly from all of us, the U.S. taxpayers.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/21/u...

Corruption isn’t new, but what we are seeing today is like nothing in recent memory. Listen as we discuss on Michael Waldman’s weekly podcast.

Paying for Power Listen to this episode from The Briefing with Michael Waldman on Spotify. We are living in a new era of corruption, one that combines personal self-dealing and vast funds pouring into the political process. Whether it’s the crypto industry dominating Congress, the world’s wealthiest man bankrolling the winning presidential campaign, regulatory decisions used to pressure businesses, or the government quashing the bribery investigation of a top official, public power and private gain are fusing into one. Experts lay out a plan to end the culture of kleptocracy. Speakers:Jane Mayer, Staff Writer, The New YorkerDaniel I. Weiner, Director, Elections and Government Program, Brennan CenterHost, Michael Waldman, President and CEOIf you enjoy this program, please give us a boost by liking it, subscribing, and sharing it with your friends. If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts, please give it a five-star rating. Recorded on October 15, 2025.Keep up with the Brennan Center’s work by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, The Briefing, at https://go.brennancenter.org/briefing.The Brennan Center is a nonpartisan law and policy institute that works to repair, revitalize, and defend our systems of democracy and justice so they work for all Americans. The Brennan Center cannot support or oppose any candidate for office.

PODCAST: We are living in a new era of corruption, where legal guardrails have crumbled. Listen to The Briefing with Michael Waldman to hear experts lay out a plan to end the culture of kleptocracy. bit.ly/3W64x6C

Money in politics is a central issue for voters across the political spectrum, and we plan for this to be a recurring series as we move towards the 2026 midterms and beyond.

Money in Politics Roundup — October 2025 Our new recurring feature covers key stories from the world of campaign finance and influence buying, from the AI industry to super PAC support for a lame-duck president.

Curious about recent campaign finance trends and key stories? Check out our first Money and Politics Roundup, featuring analysis of record-breaking off-year fundraising, a deep dive on AI industry political spending + important legal and policy developments. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

Dan Weiner on the Brennan Center's Interesting Amicus Brief in the NRSC Case #ELB I asked Dan Weiner of the Brennan Center to write a bit about the interesting position they’ve taken in the NRSC campaign finance case. Here is his guest post: On Monday the Brennan Center for Justice...

Dan Weiner on the Brennan Center’s Interesting Amicus Brief in the NRSC Case electionlawblog.org?p=152425

Corruption in America Experts lay out a plan to end the culture of kleptocracy.

We are living through a new era of corruption, where legal guardrails have crumbled. What will end the culture of kleptocracy?

Join us for a live virtual event with @janemayer.bsky.social, @mawaldman.bsky.social, and @danw329.bsky.social on Wed., Oct. 15, at 3pm ET. RSVP:

Can Newly Elected Politicians Shift a “Stuck” Congress? Mounting forces of violence and fundraising pressure have made Congress increasingly inhospitable to change.

Congress is stuck, and incoming reformers have less and less space to unstick it. Here are some ways to grease the wheels for them:

Legal Ethics and the Rule of Law All practicing lawyers within and outside the government are bound by ethical rules, standards, and commitments that protect against abuses of power.

Eight months into the second Trump administration, there are profound concerns for the rule of law in the U.S. Our new resource outlines the legal and ethical responsibilities of government lawyers that serve as vital checks on abuse of power. bit.ly/4g3hO9f

Today’s murder of Charlie Kirk is outrageous. It is part of a dangerous pattern of violence that threatens the safety of all communities. This violence is unacceptable and tears at the social fabric, and we must find a way to work together to end it.

Stephanie Ruhle & Dan Weiner - Fast Politics with Molly Jong-Fast | iHeart <p>MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle examines the disappointing job numbers the Trump administration just received. <em data-start='153' data-end='175'>The Brennan Center’s</em> Dan Weiner details the congressional stock ban now being reconsidered.</p><p>See <a href='https://omnystudio.com/listener'>omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.</p>

@danw329.bsky.social was on @mollyjongfast.bsky.social's Fast Politics to talk about why stock trading by lawmakers raises the potential for conflicts of interest, how existing safeguards fail to address the problem, and how stronger enforcement can produce real reform.

Pentagon plans military deployment in Chicago as Trump eyes crackdown President Donald Trump said Chicago is his next likely target to crack down on urban crime. Military planning has been ongoing for weeks, officials say.

The Pentagon is reportedly planning to mobilize thousands of National Guard forces and deploy them in Chicago for the purpose of crime control. Trump is on even thinner legal ice with this plan than he is in Los Angeles and D.C. 1/12 www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Corruption in the United States The threat that corruption poses to democracy has never been greater, requiring bold reforms to return power to the American people.

You can find more of our writing and analysis on this topic here:

www.brennancenter.org/series/corru...

What Is Political Corruption and What Can We Do About It? It hurts ordinary Americans in concrete ways, and the risk has never been greater given today’s unprecedented mixing of private wealth with political power.

NEW from the @brennancenter.org: what is political corruption and what can we do about? And excellent new analysis by @eepetry.bsky.social and @lisadanetz.bsky.social.

www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

Thread—important to understand how unprecedented this is.

Survey Finds Election Officials Want More Support Amid Federal Cutbacks and Ongoing Threats Local election officials are concerned about the loss of federal support for election security and hope state and local governments will step in to fill the void.

Some more detailed thoughts on the @brennancenter.org latest survey of election officials from my colleague Ruby Edlin and me. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

US Senate strikes AI regulation ban from Trump megabill The Republican-led U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to remove a 10-year federal moratorium on state regulation of artificial intelligence from President Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending bill.

Some good news for those who believe states should retain the right to protect tyeir citizens from the misuse of AI and other tech. But don’t rest too easy — we should expect more such fights ahead. www.reuters.com/legal/govern...