Eric Petry
@eepetry.bsky.social
Counsel in the Elections and Government Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, working to address money in politics and public corruption. Opinions my own.
The question isn’t hypothetical: the president now oversees regulators with power over his own business interests. That’s a structural threat to democratic accountability that Congress can and should fix.
June 17, 2025 at 12:07 AM
The question isn’t hypothetical: the president now oversees regulators with power over his own business interests. That’s a structural threat to democratic accountability that Congress can and should fix.
I broke down how this kind of self-dealing is possible and what reforms are needed in this Brennan Center report:
www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
Uncovering Conflicts of Interest and Self-Dealing in the Executive Branch
The new administration could use federal contracts, tariffs, regulations, taxes, and other levers of government to benefit campaign donors, high-level officials, and the president himself.
www.brennancenter.org
June 17, 2025 at 12:07 AM
I broke down how this kind of self-dealing is possible and what reforms are needed in this Brennan Center report:
www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
This fits a broader pattern: Trump is blurring the lines between public power and private profit through his crypto, hotels, licensing deals, and other businesses unlike any president before.
June 17, 2025 at 12:07 AM
This fits a broader pattern: Trump is blurring the lines between public power and private profit through his crypto, hotels, licensing deals, and other businesses unlike any president before.
Telecom is a heavily regulated industry, which means the Trump administration has power over policies that could affect (and directly benefit) this new company.
June 17, 2025 at 12:07 AM
Telecom is a heavily regulated industry, which means the Trump administration has power over policies that could affect (and directly benefit) this new company.