Corruption
Scandal Categories
Displaying 91 Scandals
Sorted by When News Broke
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10/24/24Violated contractual obligations he signed with the US military by acquiescing to Russian President Vladimir Putin's demand that he deny satellite internet service over Taiwan as a favor to the Chinese leader during one of his many secret conversations he had with the Russian leader over a two-year periodAccording to an exclusive report by The Wall Street Journal
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Donald Trump45th U.S. President162.3m10/14/24Commuted convicted fraudster Phillip Esformes' sentence after he had only served less than two years of his twenty-year sentence for a massive healthcare fraud following a public relations campaign his well-connected family waged with the Trump White House and after released criminally threatened his wife and another family member with verbal threats and by breaking glassware set on a nearby tableAccording to news reports from credible media outlets10/08/24Clandestinely spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin as many as seven times after he left office, during which time he possessed highly classified national security documents he illegally took with him when he left the White House and realistically could have shared with PutinSecretly gave Russian President Vladimir Putin extremely rare Covid-19 test machines for his personal use at a time they were desperately needed all throughout the United States possibly to curry favor with Putin or as a reward for his 2016 election interference that helped put him in officeAccording to exclusive reporting by veteran journalist Bob Woodward in his book "War"
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Dean TranFmr. State Senator [R-MA]9/12/24Fraudulently received $30,120 in COVID unemployment benefits while he was still employed and concealed $54,700 in consulting fees he earned and "thousands of dollars in income" from the IRS when he filed his 2021 federal income taxesAccording to charging documents filed by federal officials
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Tina PetersCounty Clerk [R-CO]5k8/13/24Allowed an unauthorized individual to make copies of voting machine hard drives and attend a voting machine software update intended only for credentialed election officialsAccording to charging documents filed by the Colorado Attorney General
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Donald Trump45th U.S. President162.3m5/09/24Asked wealthy oil executives to spend $1 billion to elect him in 2024 and promised to throw out environmental regulations designed to combat global climate change on "Day 1" as a reward if he were to return to the White HouseAccording to news reports from credible media outlets
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Clarence ThomasSupreme Court Justice [R]4/25/24Declined to recuse himself from a Supreme Court case determining whether Donald Trump is immune from criminal charges stemming from his attempt to overturn the 2020 election despite the fact that his wife Ginni was intimately involved in the scheme to prevent Biden from becoming PresidentAccording to news reports from credible media outlets
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Donald Trump45th U.S. President162.3m1/04/24Remained closely tied to his namesake company which ended up raking in at least $7.8 million from 20 different foreign governments throughout his Presidency by having his sons run it instead of placing it in the hands of a neutral arbiter which violated decades of norms and traditions that were in place to prevent a President from profiting off the officeAccording to an exclusive report by The New York Times
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12/13/23Secretly sold up to $50,000 of Boeing shares mere days before a House committee he was on released a highly critical report about the company and then failed to disclose the sale for more than two months and only reported it after he won reelection in a race he won by a mere 333 votesAllegedly according to reporting from credible media outlets
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Donald Trump45th U.S. President162.3m11/26/23Pardoned a convicted drug smuggler who had connections with his son-in-law Jared Kushner's family after only serving two and a half years of his ten-year sentence and who was later arrested for assaulting his wife and father-in-lawAccording to news reports from credible media outlets
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10/20/23Illegally obtained over $45,000 in Small Business Covid-Relief Funds out of $150,000 he applied for by claiming that dormant companies he owned with no employees actually had 6 employees and revenue of $800k and then lied to federal agents when they questioned him about itAccording to charging documents filed by federal prosecutors
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Paul KennedyFmr. Mayor [R-NJ]9/22/23According to charging documents filed by local police
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Clarence ThomasSupreme Court Justice [R]9/22/23Secretly flew on a private plane to attend events hosted by a right-wing organization which frequently argued cases before the Supreme Court and failed to disclose it which George W. Bush appointed judge John E. Jones III characterized as taking his "breath away" and noted that it would have resulted in a "disciplinary hearing" for any lower court federal judgeAccording to an exclusive investigative report by Pro Publica
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9/14/23Secretly accepted a golf trip without reporting it as required by law in which a major Republican businessman flew him on a private jet to play a round and stay overnight at the Augusta National Golf Club (the most exclusive in the country) and soon after his administration gave his business $92 million in COVID relief funds to fund a major highway projectAccording to an exclisive report by The Washington Post
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Eric UlrichFmr. Commissioner [R-NY]9/13/23Accepted over $150,000 in cash and gifts including premium NY Mets season tickets, a discounted beachfront apartment, a bespoke suit and a one-of-a-kind painting by an apprentice of Spanish surrealist Salvador Dalí in exchange for helping his co-conspirators gain special access to top officials to get a leg up on various pet projects of theirsAccording to charging documents filed by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg
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Harry SidhuFmr. Mayor [R-CA]20 Years in GOPLying to the "Feds", Egregious Conflict of Interest, Misuse of Government Resources for Political Gain8/16/23Took advantage of his position as mayor to muscle himself onto a negotiating team involved with a $320 million MLB stadium project and later shared confidential information with the owner of the team with the expectation of getting "at least" a million-dollar political donation in return and then lied to federal agents when they questioned him about itAllegedly according to reporting from credible media outlets
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Matt BorgesFmr. Ohio GOP Chair6/30/23Conspired with former state House Speaker Larry Householder to accept $60 million in bribes from a state nuclear energy company that in turn was given a $1.3 billion taxpayer bailout for two struggling nuclear power plants it operatedAccording to charging documents filed by federal officials
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Scott JenkinsSheriff [R-VA]6/29/23Accepted cash bribes totaling $72,500 to circumvent concealed carry gun laws by giving people fake deputy credentials that allowed them to carry a concealed weapon in any state without a permitAccording to charging documents filed by federal officials
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Larry HouseholderFmr. House Speaker [R-OH]6/29/23Masterminded a bribery scheme that saw him illegally raking in a whopping $60 million from a state nuclear energy company that in turn was given a $1.3 billion taxpayer bailout for two struggling nuclear power plants it operatedAllegedly according to reporting from credible media outlets
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6/22/23Declined to recuse himself from an investigation into an addiction recovery center he accepted a $6,900 donation from when in a prior case he forced a judge to recuse themself for accepting a donation of only $250According to an investigative report by The Daily Beast
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Samuel AlitoSupreme Court Justice [R]6/20/23Traveled free of charge on an opulent private jet chartered by billionaire hedge fund manager Paul Singer to an exclusive Alaskan fishing resort without reporting it on his financial disclosure forms and later voted with the majority in Singer's favor on a case involving his businessAccording to an exclusive investigative report by Pro Publica
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Clarence ThomasSupreme Court Justice [R]5/04/23Failed to report $100,000 in secret payments his wife accepted from a rightwing organization who filed a legal brief arguing to strike down a major part of the Voting Rights Act after which he joined a 5-4 majority doing just thatAccording to an investigative report by The Washington Post
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Neil GorsuchSupreme Court Justice [R]4/25/23Didn't report that the person who purchased a large property he owned -- nine days after he was sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice -- was the CEO of a major law firm that regularly argued for conservative causes before the Supreme CourtAccording to an exclusive report by Politico
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Clarence ThomasSupreme Court Justice [R]4/13/23Didn't report the proceeds from the sale of family property to conservative donor Harlan Crow -- who then allowed Thomas's mother to continue living at rent-free for years -- on his public disclosure records as required by lawAccording to an exclusive investigative report by Pro Publica
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Rick JohnsonFmr. State Representative4/06/23Accepted $110,200 in cash and other bribes including thousands of dollars' worth of sex with a prostitute and chartered flights from a businessman and two lobbyists in exchange for approving their medical marijuana business licenses during his time as chair of Michigan's marijuana licensing boardAccording to charging documents filed by federal prosecutors
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Clarence ThomasSupreme Court Justice [R]4/06/23Secretly took luxurious trips over a twenty-year period without disclosing they were paid by ultra-wealthy conservative donor Harlan Crow which included multiple private jet flights, lavish vacations aboard a 162-foot mega yacht and luxury accommodations at resorts throughout the worldAccording to an exclusive investigative report by Pro Publica
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Donald Trump45th U.S. President162.3m3/15/23Accepted two loans totaling $8 million for Trump Media from a shadowy entity closely associated with Russian oligarchs at the same time the company was on the verge of dissolution for lack of fundingAccording to multiple sources in an investigative report by The Guardian
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Robert CzernekFmr. County Commissioner2/14/23Accepted over $280k in kickbacks from a local excavation company in exchange for approving over $700k in invoices for purported road work they never performed over an eight-year periodAccording to charging documents filed by federal officials
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276k32 Years in GOP1/06/23Cashed in between $628,000 and $1.72 million in stocks from companies seen as vulnerable to the burgeoning COVID-19 outbreak over a series of 33 separate transactions after receiving confidential briefings as chair of the Senate Intelligence CommitteeAccording to financial disclosures reported on by the media
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Laurie SmithFmr. Sheriff [R-CA]51 Years in GOP11/03/22Raked in thousands of dollars in illegal campaign donations and accepted gifts including a suite at an NHL game from wealthy donors in exchange for special treatment helping them obtain concealed weapons permits that her office was in charge of approvingAccording to charging documents filed by local police
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Glen CasadaFmr. House Speaker [R-TN]8/23/22Created a fictitious consulting company along with state rep. Robin Smith and his chief of staff where they charged taxpayers $51,947 for official mailing services and hid his involvement in the scheme by submitting fake invoices to state officials and also accepted bribes from his chief of staff in exchange for his help in securing government approval for the fake consulting company to operate as an official state vendorAccording to charging documents filed in federal court
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Richard ImpallariaFmr. State Representative7/27/22Illegally paid $92,800 in taxpayer funds to his legislative aide's relatives to pay for rent at two cottages located well outside his district by falsely declaring that one cottage was his district office which entitled him to a taxpayer funded stipendAccording to charging documents filed by local police
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338kMAGA Enthusiast4/10/22Accepted a $2 billion investment from a major investment fund managed by the crown prince of Saudi Arabia -- a major Trump ally during his Administration -- mere months after he stopped working at the Trump White HouseAccording to previously undisclosed documents obtained by The New York Times
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Donald Trump45th U.S. President162.3m4/08/22Failed to disclose gifts he received from foreign governments in 2020 in a clear violation of the Constitutional ban explicatively prohibiting Presidents from accepting gifts from foreign leaders without Congressional approvalAccording to an official report from the State Department
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Paul KennedyFmr. Mayor [R-NJ]3/18/22Stole an unknown amount from parking meters that was supposed to be deposited into a government bank account and sold government office furniture through a social media account with the intention of keeping the money he made from the saleAccording to charging documents filed by local police
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Robin SmithFmr. State Representative3/07/22Accepted an illegal $24,000 bribe in exchange for pressuring other state lawmakers to contract with a fake consulting company the state speaker of the house secretly createdShe pled guilty to wire fraud and agreed to become a cooperating witness for the prosecution
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2/11/21Accepted thousands of dollars' worth of home remodeling and repairs in addition to securing employment for a woman he was having an affair with from wealthy real estate developer Nate Paul in exchange for investigating Paul's business adversaries and helping him settle a lawsuit in his favorAccording to an official complaint filed by seven of Paxton's top aides
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Donald Trump45th U.S. President162.3m1/20/21Pardoned his former top-adviser Steve Bannon before his case went to trial for stealing one million dollars from donors to an online charity fundraiser to build a wall on the Mexico borderPardoned Republican mayor of Mettawa, IL and brother of famed NFL player Brian Urlacher who was charged with being a leader of a multi-million dollar illegal offshore sports gambling ring led by the Chicago mob after personally meeting with the former player at the White House and before the case against his brother had concludedAccording to news reports from credible media outletsPardoned former Republican Rep. Rick Renzi who served time in prison for corruption giving credence to a public relations campaign he led that baselessly accused the DOJ of wrongfully imprisoning himAccording to news reports from credible media outletsPardoned former Republican Rep. Robin Hayes who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his role in a $1.5 million bribery scheme following a request from Republican Senator Thom TillisPardoned notorious former Republican Rep. Duke Cunningham who served an eight-year prison sentence for raking in $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractorsHonored a request from Senator Rand Paul to pardon two aides who worked on his father Ron's 2012 Presidential campaign and were convicted for bribing a state senator $73,000 to change his vote in the Iowa caucusesAccording to news reports from credible media outlets12/23/20Rewarded his 2016 campaign chairman Paul Manafort with a pardon after he served less than two years of his 7-year sentence for breaking his plea deal by lying to investigators about information potentially damaging to TrumpPardoned his senior adviser Roger Stone as a reward for him refusing to testify against Trump after publicly bashing the US Attorneys who prosecuted the criminal obstruction and witness tampering case against himAccording to news reports from credible media outletsRewarded Dutch attorney Alex van der Zwaan with a pardon after he refused to cooperate with the Mueller investigation and served a 30-day sentence for lying to the FBI about his work with top Trump adviser Rick Gates and an individual tied to Russian intelligence services12/23/20Pardoned the wife of disgraced Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter who pleaded guilty to stealing campaign contributions for personal use12/23/20Pardoned his son-in-law's father Charles Kushner who served 14 months in prison in the early 2000's for illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion and witness tampering 14 years after he concluded his sentence which benefits his namesake company by making it much easier for them to secure financing for major projects12/22/20Pardoned former Rep. and early 2016 campaign supporter Duncan Hunter who admitted to stealing campaign contributions for personal use days before he was set to begin his 11-month prison sentence12/22/20Pardoned former Rep. Chris Collins as a reward for being the first member of Congress to endorse his 2016 campaign resulting in him only serving 10 weeks of a 26-month prison sentence for insider trading12/22/20Commuted former Republican Rep. Steve Stockman's ten-year prison sentence after serving only two years for stealing $1.25 million meant for a charity but using it for personal expenses and to fund his campaign insteadPardoned his former campaign aide George Papadopoulos who lied to the FBI about his many interactions with top Russian intelligence officials who claimed they had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton that could help the Trump campaign and used the occasion to lash out at Special Counsel Robert Mueller for prosecuting him in the first place11/26/20Rewarded former national security adviser Michael Flynn with a pardon after he stopped cooperating with investigators following his guilty plea for lying to the FBI over his communications with top Russian officials before he was sentenced and without consulting with the Justice Department firstAccording to news reports from credible media outlets8/28/20Gave his 2020 Republican acceptance speech from the White House lawn in what one expert described as an “abomination” that “may be the most visible misuse of official position for private gain in America’s history”According to multiple experts on the law and government regulations
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Joel GreenbergFmr. Tax Collector [R-FL]Friend of Rep. Matt Gaetz6/23/20Received over $400k in federal COVID relief by falsely claiming two defunct businesses were still operationalAccording to charging documents by federal authorities
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3/19/20Cashed in between $1.275 and $3.1 million in stocks from companies seen as vulnerable to the burgeoning COVID-19 outbreak over a series of 27 transactions that began mere hours after she received a confidential Senate briefingAccording to financial disclosures reported on by the media
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Mitchell EnglanderFmr. City Council Member3/09/20Accepted bribes during a lavish trip to Las Vegas which included $10k in cash, a free room, sex with an escort and a nearly $35,000 tab at a night club in exchange for directing major development projects to a prominent businessman in Los AngelesAccording to charging documents filed by federal officials
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Donald Trump45th U.S. President162.3m2/18/20Pardoned a Republican House candidate and QAnon conspiracy theorist who was a major Trump backer and previously served two years in prison for her role in an organized auto theft ring back in 20042/18/20Pardoned former New York police commissioner and vocal Trump supporter Bernard Kerik who illegally received over $250,000 from a company with suspected connections to organized crime four years after his prison sentence concluded after lobbying from his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani2/18/20Rewarded business executive Paul Pogue who served three years' probation for failing to pay over $400k in taxes with a pardon months after his son and daughter-in-law donated $238,541 to Trump's reelection campaignAccording to news reports from credible media outlets
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McCrae DowlessFmr. Political Operative7/30/19Illegally collected Social Security Disability and retirement benefits from the government by neglecting to inform them about the more than $132,000 he earned working on political campaigns which would have drastically reduced the number of benefits he would have been eligible forAllegedly according to reporting from credible media outlets
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Jeremy HutchinsonFmr. State Senator [R-AR]24 Years in GOP6/25/19Accepted cash bribes totaling over $150,000 from the co-owner of orthodontic clinics in exchange for his efforts to help overturn a dental practices law he didn't likeAllegedly according to reporting from credible media outlets
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Donald Trump45th U.S. President162.3m5/15/19Pardoned personal friend Conrad Black who published a fawning book with a title calling him a "President Like No Other" and previously served time for scheming to siphon off millions of dollars from the newspaper company he was CEO ofAccording to news reports from credible media outlets
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Paul LePageFmr. Governor [R-ME]MAGA Enthusiast3/27/19Pardoned his late mentor's grandson who was convicted of felony drug trafficking and tried to keep it secret in a breach of precedent in which governors usually publicly identify the names of people they pardonedAccording to news reports from credible media outlets
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11/06/18Received 16 trademarks from the Chinese government on items ranging from handbags to jewelry three months *after* she supposedly shut down her brand ostensibly to focus on working for her dad in the White HouseAccording to records from China’s Trademark Office obtained by The Associated PressReceived special treatment from the Chinese government who fast tracked 34 of her company's patent applications in one year alone which led to various ethics groups questioning whether Trump made foreign policy decisions that benefited himself and his family’s businessesAccording to voluminous reports filed by mainstream media outlets
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Jim HarrisonFmr. State Representative10/26/18Accepted over $900,000 from a well-connected political consultant in exchange for acting in his client's interests in secret by not disclosing the true source of the funds as required by state law and later lied to a grand jury about it in an attempt to cover it upHe was found guilty and sentenced to eighteen months in prison
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Donald Trump45th U.S. President162.3m7/10/18Rewarded Arizona real estate developer Mike Ingram who donated $10,000 to a Trump super PAC a week prior by pardoning two men he advocated for: convicted arsonists Dwight and Steven Hammond who intentionally set a fire on their property to destroy evidence of their illegal poaching that got out of control and spread to federal landAccording to news reports from credible media outlets
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Allen LoughryFmr. Justice [R-WV]6/20/18Used a government-issued credit card for personal expenses including gasoline, claimed mileage for trips that he used a government-owned vehicle for, pressured a witness to lie to federal investigators and lied to investigators himselfAccording to charging documents filed by federal officials
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Donald Trump45th U.S. President162.3m5/31/18Pardoned radical rightwing filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza six years after his conviction of making illegal campaign contributions after Senator Ted Cruz personally lobbied for itAccording to news reports from credible media outlets
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Jon StanardFmr. State Representative2/09/18Hired a prostitute on two separate occasions and took her to a hotel room he used taxpayer dollars to pay for while also being a married father of three who voted for stricter solicitation laws shortly before getting caughtAccording to an investigative report by the Daily Mail
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Rick Quinn Jr.Fmr. State Representative2017 12Accepted over $4 million from lobbyists working on behalf of his father's consulting firm and then advocated on their behalf for legislation that would benefit themAccording to charing documents filed by state officials
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Donald Trump45th U.S. President162.3m8/27/17Pardoned Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio after he was convicted of contempt of court for racially profiling and illegally detaining people of Latino descent before he would be sentenced for his crimeAccording to news reports from credible media outlets
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Jon WoodsFmr. State Senator [R-AR]3/01/17Directed roughly $600,000 in taxpayer money to a Christian college and another non-profit organization in exchange for a large financial payoff that was facilitated through a third-party consulting company who concealed the bribesAllegedly according to reporting from credible media outlets
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Ronnie DortchFmr. State Judge [R-KY]2/24/17Engaged in a yearlong sexual relationship with a woman who was a defendant in a felony case being litigated in his court and admitted to privately discussing the case with her when confrontedAccording to a final ruling by the Kentucky Judicial Conduct Commission
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Micah NealFmr. State Representative1/05/17Received a $38k bribe to funnel $600k in government funds to a private evangelical Christian college and another non-profit organizationAccording to charging documents filed by federal officials
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Donald Trump45th U.S. President162.3m9/05/16Refused to publicly release his tax returns before the 2016 election and while he was President which broke over forty years of precedent meant to show that the President does not have any financial conflicts of interest that could affect his decision makingAccording to voluminous reports filed by mainstream media outlets
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Scott SteinerState Judge [R-CA]6/09/16Had sex with an attorney who practiced in his court in his private chambers while also being a married father of two young children who ran on a platform highlighting the "importance of family" in his lifeAccording to an investigative report by The Washington Post
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David LausmanActivist [R]2016 01Took bribes including a free vacation to Thailand and a $11k luxury handbag from a military contractor when he was a captain in the NavyAccording to charging documents filed by federal officials
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Aaron SchockFmr. U.S. Representative2/06/15Sold his home to a major Republican donor for $925,000 --more than three times its assessed value of $255,000 -- at the height of his reelection campaignAccording to an exclusive report by Blue Nation Review2/02/15Spent tens of thousands of dollars in taxpayer funds on private jets, automobiles, tickets to the Super Bowl, massages and cigars and many other things over a five-year periodAccording to a bombshell report by The Washington Post
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Mike HubbardFmr. House Speaker [R-AL]10/20/14Funneled roughly $2.3 million to his private businesses by leveraging his status as state Speaker of the House and chair of the Alabama Republican Party to solicit favors from some of Alabama's most influential politicians (including former Gov. Bob Riley) and businesspeopleAccording to charging documents filed by state officials
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John BencivengoFmr. Mayor [R-NJ]3/13/13Accepted $12,400 in cash bribes in exchange for helping a health insurance broker keep their contract with a local school districtAccording to charging documents filed by federal officials
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Walter Davis IIIFmr. Sheriff [R-OH]4/10/12Charged local taxpayers to reimburse him $1,331 on expenses he spent entertaining a subordinate he was having an extramarital affair with and on rental cars he used to visit the woman and his wife on different weekendsAccording to an exclusive report by The Columbus Dispatch
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Haley BarbourFmr. Governor [R-MS]1/10/12Pardoned a man who killed an 8-month-old boy in an alcohol-fueled crash who belongs to a politically connected family that donates a lot of money to RepublicansAccording to news reports from credible media outlets1/10/12Pardoned the brother of famed NFL quarterback Brett Favre who killed someone else in a drunk driving crash decades ago and had long since completed his sentence which makes you wonder if the only reason he pardoned him is because he's close with FavreAccording to news reports from credible media outlets1/10/12Pardoned a man convicted of soliciting sexually explicit messages from an underage girl after having a private lunch with a close friend of his familyAccording to news reports from credible media outlets
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1.2mMAGA Enthusiast2/18/10Accepted $255,000 worth of lavish home renovations and over $236,000 in rental payments from billionaire business developer Eitan Wertheimer in exchange for using his position as NYPD Commissioner to lobby on Wertheimer's behalf with city officials, failed to report the additional income on his federal taxes and lied to federal investigators when confronted about itHe pleaded guilty to tax fraud and was sentenced to 4 years in prison
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Bob NeyFmr. U.S. Representative1/18/07Accepted over $170k worth of international and domestic trips, meals and drinks totaling "many thousands of dollars," tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions, box suite tickets to concerts and sporting events and numerous free fundraisers paid for by Jack Abramoff in exchange for supporting and/or opposing legislation that would benefit Abramoff and then lied under oath to a congressional committee when questioned about his actionsAllegedly according to reporting from credible media outlets
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John RowlandFmr. Governor [R-CT]12/23/04Accepted free vacations and construction services at his vacation home valued at $107,000 in exchange for directing state contracts to a prominent businessman and also failed to report the income on his taxesAccording to charging documents filed by federal prosecutors
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