Donald Trump is speedrunning the history of presidential scandals
Every president has their share of misadventures, but only a few are so scandalous that their names echo through history: Teapot Dome, Watergate, Iran-Contra.
It's still early, but the odds are good that the second Donald Trump administration will end up with a few scandals of its own, building on the exact behaviors that got past presidents in trouble — including Trump in his first term.
Just two months in, Trump and his associates have already attempted to usurp congressional power over spending, brokered norm-breaking legal deals and sought to skirt ethics rules designed to stop self-dealing.
Any one of these actions would have led to major problems for a president in the past; to try them all at once is like speedrunning the history of White House scandals.
Here's a quick look at how Trump's behavior echoes past scandals:
The scandal: Congress passed a law barring Andrew Johnson from firing the secretary of war without its consent. When Johnson tried to remove him anyway, lawmakers impeached him, though they fell one vote short of conviction in the Senate. It was the first impeachment of a president in U.S. history.
Why it was bad: Johnson was doing what Congress had specifically barred him from doing in a law that was passed over his veto.
What Trump's doing: Congress passed a law in 2023 specifically barring the president from firing or transferring inspectors general without providing 30 days' notice to Congress and a reason for removal. In his first week in office, Trump fired 18 inspectors general without providing the required notice or reason.
The scandal: Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall persuaded Warren G. Harding to transfer two large oil reserves to his department, then leased them to two oil tycoons without getting competitive bids. Fall was later convicted of bribery and became the first sitting Cabinet member to go to prison.
Why it was bad: Government contracts are supposed to go through a competitive open bid process to guarantee that they aren't just handed out to allies of the president or other federal officials.
What Trump's doing: According to a report in The Washington Post that cited unnamed sources, the Federal Aviation Administration is considering canceling a $2.4 billion contract with Verizon to overhaul the air traffic control system and giving it to Trump donor Elon Musk's Starlink. (SpaceX, the parent company of Starlink, posted on X that it has a lease agreement to provide satellite internet kits 'free-of-charge' and denied it is attempting to take over an existing contract but provided little detail.)
The scandal: To block damaging material about his administration from coming out, Richard Nixon ordered the attorney general to fire a special prosecutor. When he refused and resigned, Nixon gave the same order to the deputy attorney general, who also refused and resigned, until the third-highest official agreed to do it.
Why it was bad: While the president appoints the attorney general, the Department of Justice is supposed to remain independent in its decisions, especially when it comes to investigations involving the president or his associates and allies.
What Trump's doing: The Department of Justice ordered federal prosecutors to drop a prosecution of New York City Mayor Eric Adams with prejudice, meaning it could be brought back later. Seven prosecutors resigned rather than carry out the order in what was called the 'Thursday afternoon massacre.' Acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove said in court that the case was dropped because Adams could not communicate with federal immigration officials while being prosecuted.
The scandal: Trump temporarily blocked the release of $400 million of congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine in an alleged attempt to get President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to announce an investigation into Hunter Biden that he hoped would help his re-election campaign.
Why it was bad: Under the Constitution, Congress alone has the 'power of the purse,' or the ability to tax and spend money. Trump's reasons for withholding the aid were also politically motivated and would have corrupted Ukraine's justice system.
What Trump's doing: Trump has again blocked the release of congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine. While he has not been accused of having any personal political motivation this time, he has been pressuring the country to negotiate a peace agreement with Russia and sign a deal that would give the U.S. access to the country's mineral reserves.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
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