President Donald Trump and his administration have been linked to an unprecedented $377 billion in alleged corruption and abuses of power, according to a new documentary examining 100 episodes of potential misconduct since he returned to office.
Corruptionland investigates allegations of corruption and details each instance with an interactive map on the website. The documentary is also free to stream.
The documentary is led by Miles Taylor, a former senior Department of Homeland Security official during Trump’s first administration, who said, “For two years, Trump’s scandals have hit one at a time, and each one gets buried under the next.”
Taylor described the findings as “a tangled web of alleged corruption,” which he says amounts to $377 billion and is unprecedented in American history; he continues:
“Even that number undersells it, because you can’t put a price on the president’s revenge agenda and his weaponization of federal power. Every American deserves to see the full picture before they vote, and now they can.”
The $377 billion figure is based on a published methodology that values public funds, private benefits, and transactions involved in the 100 cases examined.
The investigation looks into court filings, government documents, congressional records and published reports. It also covers the actions by Trump’s administration that can’t be measured financially, such as the removal of government watchdogs and allegations of retaliation against political opponents.
In the documentary, Taylor joins Donald Sherman, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, on a tour of the National Mall, using locations around the capital to explain the alleged misconduct.
Other contributors include former Justice Department pardon attorney Liz Oyer, former FBI official Chris O’Leary, journalist Terry Moran and Democratic Rep. Jason Crow.
The filmmakers also examine how Trump has dismantled the traditional guardrails to protect against government misconduct and describe how congressional oversight, inspectors general and ethics attorneys have been either “purged, captured or sidelined.”
Taylor also accuses Trump of using his federal government to come after him personally due to his criticism of the administration. The documentary arrives as polls have shown Americans are concerned about corruption; some surveys have shown those concerns are only eclipsed by concerns over the rising cost of living.
A September Gallup survey found that 89 percent of Americans believe corruption is widespread in government, including 83 percent of Republicans and 91 percent of Democrats.
Democrats have used corruption attacks on the campaign trail to convince voters they can’t trust their GOP officials.
The film comes just a week before the midterms, as voters have expressed their concerns and will likely have corruption on their minds when they vote on November 3.
