Trump Law-Breaking and Corruption Tracker--February 2, 2025
Protecting our democracy by tracking assaults on it
Below is the updated Trump Law-Breaking and Corruption Tracker. Original explanation of why we are doing this here.
We list instances of law-breaking and corruption separately and in chronological order, from most recent to oldest. Undoubtedly, we may miss some items, so feel free to let us know if you spot anything we’ve overlooked.
We almost included Trump’s tariffs on Canada on the breaking the law list since Trump is using emergency authority to impose these tariffs and there is obviously no current emergency. After we do more research, we might add it to the list. Similarly, it’s not clear some of the activities of Elon Musk are legal. His position has not gone under any confirmation process and some of the decisions he is making, and some of the access he has gained, might require such. We continue to research that as well.
We plan to update this list weekly.
Breaking the Law
January 28 - February 2, 2025
Deletion of federal websites. February 1, 2025
On Saturday, a bunch of websites we’re deleted, including foreignassistance.gov—that website is required by law by the Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountabilty Act of 2016. If the site goes down for maintenance, that is probably not against the law but an extended downtime might be.
US Government Websites Are Disappearing in Real Time | WIRED“Deferred resignation” offered to federal employees. January 28th, 2025
For now we’re putting this in italics. It is not clear under what authority the Office of Personnel and Management (OPM) can offer these buyouts since the workers are employees of the agencies and their salaries funded by those agencies. It’s also not clear there is legal authority to offer early retirement
Musk team’s push for federal worker buyouts bypassed key Trump officials - The Washington Post
January 20 - 27, 2025
Pausing all grants and loans disbursed by federal government. January 27, 2025
Congress authorizes and appropriates federal funds. The executive branch executes the dispersal of funding. It does not have the power to stop funding. From WA Post: The order’s legality may be contested, but the president is generally allowed under the law to defer spending for a period of time if certain conditions are met, according to budget experts. To comply, though, Trump must make clear which budget accounts are frozen, and the budget office’s order may not have given sufficient grounds under the law to pause the funding. Pausing it over policy disagreements is not legal, said Bobby Kogan, a federal budget expert at the left-leaning Center for American Progress and a former Biden administration official.
White House pauses all federal grants, sparking confusion - The Washington Post More details here: Trump Tries to Seize ‘the Power of the Purse’ - The AtlanticFiring Inspector Generals at various agencies. January 24, 2025
The law requires the president to notify Congress 30 days before firing an inspector general.
Trump fires at least 14 independent inspectors general in late-night purge - The Washington PostBlocking entry to migrants who have passed through countries with communicable diseases. January 20th 2025
Title 42 requires citing a specific communicable disease threat. The Trump administration did not do this.
Diseased Illegal Immigrants Aren't "Invading" the United States | Cato at Liberty BlogIssues unconstitutional executive order on birth right citizenship. January 20, 2025
To end such citizenship requires a constitutional amendment, not an executive order. The president does not have such power.
Protecting The Meaning And Value Of American Citizenship – The White HouseTik Tok 75-day extension. January 20, 2025
There is no provision in the law for doing this (Biden also broke the law in his last day in office). The TikTok law provides for a 90-day extension, if Congress certifies there is tangible divestment of the company occurring. No such certification was made, no divestment was occurring.
TikTok Ban Live Updates: Trump Halts Ban For 75 Days—After CEO Attends InaugurationCorruption
January 28 - February 2, 2025
Purge of FBI agents. Saturday, February 1
This is not a reform effort but rather vengeance against law enforcement officers who were involved in investigating Trump and Trump allied individuals and groups
FBI Agents Are Stunned by the Scale of the Expected Trump Purge - The AtlanticFiring of federal prosecutors involved in January 6th prosecutions. January 31st, 2025
This is vengeance against legitimate prosecutions of political insurrection. The firing of these prosecutors makes future such assaults on democracy more likely
Jan. 6 prosecutors fired by Trump D.C. U.S. attorney Ed Martin - The Washington Post
January 28 - February 2, 2025
Pardoned and commuted sentences of January 6 insurrectionists. January 20th, 2025
Excuses past anti-democratic behavior and sanctions future such efforts
Trump pardons some 1,500 Jan. 6 rioters, commutes 14 sentences : NPRExecutive Order “Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government. January 20, 2025
Orders the federal government to investigate those who investigated the insurrection of January 6, 2020. It makes a baseless claim of persecution of insurrectionists: “And while the Department of Justice has ruthlessly prosecuted more than 1,500 individuals associated with January 6, and simultaneously dropped nearly all cases against BLM rioters. “
Ending The Weaponization Of The Federal Government – The White HouseCreation of meme coin, $Trump. January 18, 2025
Enriches Trump and his family by allowing individuals to buy his meme coin. This can easily become influence peddling.
Trump launches his own $TRUMP meme coin, price soars overnight - CBS News