Trump’s slush fund is no better than Obama’s
President Trump's $1.8 billion settlement with the Justice Department has raised concerns about its implications for political favoritism. The article compares this situation to past practices by Democrats, particularly during the Obama administration, where similar tactics were used to expedite regulatory actions. It argues for the need to codify the Meese Policy to prevent future abuses of the federal court system by presidents from both parties.
- ▪Trump's settlement creates a fund that can be distributed to his allies, raising ethical concerns.
- ▪Democrats have previously used similar tactics to benefit their allies through 'sue and settle' agreements.
- ▪The article suggests that the Meese Policy should be codified to prevent future misuse of the federal court system.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
President Donald Trump’s $1.8 billion settlement with his own Justice Department, creating a fund that can be distributed to the president’s allies, stinks to high heaven. But Democrats have little standing to complain. They wrote and for decades followed the “sue and settle” playbook with which they sluiced money nefariously to allies to shape policy and collect taxpayer-funded payouts. Passed with the best of intentions in the 1970s, the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act all contained “citizen suit” provisions empowering everyday Americans to sue in federal court when they believed an agency had failed to follow the law or act as required by statute. These laws also made federal agencies pay successful plaintiffs’ costs and legal fees.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Washington Examiner.
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