Profiles in Corruption Summary

Progressive politicians often claim to champion the working class, but their hidden dealings reveal a much different story.

Kamala Harris’ Rise and Double Standards

Kamala Harris, often praised for her grit and charisma, owes much of her political climb to her connections rather than solely her skills as a prosecutor. Her relationship with Willie Brown, a powerful California politician, provided her with career-boosting political appointments and donor networks. These connections fueled her campaigns and personal ambitions.

However, this alignment with influential figures came at a cost for her role as attorney general. Harris avoided pursuing cases against key political supporters, favoring alliances over justice. This became alarmingly clear during the Catholic Church abuse scandal in California. Victims urged Harris to release documents that could expose abusers. Instead, she withheld the records and took no legal action against alleged perpetrators.

Her unwillingness to stand against her supporters' misdeeds reveals a troubling pattern. Harris’s career priorities often appear to trump her public duties, raising questions about her accountability.

Examples

• Gained political appointments from Willie Brown while dating him.
• Refused to release key documents in the Catholic Church abuse scandal.
• Failed to pursue any cases against abusive priests during her tenure.

Joe Biden’s Family Ties to Power and Wealth

Joe Biden’s public image depicts him as a champion for working-class Americans, but his political career is marked by using his position to benefit his family. A glaring example involves his son, Hunter Biden, leveraging Joe’s vice-presidential role to secure business deals overseas. A $1 billion transaction with China stemming from a 2013 trip is a reminder of these blurred lines.

Joe’s brothers, James and Frank, have also gained from his influence. Frank evaded a court-mandated settlement in a wrongful death suit, with the Bidens denying accountability. Despite Biden’s family scandals coming to light, his consistent refusal to discuss these matters reflects deeper ethical concerns.

The extent to which these dealings affect foreign and domestic policy highlights how personal interests can complicate professional responsibilities.

Examples

• Hunter Biden’s business trip to China resulting in a $1 billion deal.
• Frank Biden’s unresolved financial damages in a fatal car accident.
• James Biden benefiting from government ventures linked to his brother.

Cory Booker: A Focus on Image Over Action

Cory Booker portrays himself as a hands-on leader, yet his policies and actions often lack substance. From staging symbolic gestures like sleeping in a tent to failing at snowstorm management in Newark, his priorities consistently skew toward enhancing his personal narrative.

His fundraising and city contracts reveal questionable ethical practices. Contractors donating nearly $20,000 to Booker’s nonprofit were granted city contracts worth millions in return. While traveling for speeches and other ventures, his absence from Newark left systemic issues to worsen, including police misconduct that later needed federal oversight.

Booker’s tendency to prioritize his public persona over real change creates a stark contrast between image and impact.

Examples

• Pretended to sleep in a tent to show solidarity with poor neighborhoods.
• Accepted donations from contractors, leading to lucrative city contracts for them.
• Spent months away from Newark on speaking tours while ignoring local crises.

Elizabeth Warren’s Troubled Claims and Case History

Elizabeth Warren, a celebrated progressive figure, has faced controversies regarding both her heritage and her work. Claiming Native American ancestry, she secured opportunities at universities relying on diversity metrics. Yet a DNA test revealed this claim was misleading, eroding trust in her authenticity.

Warren’s professional history also raises contradictions. While publicly denouncing corporations taking advantage of the working class, she privately consulted for clients aiming to minimize liabilities affecting workers. In one instance, she criticized a steel company for mistreating employees but had taken a $10,000 consultation fee to assist that very company.

Her career decisions clash with her public advocacy for the working class, suggesting selective accountability.

Examples

• Claimed minority status but was only about 1/32nd Native American.
• Supported corporations in cases despite her working-class reputation.
• Earned financial benefits from legal advisory roles supporting large companies.

Sherrod Brown’s Dishonest Ties to Union Leaders

Senator Sherrod Brown claims to defend workers, but many of his actions suggest otherwise. While receiving major campaign donations from union leaders, he worked to protect these leaders from transparency requirements rather than supporting union members.

Brown’s family members, like his brother Charlie, have also benefitted from their connection to him. Charlie’s advocacy group for "mercury-free" dentistry aligned with legal strategies targeting big dollars from dental companies. Sherrod’s legislative push to support these initiatives directly enabled his brother’s legal gains.

Rather than championing worker rights, Brown’s decisions favor his supporters and family interests.

Examples

• Protected union leaders with campaign funds, despite worker needs.
• Supported legal initiatives benefitting his brother’s mercury advocacy group.
• Helped pass legislation favoring lawsuits enacted by family ties.

Bernie Sanders’ Financial Transparency Issues

Bernie Sanders, a vocal critic of wealth inequality, has long championed the interests of average Americans. Yet, his own financial dealings suggest hypocrisy. While condemning “the wealthy-owning mansions,” Sanders owns three homes, including a half-million-dollar vacation property.

Furthermore, his wife Jane’s work with consulting agencies and media buying raised questions about financial propriety, as these were never disclosed thoroughly. Throughout his career, financial conduits like Sanders & Driscoll LLC have remained shrouded in mystery.

Sanders’ financial choices indicate inconsistencies between his values and actions, undermining his claims of integrity.

Examples

• Supported exclusive luxury housing projects in Vermont while denouncing gentrification.
• Used family consulting businesses for covert campaign fundraising.
• Guarded personal earnings from transparency like media income disclosures.

Amy Klobuchar’s Abuse and Selective Justice

Amy Klobuchar’s reputation for mistreating her staff is widely reported. Staffers describe incidents of verbal abuse, late-night calls, and being made to complete personal errands. Her extremely high turnover rate of 36 percent reflects this challenging workplace dynamic.

In official duties, Klobuchar has shown a tendency to selectively prosecute based on political gain. While aggressively pursuing tax evasion charges against pilots, she avoided investigating Tom Petters, a known fraudster and campaign donor. Her dismissive attitude toward cases involving her benefactors shows a clear conflict in priorities.

Klobuchar’s management style and legal leniency reinforce questions about her leadership ethics.

Examples

• Allegedly threw binders at staff members during heated moments.
• Prosecuted airline pilots while overlooking her campaign donor’s Ponzi scheme.
• Allowed key evidence of Petters’ fraud to be ignored under her oversight.

Eric Garcetti and Real Estate Corruption

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti exemplifies political favoritism through real estate deals. By exploiting loopholes like behested payments, he collected millions under the guise of nonprofit contributions while approving dubious property development projects.

An example of Garcetti’s alliances is evident with developer Samuel Leung, who bypassed zoning restrictions by donating strategically to Garcetti’s causes. Such projects, benefiting select businesses, often disregard broader environmental and social concerns affecting Los Angeles neighborhoods.

Garcetti’s transactions illuminate how personal gains frequently outweigh ethical governance.

Examples

• Used behested payments to funnel $31.9 million into favored nonprofits.
• Approved real estate schemes like Leung’s despite illegal practices.
• Enabled large contractors to bypass regulatory concerns for contributions.

Progressive Politicians’ Shifting Alliances

The overarching theme throughout these profiles is the tendency of progressive politicians to stray from their promises. While claiming to champion the working class, their actions often serve wealthy donors, allies, or family interests. This pattern erodes the trust of voters who expect integrity.

Their willingness to protect allies at the expense of justice speaks to a broader cultural problem in politics. From funding scandals to cover-ups, such behavior unravels claims of fighting against bourgeois elites.

This cycle of political theater over true representation leaves voters disillusioned and complicit in the failures they criticize.

Examples

• Politicians selectively prosecute political opponents while shielding allies.
• Use nonprofit loopholes to appear philanthropic while profiting personally.
• Align with donors over voter interests, repeating across various states.

Takeaways

1. Research personal ties and past actions of politicians before supporting them.
2. Demand transparency in campaign funding and nonprofit contributions.
3. Push for stronger oversight of political lobbying and financial disclosures.