Kleptocrat...looks like a kleptocrat...duh...
7
There is little doubt that Trump has made this the most corrupt and dishonest administration in the history of the US. But then what would you expect from someone who ran his businesses like a mafia don?
He is the distilled essence of the Republican party which no PR people can paper over. He does have Fox "News" to promulgate his uncounted lies and deceptions and for far too many Americans this con seems to be working.
23
"I only hire the best people." Sound familiar?
I am sickened by what's happening to our country. The clown-in-chief has moved the bar so low......I need to sign off now.
16
Pretty soon, no lobbyists will be need to Washington, DC. They will be all working for the government. A very original way to drain the swamp, just create another swamp.
29
Rather then draining the swamp as Trump promised during the campaign, he had done more to flood the swamp then any other politician in modern history.
He is.. literally... surrounded by swamp creatures.
28
It’s the leeches with the snorkels that bither me most.
6
They lie, therefore they serve at the Presidents pleasure. There is very little doubt that history will show this administration to be the most corrupt ever to "represent" the people of this country.
16
What's wrong with these Republicans? I mean how hard is it even to pay lip service to caring about ethics? Not hard. For people like Murkowski to immediately defend a guy like Bernhardt, who is dirtier than an oil spill, without even seeing any evidence is just so incredibly arrogant. And she's one of the better ones. We have so many corrupt GOP'ers these days, I don't see how they can call themselves Americans. It's despicable.
31
And he will be disciplined how?
9
@Theresa Nelson: By getting the vote he needs in the Senate.
1
Some readers comment that they wonder why Trump's team doesn't vet his nominees better. But I believe they DO vet them. They vet them to be confident that each nominee is as corrupt and self-serving and dishonest as Trump is, all to further Trump's goals. What may be terrible news to the rest of us is "proof of qualification" to Trump.
48
Nothing to see here.
Move along, folks.
Business as usual in the Teflon kingdom.
12
Seriously, is there some sort of grifter temp agency that trump keeps tapping for nominees?
46
Fox
17
Why is everyone allowing corruption to become blatant, open, and unpunished? Do laws and rules mean nothing anymore? What sort of country is this?
20
Annnd, nobody is surprised...
I'm literally going to make a conscious effort to be more dishonest, misleading, and corrupt in all my future professional endeavors. I will rise to the top--the new American dream!
10
It is interesting, because in his role as acting Secretary, his first and strongest comments were basically a lecture to his employees about watching their ethics as if they were the problem.
13
The meeting was about not getting caught.
6
Another corrupt creature for Trump's ever growing swamp.
9
Grifters gotta grift. Hard to stop doing what you've done your entire life.
Look at Trump and his family, look at DeVos and that family, look at Ross, etc. They're all grifters - they were hired for their job because they're grifters so it's just normal that they should continue grifting.
43
Please, run for office. It seems like every swamp dweller in the Trump admin is/has been found guilty, pleaded guilty, indicted, under investigation or under suspicion.
Of course, none of this matters to Trump's 'base'.
So it's up to you. Run for office. Get elected. Stop this nonsense.
9
Even if that was a clerical error instead of actual lobbying, it's still just the increased larding of the Executive branch with lobbyists being put in charge of areas they were paid to influence.
The fox running the hen house wasn't a good idea before, and it's not a good idea now that we have a President who is selling off the country to industry.
"As a candidate, Trump regularly railed against lobbyists and led crowds in chants of “Drain the swamp!” But as president, Trump last month signed an executive order that weakened significant aspects of the Obama ethics policy, including scrapping a ban on lobbyists joining agencies they had recently lobbied."
https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-watered-down-ethics-rules-let-lobbyist-help-run-agency-he-lobbied
He's hiring the swamp. Anyone who supports the President, ask why you aren't trying to hold him to a promise he's so blatantly failing to keep. It was a centerpiece of his campaign. Election over? Time to flip flop completely and put industry in charge, and lubricate the revolving door for lobbying, too.
"Former Trump Officials Are Supposed to Avoid Lobbying. Except 33 Haven’t.
The former officials — including ex-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke — have found ways to sidestep the administration’s ethics pledge. At least 18 of them are now registered federal lobbyists and the rest work in jobs that closely resemble lobbying."
https://www.propublica.org/article/the-lobbying-swamp-is-flourishing-in-trumps-washington
14
The abilities to lie, cheat, and grift are prerequisites for inclusion in the Trump administration. No one should be surprised.
9
You MUST run for office. The only way we'll drain Trump's swamp is by taking the Senate and White House.
Even then, it will take years to cleanse the orange stain from America's reputation. If ever.
Please run!
4
He will fit in perfectly in this administration!
4
I'm sorry, is there anyone in this administration who doesn't lie? More disturbing is that T-Rump's base doesn't care one whit. Congress knows it and so does nothing whatsoever about it. So much for checks and balances.
8
Its a mockery of the system as there's no recourse whatsoever
2
It is common business practice to send a March invoice in April. Usually businesses do send invoices about a month later. I am not sure why NY times makes it seem as though it is unusual.
I am no one’s supporter but I find this quite puzzling.
@Kalyan I'm not sure I understand the relevance of your comment.
The article states:"In November 2016, Mr. Bernhardt had filed legal notice with the federal government formally ending his status as lobbyist."
That's several months, not one, before he submitted an invoice for lobbying work.
6
March or April does not matter, he had deregistered as a lobbyist the previous November.
6
Anyone surprised?
With conman Trump- it’s all for sale.
Vote my friends
6
Another nominee for Team Trump, another blatant liar.
Dishonesty -- along with corruption, self-interest and a host of other undesirable traits --) is a prerequisite for a job in this administration. Really, try to find one ethical figure among them.
But to fair to Bernhardt, why should he stop lobbying for his clients now, before he takes this job? Once the spineless GOP-majority Senate confirms him, he'll only continue serving their interests from the inside...
6
These are all greedy men the worst humanity has to offer and they are leading this country into higher inequality and no justice for anyone not wealthy.
We have corrupt Washington and the most corrupt president leading the charge.
6
Well I guess you can take the oil & gas shill out of the swamp (and appoint it to head Interior), but you can't remove the swamp residue from the oil & gas shill.
4
Is it any surprise to anyone that the most corrupt and dishonest President in history sits atop an equally corrupt and dishonest administration? For two years Congress failed utterly in its oversight duty. Now the House must put an end to the stench of unethical behavior that blankets Washington, and is at its worst at the very core of the presidency. The GOP must put its house in order or be driven to the depths of the darkest wilderness where it shall stay until it has.
4
Just another day of Trump adding creatures to the swamp.
4
Interesting how he stuck the word "regulated" in front of "lobbying" in his letter. You have to really parse every statement from these Trump grifters.
3
Is there anybody in trump's "picks" that isn't a lying cheat?
2
@Tommy Bones
Only the best . . .
2
“It was just an accounting error, he wasn’t still lobbying “
How stupid does this administration think we are?
54
@Josh G
Very.
9
@Josh G
That's the beauty of their strategy--if you aren't in the 'base,' they don't care. If you are in the base, you are told which news sources to follow, and are subjected to the highest levels of lying and propaganda. They show the most contempt for the votes they need the most. Orwell would have marveled.
17
They never drained the swamp. Tяцmp and his band of grifters are the swamp. Greed, avarice, venality and corruption are the hallmarks of this administration. Even when they are caught they seem not to care. All that seems to preoccupy them are how much they can get away with. It will not be too soon when we can rid ourselves of these dishonorable people.
6
It makes me sad that when I read articles like these I am never, ever surprised. It’s just a “but of course”, reaction. What else do we expect anymore from this administration? Trump appoints crooks, cheats, and liars to every agency and position available. Our government is being run by extraordinarily unethical and opportunistic people. It’s never surprising, but always disgusting.
6
The swamp....
2
So he is not demonstrably worse than Zinke or Bernhardt?
We have now had over two years of complete corruption at the Department of the Interior
and are hitting some snags setting up for more?
28
I have never in my long life seen such a corrupt administration. Talk about walking all over our Democracy, the Constitution and the American people. It is way past time to kick these bums out to the road. 2020 can't come fast enough.
14
@Never Ever Again: You have taken the words right out of my mouth.
3
Trump's only expertise, if any, was the arcane labyrinth of NYC real estate; outside of that, he is a near universal ignoramus. So, the question remains, how does he find these people? How does he find a Betsy DeVos, someone he never knew existed prior to her appointment? A Ryan Zinke, a Scott Pruitt? Someone else is calling the shots on these choices and Trump is just their frontman.
12
Mike Pence would be my guess.
1
@stan continople Koch Bros?
2
Senator Lisa Murkowski states that there must be some "well- funded groups" working against Mr. Bernhardt. Even if she is telling the truth, it is plain that the groups working FOR Mr. Bernhardt are much better funded. I suspect those well-funded groups pushing for Mr. Bernhardt's confirmation are the exact same well-funded groups that Ms. Murkowski gets paid by. I remain appropriately doubtful that either Mr. Bernhardt or Ms. Murkowski are working for the apparently not-so-well funded group called the American people.
29
Mr. Bernhardt is, one can be sure of, about as far removed from our natural heritage as it is possible to be. The guy has likely never worn a pair of hiking boots in his life and would not know a Canada Goose from an American Robin. And he hopes to become the next secretary of Interior?
14
Of course he did. I’d expect nothing less from anyone associated with Individual Number 1.
16
Another tainted Trump appointee. Can't the Republicans find any one with a modicum of integrity.
11
Murkowski can keep looking the other way. She's going to be looking for another job in 19 months anyway.
23
Is anyone surprised?
Look at the rest of Trump ‘s Cabinet of Foxes, each member appointed to guard the Hens they preyed upon for a former employer, if s/he is not the Boss Fox itself.
6
Hmm. A big fat liar as you can see. Trump material for sure.
11
It is neither surprising nor disturbing to see the administration place industry hacks in regulatory positions. The revolving door of K-street, congress, government departments and corporations is THE way that Washington Consensus Capitalism functions. What IS disturbing is media publications savoring 'gotcha' moments as if this is news.
3
No, it is surprising and disturbing. The level of corruption, abuse of power, cronyism and outright illegal activity on the part of Trump and his appointees far, far exceeds any administration, ever. It is the duty of the news media to continue to bring this abuse to light. Most Americans already know this, but the 40% that still believes or supports individual 1 needs to wake up to the real facts, not the fake ones.
6
@john Wait: it's not disturbing, you say? Time to recalibrate, my friend.
Republican coup to undermine and destroy the functions of government and twist it to protect the very people it was supposed to regulate.
9
In the real world, something like this would automatically disqualify a candidate for the job.
But in Trump-world, it's not only an asset but a qualification.
The bar must be set pretty low for anyone coming in after Ryan Zinke.
15
I'm quite certain that any person who is offered a high ranking job with this administration must take a lie-detector test. If they fail then the job is theirs.
18
@N.Eichler lie detector tests can return false positives or negatives; they’re unfortunately not a silver bullet like one would hope.
2
@Ngie My comment is satirical and intended to mock this administration's lack of truthiness.
5
Please, no more of these articles---we now know all too well Trump's two criteria for picking cabinet members and aides---1) are they an enemy of the department they are heading; 2) do they believe I am the smartest man on the planet--if both boxes are checked, your in.
9
@Amanda Jones actually, these articles inform the public as to administration corruption, which can trigger one calling their senators to voice their dissent against a corrupt individual getting appointed.
I’m deeply concerned by the non-Republican senators who are turning a blind eye to his behavior.
8
What’s the practical difference with serving the interests of those who finance political campaigns, really?
US politics are deeply corrupt.
We need to abolish money from politics and let people form their opinions from debates, not ads.
4
“Regulated lobbying” — again with the weasel words that have to be parsed to understand the truth. If he was working with the company, if he was attending “team breakfasts,” if he continued to review documents, how is that not continuing to work for a company he would be charged to oversee as a member of government. How is that OK?
NOT “registered lobbying”? Well, he DID apparently talk to a member of government in December, which is NOT “registered lobbying”?
These guys are sleazy, really.
10
He will continue to serve the interests of the lobbyists & industries he is suppose to be regulating...Oh forgot that's what trump administration does is serve the interests of those wanting deregulation & more profits by killing off environments, birds, animals, & human beings. He will confirm quickly since McConnell has decided to use the "nuclear option" to ram through the no goods for trump's vacancies.
6
Trump supporters at his campaign rallies chanted "Drain The Swamp." Ever since being placed in the White House by the Electoral College, Trump has been busy creating his own swamp, stocked with swamp creatures such as David Bernhardt and Betsy DeVos.
7
Obviously this will go down as the most corrupt administration in American history. The only question that remains is whether or not the USA is now as corrupt a nation as Russia.
5
A noteworthy headline would be if, in fact, Trump appointed someone with ethics, character, someone who plays by the rules. That would be news!
3
Sessions was an outlier.
1
Another habitual liar...this Administration is loaded with them. Not that long ago, if a senior government official was caught lying, it would be newsworthy for days. No more.
Certainly to Trump, lying is second nature. It’s deeply embedded in who he is. It’s no big deal. More and more , it appears that many of his appointees have the same affliction. But, to,them, lying is a virtue.
6
An invoice is a legal document...
4
This guy is so greedy to rake in money for his improper lobbying that he left a paper trail.
Well, why not? The President was still pursuing the Moscow Tower deal while running for President and he lied about it.
Javanka are violating the spirit if not the letter of anti-nepotism laws.
The ethics rules in the Trump administration are being used to line bird cages. Javanka have not divested themselves of their business interests and are abusing their positions in the administration to get trademarks granted and loans for the 666 Fifth Avenue building.
Trump's bizarre groveling before Putin, and his refusal to acknowledge the threat to our democratic process, must mean that he still plans to make money in Russia (otherwise he is a willing and traitorous Russian asset, and Mueller (allegedly) did not find evidence of that).
So why should any other political appointee behave any better? It's all one grand kleptocracy and anything goes in pursuit of profit.
5
Let’s use RICO on the Republicans. It seems pretty clear that they’re coordinating criminal activity and coverups as a group.
5
Just one more dishonest grifter in an administration of dishonest grifters.
In any previous administration we’d be shocked and outraged and this man would be out of office. In the Trump administration? It’s only what we expect.
Such is the damage done to our country by a complicit Republican Party; the Party of Trump, not Lincoln.
When you vote, just remember a vote for a Republican is a vote for a crook. That’s not an prejudicial statement, merely an observation.
6
Dear New York Times, follow the water in California and you will find the money. Why else would Westllands Water District, one of Bernhardt's paymasters, spend $36 billion for the Bollibokka Fishing Club? If the capacity of Lake Shasta dam is increased, a large portion of the McCloud River, a designated Wild and Scenic River will be back flooded. The native trout , salmo shasta, has been stocked in Chile, Argentina, and New Zealand.
Congressmen McCarthy and Nunes have pushed for this.
"Birmingham and Westlands Deputy General Manager Johnny Amaral said they knew nothing about McCarthy's efforts to exempt farm water districts from their funding requirements, even though Westlands is well connected in Washington."
"A former Westlands lobbyist, David Bernhardt, last year became the No. 2 official at the Interior Department, which oversees Shasta's manager, the Bureau of Reclamation. Amaral is former chief of staff to Rep. Devin Nunes of Tulare, who helped manage Trump's post-election transition team and often is in lockstep with McCarthy on water issues."
https://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article209471359.html
Ahem, they knew nothing about this?
Please read anything by Mark Arax if you want to understand water issues in California.
5
Sounds like the perfect addition to this administration, to me.
1
We (as in the U.S), have gotten so used to placing foxes in the hen house, we don’t even ask they pretend to be chickens any more.
96
@Laura This is the most accurate, best, most hilarious, yet most tragic comment ever.
15
@Laura
This should be Comment of the Year!
Brilliant Laura.
8
It is neither surprising nor disturbing to see the administration place industry hacks in regulatory positions. The revolving door of K-street, congress, government departments and corporations is THE way that Washington Consensus Capitalism functions. The media performs its role by highlighting the occasional 'gotcha' moment in order to delude readers that the system actually functions in a manner responsible to citizens. The stakeholders of our government know otherwise.
2
Lobbying is an addition. It requires intervention and treatment.
2
If President Trump can continue to run his business while in the White House, why shouldn't this guy be able to continue his work? Washington is an expensive town and the extra income probably helps a lot. Besides which, the Republicans don't care about this. They are going to re-elect Trump.
7
@TigerW$
If Donald Trump can continue to run his business while in the White House -- that's every reason to look into the violation of the Emoluments Clause to the U.S. Constitution....And that's coming.
4
@TigerW$
They are going to try.
2
The Trump Administration's disregard for truth and honesty is beyond shocking. So are his national approval ratings at 40-plus percentage points.
52
It will be a travesty if he becomes Interior Sect'y.
26
@Nonprofitperson
And that's exactly why he's bound to get the position.
5
The Department of the Interior is meant to protect natural resources and cultural heritage while providing scientific information and support for these resources.
A person who puts corporate interests and politicians that deny climate change - politicians who insist windmills cause cancer - ahead of the environment is not fit to lead the department.
106
Yet another trump creep busted for lying and acting unethically. But the invoice was“inappropriately labeled by the billing department”. Yeah, right. And murkowski’s muted response is pathetic...she will vote for him. Do any of these senators have a backbone? A shred of decency? Its so depressing how weak they are and the deference they show to these swamp creatures over and over again.
24
Does the stench emanating from this administration ever stop? Is there anyone in Trumpworld with a reasonably intact reputation?
Good Lord! What's left of the executive branch by January 2021 will be in tatters. We've let the barbarians into the palace.
33
@Bob Burns not just the executive branch.. I fear the senate as well as the judicial branch :(.
5
@Ngie
+1
4
Does any Republican tell the truth? Certainly no one appointed by Trump does.
34
Hogs at the Taxpayer Buffet.
Sad.
23
What would be more newsworthy/shocking at this point is if a Trump cabinet member were NOT blatantly corrupt.
74
Presidential historian Robert Dallek:
"The fish rots from the head, and the stench of this administration starts at the very top."
"Trump is the head of government, and people know they can get away with things. Look at all the incidents of corruption I just laid out, and that’s not even close to a complete list. Like Nixon, Trump has created a culture in his administration in which people feel comfortable with corruption. Trump himself has shown a complete indifference to democratic norms, to rule of law, and that sends a pretty clear signal to the people beneath him."
"Again, Trump’s lying is a big facilitator of all this corruption. This is a guy who will look right into the camera and lie without any hesitation at all. It’s hard to overstate what kind of tone that sets in an administration; it makes everyone more comfortable when they lie, when they deceive, when they cover things up."
https://www.vox.com/2017/11/16/16643614/trump-administration-corruption-russia-investigation
"only the worst possible people"
Trump 2019
In 2020, we need to reject the most corrupt, unethical, venal, amoral and destructive Administration since Warren Harding's criminal syndicate.
92
It is a measure of how inured we are that his continuing lobbying is the least surprising possibility.
The hostility this administration has towards fair dealing and best practices challenges my stock of nouns and adjectives. Seditious kleptocrats? Vengeful troglodytes sacking Rome? People nobody liked in high school burning it down after robbing the place?
At this point, I would much rather be conquered by Klingons than by this loutish and self-congratulatory horde devoid of intelligence and honor.
20
Virtually every cabinet member and high-level official in the Trump administration has lied, or concealed or misrepresented important facts, in getting appointed or getting security clearance. It's a den of thieves and vipers.
Corruption, like fish, rot from the head down. In Washington, it now barely even rises to the level of mention given how nearly-universal the venality is. If Trump can be so crooked, so can his henchmen (and they are).
Ironically, the few officials who did not lie their way into office got there, instead, primarily by promising destruction to the very values and mission their departments seek to serve and advance. Calling Trump's Washington a swamp is a grievous injustice to swamps.
123
@AM
They have decided to deforest the country the hard way— the scandals turned into books may denude half of Maine.
5
“It is exceptionally difficult to sit here and be told that you have lied,” said Lisa Murkowski.
And it’s even harder to get caught doing so.
36
Lying, cheating, and enriching oneself through conflicts of interest are requirements to serve in the Trump administration. This guy will fit right in.
55
@Mr. SeaMonkey
Laugh all you want, the damage they do will outlive everyone currently on earth.
3
I wonder if in that statement he also said that the sound of windmills causes cancer?
5
@Jan Landy
The sound of his voice causes severe migraines in those possessing any ethics or any ability to reason. Definitely his voice is causing cancer in our democracy.
2
Greed, stupidity and hubris. Have we ever seen more people in one administration who exhibit these qualities in this concentration? But of course, they learned from the master.
18
Trying to split hairs and making you forget he was still in close proximity and taking money - for whatever reason - from those he would be regulating.
Its the Trumpian (or you may recognize it from your kids "seeing what they can get away with) way with the law. Do it until someone pushes back. And then deny it.
54
I am beginning to agree with Trump about the existence of a 'deep state' which is opaque to most of us. However, Trump thinks of it as some sort of left wing conspiracy designed to delegitimize his ascendancy to power. No: it's the existence of unseen networks of mutually self gratifying businesses and politicians who bypass the laws, defund the watchdogs (IRS, SEC) and all the while watch the rest of us pay for their ostrich waistcoats or whatever takes their fancy. It's difficult to think of another explanation for how we got here.
138
@Andrew And Trump is not only a member of that network, but it's primary cheerleader.
16