AUTOCRACY & THE AUTHORITARIAN NATION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
CORRUPTION. CARDINAL SIGN
by Bob Gary, Board Member
June 3, 2026

May 20th 2026

Yet another day of infamy inflicted on the US

by the Trump administration

 

May 20th 2026 was the day that Trump demolished the principle that we are all equal in the eyes of the law.  He and his Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche did so openly and brazenly as if daring anyone to do something about it.

 

Blanche signed a document that purports to bind the United States to release, waive, acquit, and forever discharge all claims against one man, his sons, and his businesses.

 

It not only looks back to protect Trump, his family, and businesses from past crimes, but in anticipation of future crimes, it states prospectively “the federal government is FOREVER BARRED and precluded from prosecuting or pursuing any and all claims against Trump, his sons, his businesses an any matter currently pending or that COULD be pending.”(emphasis mine).

 

It has taken an all-fronts political backlash to cause yesterday's announcement from Blanche to lawmakers during a congressional hearing.  He said: “We’re not moving forward with the fund, period”.

 

But this doesn’t mean Trump’s aims are abandoned.

 

The Document & Its Effects

 

Our Acting Attorney General effectively signed a document that:

 

1. Created a $1. 8 billion slush fund Trump can use to pay himself or anyone he chooses for any reason.

2.  Bars the IRS forever from pursuing tax claims against Trump, his sons or businesses. 

3. Prevents the federal government prosecuting any future crimes committed by Trump, his sons, or businesses. 

 

Element 1 appears to be dead (until it is not – stay tuned - Trump’s self-dealing and criminal mindset knows no limits).

 

But what about Elements 2 and 3.  As of this moment, this act of self-dealing lives and breathes – the sheer magnitude of hutzpah required to sustain this “through the looking glass” moment immediately admits the perpetrators to the “Grifters’ Hall of Fame”.

 

We are now witnessing the effects of a devilish, self-dealing plan quickly executed to divert the wealth of the nation from “We the People” to our head of state and his family.

 

This is a “Face It.  Get Real Moment” for all Americans.

 

Corruption, a Key Feature of an Autocracy

 

This level of corruption serves to tell the American people that Trump is well on the way to transforming the US into an autocracy with an authoritarian government, which, by their nature, are corrupt.

 

Grift and Self-Enrichment, Trump is the Greatest President Ever at This

 

Grift and self-enrichment are Trump’s motivating forces.  Authoritarian governments don’t exist to serve the people; they exist to enrich those who have managed to take control of the levers of government. Very often, the corruption is open and obvious. The opportunities are virtually unlimited.  Trump 2.0 is a case study in exactly how this works.

 

For the (Acting) Chief Law Enforcement Agent of the United States to provide immunity for corrupt acts is startling and stunning because it displays a total indifference and disregard for the will of the people or their opinions. 

 

The Extent of Grift is Endless

 

What has now been authorized could be kickbacks from contracts, the sale of pardons, deals with other corrupt and complicit governments, and the sale of merchandise to adoring followers.

 

It could be bitcoin schemes or investments in public offerings by insiders. It could include betting on the outcomes of wars and oil prices, fueled by insider information.

 

Could this be why the Federal Government wants to seize control of the billion-dollar prediction gambling business from the states? If Trump or his family made bets on insider information, it could no longer be federally prosecuted. 

 

The government decided it will not and cannot review the tax returns of Trump, his sons or their businesses. This decision was made despite ongoing audits that potentially could have resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in penalties. 

 

Until now, only banana republics and dictatorships had phony slush funds to benefit the autocrat and his followers. Now the US, the nation with the highest GDP globally, a corrupted country where its Chief Law Enforcement Agent (who works for the head of state) has specifically authorized the diversion our own money for whatever purpose the head of state decides.

 

Another favorite of autocrats is the use of non-bid contracts to favored contractors and the building of monuments to their own greatness, with the added benefit of payoffs for the jobs. The opportunities are limitless and only constrained by the greed and imagination of the leader and the fear of prosecution. The fear of prosecution has just been removed by the agency empowered to prosecute corruption. 

 

We have witnessed in other countries the people stand by unable to buy food, medicine, and gasoline, while the riches of their nation, which are an asset of the nation and belong to the people, are openly plundered. The reasons for this apathy vary from country to country, but the result is the same. A handful of oligarchs enrich themselves while the masses of people struggle to support their families. The most repressive, corrupt nations like Russia, Iran, and North Korea employ violence and intimidation to silence their citizens. Others, like Hungary, gain control of the press and befuddle their citizens with a flood of false information. 

 

Once a corrupt autocrat takes control of the reins of a nation that formerly adhered to the rule of law, one of the first steps is to dismantle those governmental institutions that conduct oversight and initiate prosecutions for corrupt behavior. They seize control and corrupt the law enforcement institutions of the government that discourage and prosecute money laundering, self-dealing, and conflicts of interest.  

 

Once the enforcement and oversight institutions are weakened, the autocrat can operate openly and with impunity. In the most outrageous of situations, the courts can be corrupted to provide cover and immunity for open and obvious crimes.  We know in other places, this can and does happen. However, a document prospectively giving the green light and making the President and his family and businesses out of reach is new territory. To my knowledge, such a shameless license to steal is unique to the United States.

 

After May 20th, we are in a new America where the old rules no longer apply.  It is too early to know what this means. However, early signs may suggest even Trump’s docile, compliant, and obsequious Republican Party may not be able to stomach the spectacle of convicted rioters who assaulted law enforcement officials being not just pardoned but rewarded for their conduct. Has Trump and his DOJ finally gone too far? 

 

Personally, I do not have a front row seat as to whether our government is either (1) operating with integrity, decency, or concern for the interests of the people, or (2), as some people insist, in a malevolent and corrupt fashion.

 

What I do know is that the May 20th documents could never have been conceived, created, and signed in a functioning democracy.  We all need to know whose idea it was to extend to our president complete unrestricted authority to enrich himself at the expense of the American people and reward those who took violent actions to impede a lawful election. 

 

We all have different opinions - some people say we are rife with corruption, while others insist MAGA has saved America.  We don’t yet live in a Russia, Iran, or North Korea.  In America, we don’t currently have to fear the knock at the door from the secret police or harassment from thugs or phony libel lawsuits. We are still free without fear or concern to criticize the government.

 

If you are of the opinion that corruption has reached our shores, don’t be silent.

 

Document your concerns and let others know you are troubled. Silence is complicity. Most importantly, recognize and make it your business to understand how profoundly the May 20th documents authorized by Todd Blanche have changed the rules. 

 

The Constitution forbids Todd Blanche’s actions. Common decency and the rule of law forbid it, as does the very purpose and history of our nation.

 

Specifically, the 14th Amendment to the Constitution forbids the payment of any debt or obligation incurred in aid of an insurrection or rebellion against the United States, yet Todd Blanche tried to create a slush fund to buy off the January 6th rioters.

 

The midterms are approaching and we all need to make it our personal mission to get like-minded people to register and vote to render Trump a true “lame duck” president.

 

You now know what the consequences of apathy will mean to us and our country.