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Eric Petry

@eepetry.bsky.social
723 followers 108 following 72 posts

Counsel in the Elections and Government Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, working on money in politics, anticorruption, and government ethics. Opinions my own.

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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Congress must step in to fix it. Lawmakers can require more transparency, improve oversight to root abuse fraud and waste, and eliminate corruption by preventing insiders from using their access and influence to profit.
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
This pattern reveals an increasingly broken system that seems to reward wealth, access, and influence rather than innovation and efficiency. Even if none of these arrangements are illegal, the appearance of favoritism undermines public confidence. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...
brennancenter.org
Poll: Voters Want Solutions for Government Corruption
Overwhelming majorities across parties see corruption as a major problem and back measures to limit self-dealing by officials and the influence of money in politics.
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Since Trump returned to office, his sons have invested in or been named board members, directors, or advisors to a number of companies that subsequently won huge contracts from the federal government.
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
The president has extensive control over defense spending under the Defense Production Act and other statutory authorities. While discretion sometimes might be necessary for national security, we’re also seeing how it can open the door to favoritism and self-dealing.
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Companies connected to President Trump’s sons continue to rake in huge government contracts. Most recently a $6.6B award to Anduril, which Donald Trump Jr. took a major stake in last June. abcnews.com/Politics/tru...
abcnews.com
Trump sons' investments have won billions in Pentagon contracts since his election
The contract for a new plant in Baltimore is the latest linked to the brothers.
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Reposted by Eric Petry
Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
This deeply researched piece has jaw-dropping allegations of pay-to-play deals where tens of thousands in political donations are made right before a company gets tens of millions in contracts for products the DOD didn't want. www.propublica.org/article/fbi-...
propublica.org
The FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins — Until Trump Got in the Way
After the FBI caught a defense contractor’s CEO making illegal campaign contributions, it sought to launch a sweeping political bribery probe involving Collins and others. Then the second Trump admini...
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Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 24/08/2026
The Trump admin-backed Freedom 250 Grand Prix, a race that attracted big corporate sponsors, raises serious ethical concerns, @eepetry.bsky.social told @politico.com. The event potentially created a venue for companies to "pay money for access" to federal officials.
politico.com
The race for power, money and influence at Washington’s IndyCar event
This weekend’s race is another example of the Trump administration’s blurred lines between the private sector and federal government.
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
The Journal’s reporting is a reminder that our campaign finance system hasn’t kept pace with modern fundraising. If we want to restore trust in government, we need reforms that curb the influence of big money.
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Brennan’s Nine Solutions for Political Corruption lays out practical reforms that help chart a path forward: reasonable limits on political spending, stronger ethics rules to prevent self-dealing, and real enforcement to ensure accountability. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
brennancenter.org
Nine Solutions for Political Corruption
A new era of anticorruption reform is long overdue.
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
The narrative among political elites blaming small donors for ruining politics misses this point completely. It’s true that individual donors (big & small) gravitate to ideological candidates. But small donors have to band together to move the needle. They can't swoop in with a $50M or $100M check.
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
They see how corporations and ultra-wealthy donors buy access and influence by writing enormous checks, and how that prevents government from addressing the issues that matter most to them.
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
This is exactly the kind of system that fuels public distrust. Earlier this summer, Brennan Center polling found that voters across the political spectrum are fed up by corruption and want solutions. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...
brennancenter.org
Poll: Voters Want Solutions for Government Corruption
Overwhelming majorities across parties see corruption as a major problem and back measures to limit self-dealing by officials and the influence of money in politics.
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
According to the Journal, Trump has raised more than $800 million since returning to office while personally soliciting corporate contributions as large as $25 or $50 million. Many of the companies involved have pending regulatory matters, seek federal contracts, or lobby the executive branch.
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
The Wall Street Journal has remarkable new reporting on Trump’s unprecedented fundraising from corporate America, including companies with business before the federal government. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
wsj.com
Exclusive | ‘The Boss Wants This Money’: Inside Trump’s Unprecedented Fundraising Operation
Meredith O’Rourke, nicknamed ‘princess of darkness,’ carries out the president’s desire to wring hundreds of millions from companies for his projects.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
As the midterm congressional elections heat up, the richest political committee in the US is, of course … the super PAC controlled by a president who’s not on the ballot and is constitutionally barred from ever running again.
Table showing the top 5 political committees by cash on hand.
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Reposted by Eric Petry
Dan Weiner @danw329.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
BREAKING: Today Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is introducing legislation that would create a powerful new federal enforcement agency to fight political corruption.
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
The problems we're seeing are structural and need structural solutions: close the loophole exempting presidents from ethics rules, ban donations from government contractors, give enforcers real teeth, and more. Read how in our report: www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
brennancenter.org
Nine Solutions for Political Corruption
A new era of anticorruption reform is long overdue.
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Outrage at excesses and abuses during the Gilded Age and Watergate sparked sweeping reforms that helped clean up government. We're at a similar moment now: 92% of voters across parties call corruption a big problem and want big solutions. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...
brennancenter.org
Poll: Voters Want Solutions for Government Corruption
Overwhelming majorities across parties see corruption as a major problem and back measures to limit self-dealing by officials and the influence of money in politics.
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
When private money and public power fuse so extensively, it breeds corruption and undermines public trust in government. This isn't new. But good news: we can fix it.
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
And a new @propublica.org report found that FCC commissioners have accepted lavish gifts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past decade from media companies they regulate, including recently while ruling on Paramount's historic merger. www.propublica.org/article/para...
propublica.org
FCC Officials Took Pricey Gifts From Paramount as the Company Needed Approval for Billion-Dollar Deals
Accepting tickets to the Kennedy Center honors gala compromised the commissioners’ impartiality, ethics experts told ProPublica. FCC Chair Brendan Carr has been gifted at least $63,000 worth of ticket...
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Reporting from @wsj.com details the "unprecedented fundraising blitz" from wealthy donors and companies funneling over $781 billion (that we know of so far) to Trump using super PACs, his inauguration and library foundation, the Kennedy Center, and other vehicles. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
wsj.com
The Mystery Money Powering Trump’s Second Term
The president and his allies have built a network of groups financed by wealthy donors and businesses that is advancing his priorities with little public disclosure.
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Two stories this week point to the same pattern: private money flowing into the executive branch, including from companies seeking contracts or favorable decisions in matters pending before regulators.
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The Wall Street Journal @wsj.com · 16/07/2026
A complex web of funds and $781,948,878 in donations—that we know of. This is the mystery money powering Trump's second term.
on.wsj.com
The Mystery Money Powering Trump’s Second Term
The president and his allies have built a network of groups financed by wealthy donors and businesses that is advancing his priorities with little public disclosure.
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Reposted by Eric Petry
ProPublica @propublica.org · 15/07/2026
NEW: Months after FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty cast a decisive vote approving Paramount’s historic $8 billion merger with Skydance Media, she and a guest accepted Kennedy Center gala tickets from the company worth more than $12,000.
propublica.org
FCC Officials Took Pricey Gifts From Paramount as the Company Needed Approval for Billion-Dollar Deals
Accepting tickets to the Kennedy Center honors gala compromised the commissioners’ impartiality, ethics experts told ProPublica. FCC Chair Brendan Carr has been gifted at least $63,000 worth of ticket...
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
To help rebuild public trust, an obvious place for Congress to start is by banning presidential conflicts of interest so there's never a question who stands to profit. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
brennancenter.org
Nine Solutions for Political Corruption
A new era of anticorruption reform is long overdue.
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Trust in government requires leaders acting in the people's best interests. The people are fed up with corruption and self-dealing, and they want solutions. They want a government that works! www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...
brennancenter.org
Poll: Voters Want Solutions for Government Corruption
Overwhelming majorities across parties see corruption as a major problem and back measures to limit self-dealing by officials and the influence of money in politics.
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Another day, another story detailing how Trump's businesses are profiting from his presidency. The White House says the president wasn't involved in the specifics, but this same pattern keeps emerging, from crypto, to real estate, to other ventures. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/14/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Paid $2 Million by South Korean Company Facing Trade Investigation
The payment illustrates the minefield Mr. Trump has created by maintaining personal financial ties with foreign businesses while he is in office.
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
This happened because loopholes in federal ethics law left room for it. Congress should close those loopholes and make clear that presidents must govern in the public interest, not for their personal profit. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
brennancenter.org
Nine Solutions for Political Corruption
A new era of anticorruption reform is long overdue.
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
The egregious slush fund is on ice, and courts have shown they'll enforce the basic ethical rules that apply to all lawyers (including government attorneys!) to prevent abuses. But Trump's IRS immunity deal still hasn't been rescinded. We shouldn't lose sight of that. apnews.com/article/trum...
apnews.com
Judge says Trump IRS lawsuit was filed for 'improper purpose,' refers lawyer for possible discipline
A federal judge says President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over his leaked tax returns was filed for an “improper purpose” as she referred one of his attorneys for possible disciplinary act...
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Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 04/07/2026
For decades, Congress has ceded its authority to presidents and the judiciary and failed to pass long-overdue reforms to repair our warped campaign finance system. A Supreme Court ruling this week must be a wake-up call for lawmakers. bit.ly/4b5yJ9H
brennancenter.org
Supreme Court Continues to Dismantle Anticorruption Laws
Its latest decision to strike down campaign finance limits underscores the need for Congress to pass popular anticorruption reforms.
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
The good news is this doesn’t have to be the new normal. Congress can close the loopholes in federal ethics law that made this possible. Here’s how: www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
brennancenter.org
Nine Solutions for Political Corruption
A new era of anticorruption reform is long overdue.
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
There’s always been self-dealing in government, but not like this. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/02/w...
nytimes.com
Trump’s Huge Windfall Has Few Known Global Precedents
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Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 01/07/2026
America “must return to a reading of the Constitution that recognizes its fundamental democratic commitments,” @jayswanson.bsky.social told @wsj.com. The paper asked several experts what they’d change about the U.S. Constitution ahead of America’s 250th birthday. www.wsj.com/us-news/law/...
wsj.com
Changing the Constitution: Five Proposals for a More Perfect Union
We asked five experts across the political spectrum: What would you change about the U.S. Constitution if you could?
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Sam Breidbart @sam-breidbart.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
"While Trump v. Barbara was a weighty case, it shouldn’t have been a hard one. And the decision does not make the court some guardian of multiracial democracy. This court has been taking a sledgehammer to it throughout this term." Me and @tomtmwolf.bsky.social in @ms.now ms.now/opinion/supr...
ms.now
Opinion | The Supreme Court saved birthright citizenship — but Kavanaugh’s dissent is ominous
Thomas Wolf and Samuel Breidbart: The decision in Trump v. Barbara is a rare moment of restraint in this court’s ongoing anti-democratic rampage.
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
The public wants these reforms. Voters are furious about corruption. They see how it causes ineffective and unresponsive government, and they want change. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...
brennancenter.org
Poll: Voters Want Solutions for Government Corruption
Overwhelming majorities across parties see corruption as a major problem and back measures to limit self-dealing by officials and the influence of money in politics.
030
Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
As our paper shows, it doesn’t have to be this way. Congress can fix this by closing the presidential ethics loophole, strengthening enforcement, and implementing other anticorruption solutions.
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
It’s also stunning that federal law allows this profiteering to happen. The president is exempt from most federal ethics rules, including conflict of interest rules that apply to other federal employees. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
brennancenter.org
Nine Solutions for Political Corruption
A new era of anticorruption reform is long overdue.
120
Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
The financial disclosures Pres. Trump released this week are stunning. No president has cashed in on the White House on this level before—over $2B last year, including $1.4B from crypto alone. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/30/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Pulled In at Least $2 Billion After Returning to the White House
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
It’s also stunning that federal law allows this profiteering to happen. The president is exempt from most federal ethics rules, including conflict of interest rules that apply to other federal employees. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
brennancenter.org
Nine Solutions for Political Corruption
A new era of anticorruption reform is long overdue.
000
Reposted by Eric Petry
Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 30/06/2026
SCOTUS adopted a "radical and wrong interpretation of the [F]irst amendment” when it struck down yet another campaign finance law today, @eepetry.bsky.social told @us.theguardian.com. "This is another example of the [C]ourt’s drive to destroy anti-corruption laws."
theguardian.com
US supreme court strikes down limits on campaign spending
Case stems from 2022 lawsuit challenging FEC’s enforcement of limits on ‘coordinated party expenditures’
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Congress must act to curb the corrosive influence of money in politics and restore Americans’ faith in government. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
brennancenter.org
Nine Solutions for Political Corruption
A new era of anticorruption reform is long overdue.
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
This underscores the need for bold reform. The American public overwhelmingly wants reasonable limits on money in politics. They’re fed up with corruption and want a government that works. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...
brennancenter.org
Poll: Voters Want Solutions for Government Corruption
Overwhelming majorities across parties see corruption as a major problem and back measures to limit self-dealing by officials and the influence of money in politics.
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Regulating election spending is complicated and requires careful balancing. Precisely the sort of policymaking suited for Congress (not courts!). Yet the Court continues to dismantle the campaign finance system, overruling democratically accountable lawmakers.
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
It’s not clear how impactful this decision will be because SCOTUS has already done so much damage. But every time the Court has intervened in campaign finance in the past, the consequences have been disastrous. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
brennancenter.org
National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission
The Brennan Center and Steptoe LLP filed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to reject the petitioners’ argument that limits on coordinated party expenditures violate the First Amendment.
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
BREAKING: In NRSC v. FEC, the Roberts Court again strikes down campaign finance limits, continuing its 16-year drive to dismantle anticorruption guardrails under a radically wrong interpretation of the First Amendment.
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Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 09/03/2026
Trigger laws enabled some states to ban abortion the second the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Now Virginia is considering one that would limit political spending if the Court ever overturns Citizen United. bit.ly/3OYOEOV
brennancenter.org
Virginia Lawmakers Should Pass Citizens United Trigger Law
Challenging the Supreme Court’s mistaken Citizens United ruling will help spur legal change and curb the influence of big money in state politics.
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
The need for reforms to ensure the pardon power isn't perverted for corrupt, self-dealing purposes has never been clearer. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
brennancenter.org
Nine Solutions for Political Corruption
A new era of anticorruption reform is long overdue.
010
Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
While pardons are a crucial tool to correct injustices in the legal system, selling them to fraudsters, tax cheats, and corrupt politicians is a blatant abuse of presidential power.
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Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
NYT reports pardons going to the wealthy and politically connected who can pay $$ for insider lobbyists. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/06/u...
nytimes.com
Pardon Industry Offers Rich Offenders a Path to Trump
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Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 24/02/2026
How does Trump’s extraordinary self-enrichment since retaking office compare to historic instances of political corruption? To learn more, read our latest Money in Politics Roundup: 1/3 bit.ly/3MSYmBN
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