The Briefing with Jen Psaki

Episode: "Not on the level: Trump makes sketchy business of second term"
Date: December 25, 2025
Host: Jen Psaki, MS NOW

Episode Overview

This episode delves into a wide-ranging investigation of the financial corruption, self-enrichment, and questionable ethical practices seen in Donald Trump’s second presidential term. Jen Psaki unpacks allegations and examples of pay-to-play politics, pardons of donors and allies, diplomatic entanglements with foreign money, cabinet-level self-dealing, and the erosion of governmental ethics watchdogs—all of which raise questions about the functioning and integrity of American democracy. Psaki is joined by experts and whistleblowers to discuss accountability, legal pushback, and prospects for reform.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Patterns of Pay-to-Play Politics and Self-Enrichment

[00:56-09:02]

• Inaugural Fund and Corporate Influence

  • Trump’s 2017 inauguration raised a record $239M; donors were soon nominated to ambassadorships or saw federal investigations dropped.
  • Example: Fossil fuel exec donated $4M—nominated as UK ambassador the same day.
  • Big banks (JP Morgan, Goldman, BofA) saw cases against them paused after large donations.

• Crypto and Trump Family Business

  • Crypto billionaire Justin Sun invested $75M in a Trump family crypto venture; SEC fraud case against him paused a month later.
  • New York Times found all dismissed SEC crypto cases since Trump’s return involved entities with financial ties to Trump.
  • Trump’s net worth surged by $3B in 2025—Forbes calls it his “most lucrative year ever.”

• Sale of Access & Foreign Deals

  • 220+ buyers of family crypto guaranteed a seat at a DC gala with the president.
  • White House lawn used for Tesla sales events—link to billionaire donor Elon Musk.
  • Trump demanded $230M “reparations” from DOJ for investigations.
  • UAE invested $2B in Trump-backed crypto via Binance; soon after, White House approved UAE access to restricted computer chips, and Trump pardoned Binance’s founder.

• Pardons as Currency

  • Multiple instances of Trump pardoning business-linked individuals whose associated companies or governments invested in Trump family ventures.

Memorable Quote:

"More than almost anything else, Trump's second term has been defined by Trump using his powers as president to, to enrich himself. And he has done a bang up job of that." — Jen Psaki [05:49]

2. Cabinet-Level Grift and Official Self-Dealing

[06:32-09:02]

• Commerce Sec. Howard Lutnick

  • Pressured foreign allies to invest in US AI data centers; his family’s company profited. His son says, "We are having our best year ever." [08:44]

• Treasury Sec. Scott Bessen

  • Orchestrated a $20B taxpayer-funded bailout for Argentina, directly benefiting allies’ investments.

• Border Czar Tom Homan

  • Accepted $50,000 from undercover FBI agents (allegedly for future contracts), but investigation vanished after Trump took office.

• DHS Secretary Kristi Noem

  • Under ProPublica investigation for awarding $220M in federal contracts to a firm she’s connected to.

• Real Estate and Crypto

  • In first half of 2025 alone, Trump family crypto believed to have netted $463M.

3. Systemic Weakening of Oversight and Accountability

[09:02-14:27]

• Firing of Inspectors General & Ethics Officials

  • Trump fired numerous inspectors general, the DOJ public corruption head, and the director of the Office of Government Ethics, reducing oversight.

• Legal Pushback

  • Psaki brings on Sky Perryman (Democracy Forward) and Norm Eisen (former Obama White House ethics czar) to discuss:
    • A surge of lawsuits by democracy/civil society groups; Trump lost most cases, even before his appointees [16:08].
    • The critical importance of whistleblowing and legal challenges.
    • How public support and outrage is growing in response to visible enrichment scandals.

Memorable Quote:

"It is so important to connect those dots. What stands out to me is both the corruption and the pushback that Democracy Defenders Fund, Democracy Forward and the rest of the litigating organizations... have effectuated against that corruption." — Norm Eisen [10:11]

Notable Exchange:

• Eisen on Trump’s grift:

  "This $400 million golden plane from Qatar. The President inspected the plane, he looked at it before it was given. He’s raiding a key fund, a billion dollars that is supposed to be used for nuclear related issues, to retrofit that plane." [11:07]

4. Foreign Gifts and Influence – The $400 Million Jet

[36:38-45:43]

• Gift from Qatar
  • Trump accepted a $400M “palace in the sky” jet from Qatar, after reportedly soliciting it directly.
  • Senator Adam Schiff details how Trump’s team tried to “launder” the gift through the Defense Department to avoid the Emoluments Clause, costing taxpayers billions for retrofitting.
  • Doubts raised about national security—potential surveillance threats from foreign-installed tech.

Memorable Quote:

"Well, this acquisition of this $400 million plane really stinks to high heaven. Everything is wrong about this deal." — Sen. Adam Schiff [37:33]

• Geopolitical Motivation

  • Both terms’ first trips were to Persian Gulf states: “It’s where the money is,” per Schiff [38:09].

• Supreme Court Immunity & Brazen Behavior

  • Immunity ruling emboldened Trump; pardons shield cronies, open grift continues:

  "You give a convicted criminal immunity, and you make him the most powerful person in the world. And he's going to abuse that power in innumerable ways..." — Schiff [40:25]

5. Pardons for Donors, Loyalists, and International Criminals

[19:37-27:30]

• Trump’s Pardon Spree

  • Over 1,500 Jan 6 participants pardoned, and high-profile political allies.
  • Pardons repeatedly linked to financial connections (giant donations, investments, etc.).
    • E.g., Paul Walzack pardoned after mother’s $1M donation.
    • CZ (Changpeng Zhao), Binance founder, pardoned after $2B Abu Dhabi investment using Trump crypto.
    • Ex-Honduras president (drug trafficking) pardoned after lobbying from Roger Stone.

• Expert Analysis: Liz Oyer, Former DOJ Pardon Attorney

  • Trump’s use of the pardon is “transactional,” focusing on personal, political, and financial gain [22:00].
  • Cites egregious example: Trevor Milton, in a $700M fraud, donates $2M to Trump and is pardoned, eliminating his restitution debt [23:24].
  • Alarming trend: Some pardonees have reoffended and been pardoned again—no vetting.
  • Oyer calls for far more transparency and congressional oversight.

Memorable Quote:

“Donald Trump has completely lost sight of the public interest. He's not thinking about the question of how do these pardons serve the American people. He is thinking about it from a perspective that is very transactional.” — Liz Oyer [22:00]

6. The Kristi Noem / DHS Ad Spend Scandal

[29:40-36:02]

• DHS Contract Corruption
  • ProPublica exposed $143M no-bid contract given to a mysterious Delaware LLC, created days before winning.
  • The LLC subcontracted to Strategy Group—a firm run by the husband of DHS’s own comms director, Trisha McLaughlin.
  • Historical precedent: Similar rigged contract bidding in South Dakota when Noem was governor.
  • Noem's defending statements don’t address the core conflicts.

Memorable Quote:

“My marriage is one thing and work is another. I don't combine them. Well, Tricia, they seem pretty freaking combined right now, don't they?” — Jen Psaki [34:52]

7. Broader Implications and What’s Next

[14:27-17:43; 45:43-end]

• Public & Institutional Response

  • Legal challenges are succeeding more often than not, even in Trump-appointed courts.
  • Growing public backlash is seen as a force for future accountability.
  • Calls for Congress to increase transparency, oversight, and specific reforms to prevent future abuses (especially around pardons and conflicts of interest).

• Policymaker’s Message

  • Schiff urges Democrats to “pin the corruption on Republicans” and force politically-damaging votes.
  • Eisen and Perryman pledge ongoing legal resistance and to "shine a light" on administration abuses.

• Looking Forward

  • Experts warn of deepening danger if unchecked; but all stress the importance of vigilance, activism, and legal action in defense of democracy.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:56-09:02] – Trump’s inauguration, pay-to-play, and first-term examples of grift
• [06:32-09:02] – Cabinet-level enrichment and business entanglements
• [09:02-14:27] – Firing of ethics officials, legal accountability
• [14:27-17:43] – Legal gains, public response, and hope for reform
• [19:37-27:30] – Pardons for donors and allies (with Liz Oyer)
• [29:40-36:02] – DHS Secretary Kristi Noem ad contract corruption
• [36:38-45:43] – The $400M Qatar jet scandal (with Senator Schiff)

Notable Quotes and Moments

• On Historic Corruption:

  “This is grift that surpasses all grift combined ever in history.” — Jen Psaki [08:52]

• On Legal and Public Resistance:

  “The American people are not letting this democracy go down without a fight.” — Sky Perryman [16:08]

• On Pardons as Transaction:

  “Donald Trump has completely lost sight of the public interest... He is thinking about all of this in terms of business transactions, essentially.” — Liz Oyer [22:00]

• On National Security Risks:

  “They [Qatar] can buy very sophisticated eavesdropping equipment... You’re going to have to strip that airplane down” — Adam Schiff [42:44]

Tone & Language

• Language: Forthright, clear, direct—Jen Psaki and guests do not mince words about the scale or impropriety of corruption described.
• Tone: Urgent, outraged, occasionally incredulous, but hopeful regarding the power of courts, journalism, and public action to hold power to account.

Conclusion

This episode of The Briefing with Jen Psaki provides a comprehensive, well-supported case for understanding the Trump administration’s second term as uniquely marked by grift, self-enrichment, and shockingly open influence-peddling, raising profound questions about the rule of law and the future of democratic governance in America. Through expert interviews and detailed investigative reporting, the show calls for vigilance, reform, and continued activism to combat corruption at the highest levels.