And the perverse incentive structure here goes even deeper. In addition to criminals committing fraud, getting caught, making the right political donations and connections, receiving a pardon and escaping any consequences (with refunds), and then selling their story becomes a viable business plan…
On top of that, the president enriches himself with the political donations that the criminals make in the corrupt process. They become fundraising machines for the president while shopping for pardons. The more successful these post-pardon media deals become, the more attractive this corruption pathway looks to other wealthy criminals, which means more dark money flowing into presidential campaigns from people seeking get-out-of-jail-free cards.
I’m feeling especially angry at Lifetime and the production company (Bunim-Murray Productions) for getting in bed with the Chrisleys to make over their image and perpetuate this corruption.
For people feeling frustrated and looking for concrete ways to push back against this system, there's actually a pretty straightforward action we can take today:
Turn off Lifetime and any show produced by Bunim-Murray Productions. Let them know why you’re turning it off. Let the stars of other Lifetime and Bunim-Murray shows know why you’re not watching their show anymore. And by doing so, we will let other networks/production companies know there are consequences for contributing to the corruption. Spread the word to your group chats and political groups.
In addition to anything on Lifetime, here’s a list of Bunim-Murray shows you can avoid:
Timothy Patrick, thank you for the call to action and list.
Also, thank you for connecting the dots between the pardons and Trump’s enrichment. There seems to be never-ending ways that he enriches himself at our country’s expense. We cannot share that info enough!
I’m essentially allergic to reality tv (who needs reality tv when you’ve got American politics 🫠🫠) but this list of shows doesn’t surprise me at all. They all have a similar vibe - I won’t share further what that “vibe” actually is but I’m sure you can guess.
I hear ya! Typing some of those titles made me feel nauseated. There used to be some reality TV that didn't revolve around hyper-produced "personalities" but as the tv industry collapsed, only the shows that could survive drastic budget cuts have made it to multiple seasons. I've worked on the same TV show for 13 years, starting with episode 1, which is a longevity almost unheard of. I'm actually proud of what we have made and I enjoy watching it even outside of work. But last year they laid off everyone else who had been there as long as I have, and recategorized me to lose my corporate benefits and effectively gave me a 10% pay cut. But because there are no other projects I can jump onto, all I can do is care 10% less about the job. Which, in turn, birthed this Substack habit 😅 Meanwhile, I'm brainstorming what's next once this project inevitably comes to an end. Craving something that means a little bit more to the health of the world than television.
Honestly, I didn't have the info before today either. I just went to their website, and googled the shows at the top of their list of titles to confirm that they are currently airing or have recently aired.
To be clear: I don't fault anyone for taking any of the very few jobs that are out there right now. This is definitely not a criticism of your friend. It would be a very bold choice for someone to walk away from their livelihood just because of the actions of employees on a different show produced by the same company. BUT I do think it makes sense for everyday television viewers to recognize they have power they can exert on the network and production decision makers about what gets a green light and what gets abandoned.
And I imagine when people defraud banks and they lose money, we all end up paying for those losses. When this happens what actually stops people from thinking twice before breaking the law?
Just for the record, nowhere in the court transcripts does it show that prosecutors made any mention of Trump in the Chrisley trial, let alone calling them the “Trumps of the South.” Seems that their daughter is a liar just like them. And as for Democrat persecution goes, this prosecution was undertaken under Trump’s Dept of Justice. They’re just a plasticky, pretty bunch with ostentatious wealth who lied, cheated and defrauded their way to some sort of reality tv fame. I’m sure Trump sees a lot of himself in them. Thankfully, I’d never heard of them before the pardon and hope to never again.
Add this to the mountain of evidence that Trump lacks the moral character to lead this country. These pardons are attacks on the very foundation of our democracy - the rule of law. I long for the day Trump voters will call their Congressional Representatives and demand action. What will it take for people to say, “This is not what we want America to look like”?
But yet we are going to round up and deport people who every day do jobs no one else is interested in doing while hurting no one, paying taxes, and helping the country. Campaigning on deporting criminals and now they say things like "They broke the law by coming into this country." or "They just haven't committed a crime yet." But there will be no pardons or amnesty for these poor people looking for a better life.
Sharon, thank you for compiling and writing about these criminals. I wish every American would become more informed about the horrors happening everyday.
I cannot believe this has happened to our country....how can it be made right when corruption is rampant, unchecked, and growing...the regime does not care about the constitution and the rule of law 😥
Of course he pardons the people who do business exactly like he does! 😝 I’m waiting for a neon sign “Bribe Me” to be installed on the White House… any day now.
Sharon, always so so beyond appreciative of your work and reason in this crazy space!
Can you do more “listen to understand” comment boxes soon? Things have escalated so so much…. And I just am having so much trouble believing in (half of?) the citizens in the country these days … for a party that supports reducing federal spending and removing “fraud and abuse”, how are they supportive of tens of millions of dollars on a military parade… and military presence in LA… I just cannot wrap my head around it
We keep hearing that number of "half" the country but is this percentage correct? I tend to live in a bubble as I cannot stand to be around anyone who is pro-Trump because they are so loud and proud. I'm not sure where to find the the actual numbers but I really want to believe that less than half the country supports the corruption.
Just under half of all *voters* voted for Trump, but that's less than 30% of the voting-age population (so certainly not half of the country). I'd also suggest it's probably not safe to assume that all of his voters have remained his supporters since then.
As someone who tries to keep in touch with Trump supporters, a lot of it comes down to who we believe and why we believe them. It's probably safe to assume that we're not all reading the same information, nor are we listening to the same analysis of that information.
Trump supporters generally believe that the bad is being over-exaggerated and the good is being under-reported. They're not *entirely* wrong, but they also tend to believe that even balanced news sources have a strong left bias. So the likelihood that they'll discount any criticism of Trump becomes even higher (because it's coming from a place of "bias"), and the likelihood that their preferred media sources will include meaningful criticisms of Trump becomes a lot lower.
Both of these tendencies in combination form a pretty critique-proof shield: criticism of Trump is automatically suspect, and a positive spin on anything he does is unquestioningly believed. You'll see a lot of "The fact that everyone else is upset just proves that he's onto something!" because Trump has been treated so "unfairly" that none of his critics are trustworthy.
There is also the belief (not remotely unique to Republicans/MAGA) that the ends justify the means. Tariff chaos? Trump's just doing the 'Art of the Deal' but he'll work it out in the end. Backing off support of Ukraine? We can't fund an endless war, he's just getting them to the negotiating table. ICE Deportations? Don't be undocumented and that won't happen to you. Basically anything that he does is worth it because, they believe, he's doing it to ensure a stable economy, lower crime, no more wars, etc. To untangle the web of misinformation around the economy, immigration, and foreign relations would be whole other endeavor, but if you imagine that people are taking the administration's claims at face value (and very many folks are) then the administration's actions become a lot more justifiable (in their minds).
Emily, thanks for the thoughtful and calm reply. I have Trumpies in my neighbourhood and for those not completely in the cult there are some cracks starting to show, their kids bestie got disappeared by ICE, they can’t afford a new car (great tariff teaching moment especially when I use my posh English voice and no judgement.)
I don’t sugarcoat fascism. I studied it in History class. It needs a target- at the moment it’s immigrants (Latinos specifically) and Trans and LGBTQIA and book bans but then it’s religion (Jews) and culture and then it’s eradication/extermination. We’re in 1933 Germany territory right now. Americans need to be loud and pissed off and give fascism the boot.
I so appreciate you taking the time to write this very thoughtful comment. I think you’re definitely right ( as someone with family members who follow this exact pattern/ thought process).
The big question is then when does it stop ? what eventually gets through to these people who are unwilling to see the illogical irrational hypocritical nature of this thought process ?
(If Obama or Biden had a 134 million dollar parade they would lose. Their. Minds. Same re marines in LA)
My short guess is that Trump supporters live in a bubble, watch FOX News, and believe exactly what FOX tells them, simple as that. Anything else is "Fake news".
This is an excellent compilation of the fraud and abuse of this administration. Just for due diligence, when previous presidents have pardoned people, how much restitution was lost? It's important to make sure we have a basis for this being worse than in the past.
No, so we can be well informed about the cost and repercussions of pardons in general. Sharon's IG and the Preamble, help us be to be well-informed and I truly appreciate the value provided. In the last few hours, I've done a cursory check of pardon's from the last few administrations and none were as egregious as the ones mentioned in this article. The one's I've found, the pardon's happened long after restitution was paid or there was no restitution involved.
No, I think we should examine all pardons of white collar crime to see what it is costing victims. If this isn’t isolated to Trump and has been an ongoing issue, perhaps it is time to push Congress to amend the pardon statute so that restitution is still mandatory.
It seems like the main difference is that the Chrisley's can potentially get the money they've paid back. In other cases the person pardoned may have been relieved from paying restitution, but they could not get any funds paid out back.
It's also handy to know about Biden's, Obama's, Bush's, etc. pardons, so that when someone defends Trump and says "Well what about Biden's pardons?", you'll have the information at hand to explain how Trump's are more egregious than anyone else's.
Shouldn’t there be limitations to presidential pardons like there are for expungements? Meaning until certain conditions are met that would make them eligible. It blows my mind that Trump took no thought on the harm of his decisions, but then again, he himself is a criminal. And it’s maddening that people continue to fall for his lies and that of his supporters.
This is one of many reasons, including Biden’s pardon of family members, that I believe it’s in the best interest of this country that some limitations be put on the President’s power to pardon. I doubt the framers and authors of the constitution envisioned presidents would pardon people in this capacity. I know it was a long standing monarchical practice dating back to the ancient near east, but wow. Just pardoning people left and right and eliminating any sort of justice from being completed feels wrong. It should be called “favors” rather than pardons at this point.
This is all so infuriating. It’s not even just about Trump, although his pardons seem to be the most egregious. Favor trading for supporters is just dirty.
And the perverse incentive structure here goes even deeper. In addition to criminals committing fraud, getting caught, making the right political donations and connections, receiving a pardon and escaping any consequences (with refunds), and then selling their story becomes a viable business plan…
On top of that, the president enriches himself with the political donations that the criminals make in the corrupt process. They become fundraising machines for the president while shopping for pardons. The more successful these post-pardon media deals become, the more attractive this corruption pathway looks to other wealthy criminals, which means more dark money flowing into presidential campaigns from people seeking get-out-of-jail-free cards.
I’m feeling especially angry at Lifetime and the production company (Bunim-Murray Productions) for getting in bed with the Chrisleys to make over their image and perpetuate this corruption.
For people feeling frustrated and looking for concrete ways to push back against this system, there's actually a pretty straightforward action we can take today:
Turn off Lifetime and any show produced by Bunim-Murray Productions. Let them know why you’re turning it off. Let the stars of other Lifetime and Bunim-Murray shows know why you’re not watching their show anymore. And by doing so, we will let other networks/production companies know there are consequences for contributing to the corruption. Spread the word to your group chats and political groups.
In addition to anything on Lifetime, here’s a list of Bunim-Murray shows you can avoid:
Below Deck (Bravo)
The Challenge (MTV)
Anything with Kardashians in it (Hulu)
Vanderpump Villa (Hulu)
The Never Ever Mets (OWN)
The Family Stallone (Paramount+)
Filthy Fortunes (Discovery)
Family or Fiancé (OWN)
Married to Real Estate (HGTV)
Timothy Patrick, thank you for the call to action and list.
Also, thank you for connecting the dots between the pardons and Trump’s enrichment. There seems to be never-ending ways that he enriches himself at our country’s expense. We cannot share that info enough!
I’m essentially allergic to reality tv (who needs reality tv when you’ve got American politics 🫠🫠) but this list of shows doesn’t surprise me at all. They all have a similar vibe - I won’t share further what that “vibe” actually is but I’m sure you can guess.
I hear ya! Typing some of those titles made me feel nauseated. There used to be some reality TV that didn't revolve around hyper-produced "personalities" but as the tv industry collapsed, only the shows that could survive drastic budget cuts have made it to multiple seasons. I've worked on the same TV show for 13 years, starting with episode 1, which is a longevity almost unheard of. I'm actually proud of what we have made and I enjoy watching it even outside of work. But last year they laid off everyone else who had been there as long as I have, and recategorized me to lose my corporate benefits and effectively gave me a 10% pay cut. But because there are no other projects I can jump onto, all I can do is care 10% less about the job. Which, in turn, birthed this Substack habit 😅 Meanwhile, I'm brainstorming what's next once this project inevitably comes to an end. Craving something that means a little bit more to the health of the world than television.
Good to know! Thank you! Most of us do not have this kind of information.
Honestly, I didn't have the info before today either. I just went to their website, and googled the shows at the top of their list of titles to confirm that they are currently airing or have recently aired.
Still wouldn’t have thought of that! New learning.
Damn. Family or Fiancé is my friend’s show. I know you’re right and I appreciate you laying this all out here.
To be clear: I don't fault anyone for taking any of the very few jobs that are out there right now. This is definitely not a criticism of your friend. It would be a very bold choice for someone to walk away from their livelihood just because of the actions of employees on a different show produced by the same company. BUT I do think it makes sense for everyday television viewers to recognize they have power they can exert on the network and production decision makers about what gets a green light and what gets abandoned.
I can't imagine being one of the people physically or financially harmed by these individuals and watching them walk away without consequences.
And I imagine when people defraud banks and they lose money, we all end up paying for those losses. When this happens what actually stops people from thinking twice before breaking the law?
Just for the record, nowhere in the court transcripts does it show that prosecutors made any mention of Trump in the Chrisley trial, let alone calling them the “Trumps of the South.” Seems that their daughter is a liar just like them. And as for Democrat persecution goes, this prosecution was undertaken under Trump’s Dept of Justice. They’re just a plasticky, pretty bunch with ostentatious wealth who lied, cheated and defrauded their way to some sort of reality tv fame. I’m sure Trump sees a lot of himself in them. Thankfully, I’d never heard of them before the pardon and hope to never again.
Add this to the mountain of evidence that Trump lacks the moral character to lead this country. These pardons are attacks on the very foundation of our democracy - the rule of law. I long for the day Trump voters will call their Congressional Representatives and demand action. What will it take for people to say, “This is not what we want America to look like”?
But yet we are going to round up and deport people who every day do jobs no one else is interested in doing while hurting no one, paying taxes, and helping the country. Campaigning on deporting criminals and now they say things like "They broke the law by coming into this country." or "They just haven't committed a crime yet." But there will be no pardons or amnesty for these poor people looking for a better life.
Sharon, thank you for compiling and writing about these criminals. I wish every American would become more informed about the horrors happening everyday.
Alarming and frankly, disgusting in so many ways!
So much for finding real fraud and corruption, this administration is a joke
the corruption coming from this administration is unbelievable and unacceptable!!! This is a sad time for our country 🙁
I cannot believe this has happened to our country....how can it be made right when corruption is rampant, unchecked, and growing...the regime does not care about the constitution and the rule of law 😥
Yes, Lisa, that is the burning question. How can it be made right?
That is the Sharon article I want to see!
I’ve seen enough tomfoolery! Now show me how it can be made right.
It feels like evil is overwhelmingly winning and there’s no stopping it. 😔
Of course he pardons the people who do business exactly like he does! 😝 I’m waiting for a neon sign “Bribe Me” to be installed on the White House… any day now.
It would have to be in gold. Look at the tackiness in the Oval Office - human & decor. Makes me ill. 🤮
Sharon, always so so beyond appreciative of your work and reason in this crazy space!
Can you do more “listen to understand” comment boxes soon? Things have escalated so so much…. And I just am having so much trouble believing in (half of?) the citizens in the country these days … for a party that supports reducing federal spending and removing “fraud and abuse”, how are they supportive of tens of millions of dollars on a military parade… and military presence in LA… I just cannot wrap my head around it
We keep hearing that number of "half" the country but is this percentage correct? I tend to live in a bubble as I cannot stand to be around anyone who is pro-Trump because they are so loud and proud. I'm not sure where to find the the actual numbers but I really want to believe that less than half the country supports the corruption.
Just under half of all *voters* voted for Trump, but that's less than 30% of the voting-age population (so certainly not half of the country). I'd also suggest it's probably not safe to assume that all of his voters have remained his supporters since then.
That’s what I’m curious to hear. With all of the recent goings on…. Why are they still supporting ? (Like. Someone try and give me a valid answer) 🫠
As someone who tries to keep in touch with Trump supporters, a lot of it comes down to who we believe and why we believe them. It's probably safe to assume that we're not all reading the same information, nor are we listening to the same analysis of that information.
Trump supporters generally believe that the bad is being over-exaggerated and the good is being under-reported. They're not *entirely* wrong, but they also tend to believe that even balanced news sources have a strong left bias. So the likelihood that they'll discount any criticism of Trump becomes even higher (because it's coming from a place of "bias"), and the likelihood that their preferred media sources will include meaningful criticisms of Trump becomes a lot lower.
Both of these tendencies in combination form a pretty critique-proof shield: criticism of Trump is automatically suspect, and a positive spin on anything he does is unquestioningly believed. You'll see a lot of "The fact that everyone else is upset just proves that he's onto something!" because Trump has been treated so "unfairly" that none of his critics are trustworthy.
There is also the belief (not remotely unique to Republicans/MAGA) that the ends justify the means. Tariff chaos? Trump's just doing the 'Art of the Deal' but he'll work it out in the end. Backing off support of Ukraine? We can't fund an endless war, he's just getting them to the negotiating table. ICE Deportations? Don't be undocumented and that won't happen to you. Basically anything that he does is worth it because, they believe, he's doing it to ensure a stable economy, lower crime, no more wars, etc. To untangle the web of misinformation around the economy, immigration, and foreign relations would be whole other endeavor, but if you imagine that people are taking the administration's claims at face value (and very many folks are) then the administration's actions become a lot more justifiable (in their minds).
Emily, thanks for the thoughtful and calm reply. I have Trumpies in my neighbourhood and for those not completely in the cult there are some cracks starting to show, their kids bestie got disappeared by ICE, they can’t afford a new car (great tariff teaching moment especially when I use my posh English voice and no judgement.)
I don’t sugarcoat fascism. I studied it in History class. It needs a target- at the moment it’s immigrants (Latinos specifically) and Trans and LGBTQIA and book bans but then it’s religion (Jews) and culture and then it’s eradication/extermination. We’re in 1933 Germany territory right now. Americans need to be loud and pissed off and give fascism the boot.
I so appreciate you taking the time to write this very thoughtful comment. I think you’re definitely right ( as someone with family members who follow this exact pattern/ thought process).
The big question is then when does it stop ? what eventually gets through to these people who are unwilling to see the illogical irrational hypocritical nature of this thought process ?
(If Obama or Biden had a 134 million dollar parade they would lose. Their. Minds. Same re marines in LA)
Emily, I appreciate you taking the time to write this detailed and thoughtful answer.
My short guess is that Trump supporters live in a bubble, watch FOX News, and believe exactly what FOX tells them, simple as that. Anything else is "Fake news".
Get out. Is this real!?
As far as I can tell yes. It is in Craig’s list
Yes, but the ad itself appears to be fake: https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-military-parade-fake-ad-seat-fillers-2084415
This is an excellent compilation of the fraud and abuse of this administration. Just for due diligence, when previous presidents have pardoned people, how much restitution was lost? It's important to make sure we have a basis for this being worse than in the past.
Why? So we can play the game of whataboutism?
No, so we can be well informed about the cost and repercussions of pardons in general. Sharon's IG and the Preamble, help us be to be well-informed and I truly appreciate the value provided. In the last few hours, I've done a cursory check of pardon's from the last few administrations and none were as egregious as the ones mentioned in this article. The one's I've found, the pardon's happened long after restitution was paid or there was no restitution involved.
No, I think we should examine all pardons of white collar crime to see what it is costing victims. If this isn’t isolated to Trump and has been an ongoing issue, perhaps it is time to push Congress to amend the pardon statute so that restitution is still mandatory.
It seems like the main difference is that the Chrisley's can potentially get the money they've paid back. In other cases the person pardoned may have been relieved from paying restitution, but they could not get any funds paid out back.
It's also handy to know about Biden's, Obama's, Bush's, etc. pardons, so that when someone defends Trump and says "Well what about Biden's pardons?", you'll have the information at hand to explain how Trump's are more egregious than anyone else's.
Shouldn’t there be limitations to presidential pardons like there are for expungements? Meaning until certain conditions are met that would make them eligible. It blows my mind that Trump took no thought on the harm of his decisions, but then again, he himself is a criminal. And it’s maddening that people continue to fall for his lies and that of his supporters.
This is one of many reasons, including Biden’s pardon of family members, that I believe it’s in the best interest of this country that some limitations be put on the President’s power to pardon. I doubt the framers and authors of the constitution envisioned presidents would pardon people in this capacity. I know it was a long standing monarchical practice dating back to the ancient near east, but wow. Just pardoning people left and right and eliminating any sort of justice from being completed feels wrong. It should be called “favors” rather than pardons at this point.
This is all so infuriating. It’s not even just about Trump, although his pardons seem to be the most egregious. Favor trading for supporters is just dirty.