"When it comes to the news cycle, only the actual destruction of the White House could have overshadowed the slate of dubious pardons that President Donald Trump issued last week, including former Rep. George Santos, the compulsive fabulist who had been expelled from Congress for making false statements and went to prison for numerous counts of fraud, and Changpeng Zhao, billionaire and former CEO of the crypto exchange Binance."
"But at its core, these two disparate events are part of the same dynamic under the second Trump administration: Trump uses tech industry money to bulldoze US institutions (in this case, literally), and the tech industry gains some advantage elsewhere. I've written before about how tech companies are using donations to the National State Ballroom Fund as a way to soften Trump, going over the heads of the MAGA regulators, and appealing straight to the boss."
A slate of controversial pardons included former Rep. George Santos and Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, raising questions about clemency choices. The physical destruction of the White House diverted media attention from some pardons, with the CZ pardon deprioritized as focus shifted to East Wing rubble. Under the second Trump administration, tech industry money functions as a tool to weaken U.S. institutions and secure benefits. Tech companies donate to the National State Ballroom Fund to curry favor, bypass MAGA regulators, and appeal directly to the president, creating a transactional channel for influence and regulatory advantage.
Read at The Verge
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