While Republicans—especially those aligned with the Trump campaign—were loudly decrying the so-called “Biden Crime Family” and Hunter Biden’s foreign business ties, they seemed to have missed the larger lesson: the American public is sick of political corruption, real or perceived.

So, how do they explain why the Trump and Witkoff family members cut multimillion-dollar deals across the Middle East with foreign governments that had active business before the United States? If they genuinely cared about ethics in government, this kind of influence peddling wouldn’t just be unacceptable—it would be unthinkable.

The Dangerous Optics of Influence

The concern raised by the troubling pattern we’ve seen in this administration: family members of high-ranking officials—and, in some cases, of the President or key appointees—engaging in lucrative commercial dealings with foreign governments who have active business before the U.S. government. 

Trump Organization executive vice-president Eric Trump (R), World Liberty Financial co-founder Zach Witkoff (C), and cryptomoney exchange Tron Justin Sun (L) participate in a session during the Token 2049 crypto conference in Dubai, on 1 May 2025

A recent Wall Street Journal exposé reveals how the family of Steve Witkoff, a longtime Trump associate and United States Special Envoy to the Middle East since 2025, appears to be profiting from foreign connections cultivated through diplomacy. At the center of the story is World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a cryptocurrency company co-founded by son Zach Witkoff and supported by son Eric Trump and other Trump-world figures.

The report outlines a $2 billion crypto token purchase by a company owned by the UAE’s powerful Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al Nahyan, known as the “spy sheikh.” This deal, made shortly after Steve Witkoff met the sheikh for diplomatic talks, is expected to generate tens of millions annually in profits for both the Witkoffs and the Trump family, which owns a 60% stake in WLFI.

• January 2025: Steve Witkoff travels to the UAE to meet Sheikh Tahnoon on official diplomatic business and attends a crypto conference.
• May 2025: WLFI, with Eric Trump and Zach Witkoff onstage in Dubai, announces the UAE’s $2B investment in their stablecoin, USD1.
• Backchannel Access: WLFI and the Trump network meet officials in Pakistan, Malaysia, and Kyrgyzstan—often shortly before or after official diplomatic engagements.
• Sheikh Connections: Changpeng Zhao (CZ), the embattled Binance founder seeking a Trump pardon, facilitates introductions and helps open doors abroad for WLFI.
• Regulatory Winds Shift: Since Trump took office, crypto regulation in the U.S. has softened, with the SEC dropping or pausing cases, including against WLFI investor Justin Sun.

Read the full Wall Street Journal investigation here. (Paywall)

Let’s be clear: even if no laws are technically broken, the damage is already done. The appearance of political corruption is nearly as corrosive as corruption itself. And in this case, the optics aren’t just bad—they’re damning.

Trading Access for Advantage?

When a nation-state negotiating trade deals, military cooperation, or diplomatic priorities with the United States is simultaneously cutting business deals with a family member of a top government official, the questions write themselves. Is U.S. foreign policy shaped by strategic interest, or by who knows whom, and who stands to profit?

These aren’t idle speculations. The mere suggestion that foreign powers can curry favor or gain leverage by doing business with relatives of senior officials undermines our credibility abroad and confidence at home. Worse still, it invites other countries to play along, treating our diplomacy not as a principled endeavor, but as a marketplace for influence.

Bottom line…

It’s often said that sunlight is the best disinfectant. But in this case, transparency alone isn’t enough. Even full disclosure of these ties doesn’t fix the fundamental problem: the ethical rot that sets in when public service begins to resemble a family business. Americans are right to wonder whose interests are truly being served.

The cost isn’t just abstract. The erosion of trust leads to lower voter turnout, reduced civic participation, and growing support for populists and strongmen who claim to “drain the swamp” while often perpetuating the very systems they rail against. It’s a vicious cycle of cynicism and corrosion.

The Trump administration may dismiss criticism as partisan, but accountability shouldn’t be political; it should be structural. We need clear rules barring close family members of high-level officials from engaging in international business while their relatives are in office. Period. Not just because the law demands it, but because the integrity of democratic governance does. 

What we’re witnessing is not just questionable judgment. It’s a breakdown of the basic boundaries between public duty and private enrichment. And unless those in power take meaningful steps to rebuild those walls, the public will rightly conclude that government is no longer a service—it’s a racket.

We all know who the “Big Guy” refers to, but how about the “Biggest Guy?”

We are so screwed.

-- Steve

Disclaimer: I supported Trump, voted for him, and generally agree with what he is doing to reverse the fortunes of the United States. I don't like the appearance of grifters and graft, especially since many of Trump's associates are sketchy characters.