The Most Corrupt Bushies

The Most Corrupt Bushies

Who are the 25 most corrupt officials in the Bush Administration? Where does one even start?

With Scooter Libby, on trial for lying to federal investigators? David Safavian, the top procurement official convicted of obstructing the government’s probe of Jack Abramoff? How about Dusty Foggo, the CIA’s #3 guy, who steered contracts to lobbyist friends of Duke Cunningham? Don’t forget Kenneth Tomlinson, the man Karl Rove appointed to censor NPR and PBS.

Narrowing a down a list like this is no enviable task. Luckily Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington (CREW) has sifted through the records. Over the last six years CREW found over 160 cases of misconduct in the Bush Administration and narrowed the cast of “criminals and scoundrels” down to 25, “based on type of offense, the official’s level of responsibility and the impact on the public trust.”

Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email

Who are the 25 most corrupt officials in the Bush Administration? Where does one even start?

With Scooter Libby, on trial for lying to federal investigators? David Safavian, the top procurement official convicted of obstructing the government’s probe of Jack Abramoff? How about Dusty Foggo, the CIA’s #3 guy, who steered contracts to lobbyist friends of Duke Cunningham? Don’t forget Kenneth Tomlinson, the man Karl Rove appointed to censor NPR and PBS.

Narrowing a down a list like this is no enviable task. Luckily Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington (CREW) has sifted through the records. Over the last six years CREW found over 160 cases of misconduct in the Bush Administration and narrowed the cast of “criminals and scoundrels” down to 25, “based on type of offense, the official’s level of responsibility and the impact on the public trust.”

The examples of offense range from “sexual misconduct to theft to immigration fraud,” the report states. Some are pathetically hilarious. Most are deeply disturbing. The report as a whole is a damning indictment of the way this Administration does business. Click here to read the full report.

Support The Nation’s June Fundraising Campaign

With the midterm elections now firmly upon us, the question is whether Democratic candidates will do more than merely occupy ballot lines as mild alternatives to the red-hot crisis that is Donald Trump.

As Trump spends over $1 billion a day on a globally destabilizing war on Iran and admits that he doesn’t “think about Americans’ financial situation,” millions across the country are struggling with the surging costs of essentials. Democrats must seize this moment and advance bold, small-“d” populist ideas—not settle for cynical caution that once again snatches defeat from the jaws of victory.

The Nation elevates progressive ideas, movements, and elected officials achieving real change across the country into the national conversation. At the same time, our journalists are exposing how crypto and AI-funded super PACs are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to knock out candidates they oppose, reporting on the devastating impact of the Supreme Court’s evisceration of the Voting Rights Act, and sounding the alarm on attempts by red states to quickly redraw electoral maps, disenfranchising Southern Black voters.

We can play this critical role because of support from readers like you. This June, we’re raising $20,000 to power The Nation’s independent journalism in the run-up to November’s immensely consequential elections.

It’s in our power to build a more just society, and your support at this critical moment brings us closer to that bold vision. I hope you’ll donate today.

Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor and Publisher, The Nation

Ad Policy
x