Outside Allies and Donors

Updated2026-11-09 Covers2025-01-05 to 2026-11-06

Summary

People who held no government job publicly called for specific firings, prosecutions and policy changes. Sometimes the administration acted soon afterward. Activist Laura Loomer gave Trump names of staff she considered disloyal. That same week six National Security Council (NSC) aides and the director of the National Security Agency (NSA) were removed.¹ Steve Bannon urged investigations of officials he named.² Lawyer Mike Davis called for a federal judge to be impeached.³ Some donors and owners of media and technology companies had matters pending before government regulators. They made payments to Trump or his family, changed editorial policies, or completed deals the administration approved.²⁷,²⁸,³⁰,³¹ MAGA Inc. is a super PAC, a political group that may take unlimited gifts because it spends independently of candidates. It received gifts from companies and investors shortly before or after federal actions on their matters. One giver was Crypto.com’s parent company ($35 million). Two agency heads gave to MAGA Inc. while in office.⁷²,⁷⁶,⁸³ Federal ethics laws apply to government officers and employees, not to private advisers. No court or official body has found that any of these people acted unlawfully. A court has ruled that the firing of prosecutor Maurene Comey was unlawful. Her firing came after Loomer publicly called for her removal.⁹,⁴ Democrats will soon hold the majority in the House, and they promise investigations.⁵

Background

The basic legal rules are these. The most senior officers need Senate confirmation, meaning the Senate must approve them. That rule is in the Constitution’s Appointments Clause (Art. II, § 2, cl. 2).⁵⁵ Federal officers and employees must follow a criminal conflict-of-interest law, 18 U.S.C. § 208⁵⁶. It bars them from working on government matters that affect their own money. They must also follow the ethics rules at 5 C.F.R. part 2635.⁵⁷ Both cover special government employees, who are part-time advisers. Career employees, such as line prosecutors, are protected from being fired without cause. That protection comes from the Civil Service Reform Act, the law that lets most career federal workers be fired only for a good reason and appeal.⁴,⁵⁸ The President’s pardon power (Art. II, § 2, cl. 1)⁵⁹ covers federal crimes. A pardon forgives a federal crime and erases the penalties. A private citizen who advises the President without an official job is not covered by those ethics laws or firing rules. Congress can force such a person to testify with a subpoena, which is a legal order to testify or hand over documents.

The Heritage Foundation wrote Project 2025. In 2024 Trump said he “didn’t know who was behind” it.⁶ Leonard Leo’s Federalist Society network screened the judges Trump chose in his first term.⁷ Peter Thiel backed Mithril Capital, where JD Vance worked, and Vance’s later investment fund.⁸ Elon Musk is covered separately in Musk, DOGE and Conflict-of-Interest Questions.

What happened

Influencers and agency actions

On Apr 2–3, 2025 Loomer gave Trump names of NSC staff she considered disloyal. Trump fired six of them. NSA director Gen. Timothy Haugh and his deputy were also on her list, and they were removed that week.¹ The record here does not include the administration’s stated reason for those removals. Prosecutor Maurene Comey was fired on Jul 16 after Loomer had publicly called for her removal. The one-line firing notice cited “Article II of the United States Constitution” and gave no cause.⁹ Article II is the part of the Constitution that gives the President the executive power.⁶⁰ Judge Jesse Furman ruled on Oct 26, 2026 that the firing was unlawful.⁴ On Jul 30 Army Secretary Dan Driscoll took back Jen Easterly’s appointment to a teaching chair at West Point. Easterly is the former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Driscoll acted a day after Loomer criticized the hire on X.¹⁰ Vinay Prasad, the vaccine chief at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), left in late July. He had faced criticism that included a social-media campaign by Loomer. Less than two weeks later he was given his job back.¹¹,¹²¹ On Aug 16 the State Department stopped all visitor visas from Gaza while it carried out a review. A day earlier, Loomer had posted videos of children from Gaza arriving for medical care. The department said “a small number” of medical-humanitarian visas had been issued.¹²,¹²⁵

On Mar 20, 2026 the New York Times reported on Paolo Zampolli, who held the title “special envoy.” It said he had contacted a senior immigration official to have his ex-partner moved into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody during a custody dispute.¹⁰⁵ She was deported in October 2025. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says she overstayed her visa. Zampolli calls her claims “absurd.”⁴³,¹⁰⁵ The State Department ended his envoy status on Oct 15, 2026. That was hours after Politico published emails from his dispute with Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau.⁴⁴

Bannon and Davis

On Feb 11, 2025 Bannon pleaded guilty in New York to a felony. It was a scheme to cheat donors to “We Build the Wall.” He received a conditional discharge, which meant no prison term. Outside court he urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate New York Attorney General Letitia James.² The Justice Department (DOJ) indicted James that October.¹³ An indictment is a formal criminal charge approved by a grand jury. Bannon told The Economist that Trump would serve a third term (“there is a plan,” Oct 23).¹⁴ On his War Room podcast on Feb 3, 2026, he said, “We’re going to have ICE surround the polls come November.”¹⁵,¹¹⁶ Then came a Supreme Court order (Apr 6, 2026). After it, DOJ asked the court to cancel Bannon’s conviction for contempt of Congress, which is the crime of refusing to obey a subpoena from Congress.¹⁶ Judge Carl Nichols denied that request in August. DOJ filed again on Nov 5, 2026. It cited executive privilege, the President’s power to keep some communications confidential. It also cited the administration’s “enforcement priorities.”¹⁷

DOJ “is not independent of the President,” Davis said early in the term.¹⁸ Davis was reportedly one of Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s (HPE) outside advocates when DOJ settled its lawsuit over HPE’s purchase of Juniper (Jun 27, 2025). DOJ had sued under antitrust law, which guards against deals that hurt competition. On Jul 28 CBS reported that two senior antitrust officials, Roger Alford and Bill Rinner, had been fired. The reason cited was “insubordination,” meaning refusing to follow orders.¹⁹,¹⁰⁴ On Oct 22 Davis said publicly that a grand jury in Fort Pierce, Florida would hear a “grand conspiracy” case.²⁰ A grand jury is a group of citizens who decide whether there is enough evidence to charge someone with a crime. On Dec 13 he wrote in a Fox News opinion piece that the House should impeach Chief Judge James Boasberg.³

Movement institutions

On May 29, 2025 a trade court ruled against Trump’s tariffs, which are taxes on imported goods. A judge Trump had appointed joined that ruling. Trump then called Leo a “sleazebag.” Leo replied that he was grateful for Trump “transforming the Federal Courts.”⁷ Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was shot and killed (Sept 10).²¹ Afterward, White House aide Stephen Miller said the government would use DOJ, DHS and other agencies to break up left-wing groups. He linked those groups to a “vast domestic terror movement” (Sept 15). NBC reported that investigators had found “no evidence” of such ties to the shooting.²² Starting Oct 30, Heritage president Kevin Roberts defended Tucker Carlson’s interview of Nick Fuentes. The Guardian described Fuentes as a white nationalist. Later, at a leaked all-staff meeting on Nov 5, Roberts said, “I made a mistake.”¹¹² Members of a Heritage task force resigned. On Dec 16 trustees Shane McCullar and Abby Spencer Moffat also resigned. They said Heritage “hesitates to condemn antisemitism.”²⁴,¹¹³ Erika Kirk endorsed Vance for 2028 (Dec 18).²³ On Jun 23, 2026 Heritage told donors that 53% of Project 2025 was in place.⁶

Donors and MAGA Inc.

MAGA Inc. had raised “over $400 million” by late September 2026, according to Popular Information.¹²³ The donors below had matters before federal agencies when they gave. In most cases an agency acted on the matter shortly before or after the gift. No official body has found a link between any gift and any action. - Jan 7, 2025 to Mar 5, 2026: The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation gave $1M to the inauguration on Jan 7, 2025.⁹⁸ On Mar 26, 2025 the Interior Department suspended a rival tribe’s right to run a casino. A court restored that right on Oct 30 because the tribe had not received due process, the fair steps the government owes before taking something away.⁹⁹ While Interior was reconsidering, the Yocha Dehe gave MAGA Inc. $2M (Mar 5, 2026).⁷⁵,¹⁰⁰ On Jul 31, 2026 Interior ruled that the rival tribe, the Scotts Valley Band, had not shown the historical tie needed to run a casino on its Vallejo land. The tribe’s preview casino stopped gambling, and its chairman said it will challenge the decision in federal court.¹³¹ - Feb 14, 2025 to Jan 23, 2026: Crypto.com’s parent company, Foris DAX, gave $35M in four gifts. It gave $10M each on Feb 14, Sept 12 and Oct 22, 2025, and $5M on Jan 23, 2026. That made it the PAC’s largest donor.⁹²,⁹³,⁹⁴ On Mar 27, 2025 Crypto.com announced that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had closed its investigation of the company with no enforcement action. Public Citizen describes that probe as “reportedly dropped.”⁹¹ On Feb 17, 2026, 25 days after the last gift, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) filed an amicus brief, which is a filing from someone outside a case. The brief supported Crypto.com’s appeal in its prediction-market lawsuit against Nevada’s gaming regulators.⁷²,⁹⁵ - Feb 24, 2025: Extremity Care, which makes skin substitutes, gave $5M. Six days later, on Mar 2, Trump criticized on Truth Social a Biden-era limit on Medicare coverage of skin substitutes.⁹⁶ On Apr 11 the Medicare agency delayed the limit to at least Jan 1, 2026.⁷³,⁹⁷ - Mar 6, 2025: Jeff Yass gave $15M. His firm holds a stake in TikTok’s parent company. At the time, Trump kept extending a pause in enforcing the law that required TikTok to be sold.⁷⁴ - 2025 (mid-year report): Energy Transfer and its CEO Kelcy Warren gave $25M. At the time, the company was suing to have a pipeline-safety agency’s in-house enforcement declared unconstitutional.⁷⁷,¹²⁴ - Aug to Sept 2025: Nursing-home industry donors gave $4.8M. The administration then stopped defending the federal staffing rule for nursing homes in court. This comes from a New York Times report summarized by Popular Information.⁷⁸ Federal Election Commission (FEC) records show a single $5M gift from nursing-home owner Benjamin Landa on Aug 6, 2025, which is more than Popular Information’s total. The two figures have not been reconciled.¹⁰⁶ - Jan 16 to Feb 9, 2026: Ambassador Bridge owner Matthew Moroun gave $1M (Jan 16). He also met Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Trump posted that he “will not allow” the competing Gordie Howe bridge to open until the United States is “fully compensated,” on the evening of Feb 9. The New York Times, as cited by Anadolu, and Popular Information both put the post within hours of that meeting. House Oversight Democrats opened an inquiry.⁷⁹,¹²⁶,¹²⁷ - Jun 19 and Aug 21, 2026: Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss gave about $20M in two rounds of about $10M.¹¹⁹ According to The Lever, the first round came “less than a month after” the administration asked a court to cancel a $5M enforcement judgment against their exchange, Gemini.⁸⁰ - Jul 16, 2026 and about two weeks later: GEO Group gave about $1.4M in two gifts ($1M and $413,000). Each came days after it announced a new ICE detention contract.⁸¹ Scripps News reported that GEO Reentry Services LLC, a GEO Group subsidiary that shares its corporate address, gave MAGA Inc. another $1M on Sept 1, 2026. Scripps put that subsidiary’s total gifts to MAGA Inc. at $5.4M. It reported no evidence directly linking the gifts to contract awards.¹²⁹ - Aug 21 to Sept 9, 2026: Phillip Sarofim, an investor in CesiumAstro, gave $1M on Aug 21, and on Sept 9 the Export-Import Bank raised its financing for the company to $280M.⁸²,¹²⁸

Two officials gave while in office. Small Business Administration head Kelly Loeffler gave $2.5M (Jun 25, 2025). She listed her employer as “US GOVERNMENT,”⁷⁶ and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman listed “NASA.” Isaacman gave $3M ($1M on Jun 1 and $2M on Aug 19, 2026).⁸³,¹⁰¹,¹⁰² Other large gifts came from three sources. OpenAI’s Greg and Anna Brockman gave $25M (Sept 12, 2025).¹⁰⁸ Andreessen Horowitz and its founders gave $17M in total. Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz gave $2.5M each on Mar 31, 2025, then a16z Capital Management gave $6M and each founder gave $3M on Mar 10, 2026.⁸⁴,¹⁰⁷,¹⁰⁹ Miriam Adelson gave $25M (May 5, 2026).⁸⁵,¹¹⁰

Outside MAGA Inc., Trump spoke in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, on Oct 13, 2025. He credited Miriam Adelson and her late husband for three of his decisions. They were his 2017 recognition of Jerusalem, his 2018 embassy move and his 2019 recognition of the Golan Heights. He said, “She’s got $60 billion in the bank.”²⁶ Timothy Mellon was the top outside-spending donor of the 2024 election cycle. He gave $130M toward troop pay during the shutdown, about $100 per service member. He was named as the giver on Oct 25, 2025.²⁵ The Pentagon said it accepted the gift under its “general gift acceptance authority.” The Guardian noted that the Antideficiency Act bars accepting voluntary services except in emergencies.²⁵ Daedalus Aviation chairman William Walters gave $10,000 in 2024 to American Resolve. That was the PAC of Kristi Noem, who later became Homeland Security Secretary. Firms Walters led received more than $900 million in DHS contracts while she held that job. These included a Daedalus aircraft contract awarded without competitive bidding. That contract grew by about $303 million on Mar 24, 2026. These figures come from an Oct 8 letter (released Oct 9) from three Democratic senators. The senators cited New York Times reporting published Oct 4.¹¹⁷,¹¹⁸ The company says Walters did not know the PAC was tied to Noem. Noem called the report “libelous” (see Cabinet Financial Disclosures and Ethics Complaints).⁹⁰,¹¹⁷

Media and technology owners

Amazon paid about $40M for a documentary about Melania Trump (Jan 2025).²⁷ Mark Zuckerberg’s company Meta paid $25M to settle Trump’s lawsuit over the suspension of his accounts in 2021 (Jan 29). A settlement is an agreement that ends a lawsuit without a ruling.³⁰ Jeff Bezos limited The Washington Post’s opinion page to “personal liberties and free markets” (Feb 26). More than 75,000 digital subscribers cancelled.²⁸ On Apr 29 there was a report that Amazon would display tariff costs. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the plan “a hostile and political act,” and Trump called Bezos. Amazon said it was “not going to happen.”²⁹ David Ellison’s company Skydance won approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to merge with Paramount (Jul 24). It had promised to name an ombudsman for CBS News, a person who reviews complaints about coverage.³¹ Skydance named Bari Weiss editor-in-chief of CBS News (Oct 6).³² Netflix made a competing deal on Dec 5, 2025 for the studios and HBO Max of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). “I’ll be involved in that decision too,” Trump said of that deal.¹¹⁴,³³ Skydance then closed a $110B takeover of WBD, which owns CNN (Oct 6, 2026).³⁴,¹¹⁵ Palantir, a company Thiel co-founded, signed an Army enterprise agreement worth up to $10B (Jul 31, 2025).³⁷ Andreessen Horowitz helped launch a $100M network of super PACs that oppose state rules on artificial intelligence (AI) (Aug 2025).³⁶ Larry Ellison’s company Oracle took 15% of TikTok’s U.S. venture (Jan 22, 2026).³⁵

Clemency and the January 6 defendants

On Jan 20, 2025 Trump granted clemency to about 1,600 January 6 defendants. Clemency here means pardons and commutations. A commutation shortens a sentence but leaves the conviction in place. Those who received clemency included Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio.³⁸ Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes was at the Capitol within two days.³⁹ On Jan 23, 2025 Trump pardoned anti-abortion activists convicted under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, 18 U.S.C. § 248,⁶¹ for blocking clinics. That federal law makes it a crime to use force, threats or physical blocking to keep people from reproductive health services. The activists were prosecuted in the District of Columbia, the Middle District of Tennessee, the Eastern District of Michigan and the Southern District of New York. DOJ’s list of pardon warrants shows 24 pardons. The Thomas More Society had asked for 21 of them.⁵¹ Five Proud Boys leaders sued the government for $100M (Jun 6).⁴⁰ On Nov 7, 2025 Trump pardoned Robert Harshbarger Jr., a pharmacist. Days earlier Trump had endorsed his wife, Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN). Her husband had been sentenced to 48 months after pleading guilty to misbranded-drug and health-care fraud charges. AP reported that she had been a corporate officer of the company that sold the drugs. A White House official called the case “excessive prosecution.”⁵² On Nov 14, 2025 Trump extended the January 6 pardon to two more cases. One was Suzanne Kaye, who had served 18 months for threatening to shoot FBI agents. She was never charged with a riot crime. The other was Daniel Wilson’s separate gun conviction. DOJ had argued that the pardon did not cover Wilson’s gun crimes. Then DOJ reversed itself, and Judge Dabney Friedrich called that reversal “extraordinary.”⁵³ By June 2026 a Lawfare review counted 97 riot defendants who had been newly arrested, charged or convicted.⁴² At DOJ’s request, Judge Timothy Kelly dismissed the seditious-conspiracy case against four of the Proud Boys leaders (Jul 10, 2026). He dismissed it “with prejudice,” meaning it cannot be brought again. He wrote that “no one should mistake the court’s granting of the government’s motion for its agreement with those decisions.”⁴¹ On Nov 2, 2026, Trump was asked on the New York Post’s Pod Force One podcast about preemptive pardons, meaning pardons given before any charge. The question was about pardons for Elon Musk, White House staff and allies if Democrats investigated them. Trump said, “I would not even think about it. I’d do it… I did it for J6.”⁵⁴

Key dates

• 2025-01-20 — January 6 pardons — → ledger
• 2025-02-14 — Crypto.com parent’s first $10M gift to MAGA Inc. — → ledger
• 2025-04-02 — Loomer list; NSC firings — → ledger
• 2025-06-27 — HPE–Juniper settlement; Davis — → ledger
• 2025-07-16 — Maurene Comey fired — → ledger
• 2025-07-23 — Skydance–Paramount approval — → ledger
• 2025-09-10 — Kirk assassinated — → ledger
• 2025-10-11 — Mellon $130M troop pay — → ledger
• 2025-11-14 — Kaye and Wilson J6-related pardons — → ledger
• 2026-02-17 — CFTC amicus brief backs Crypto.com — → ledger
• 2026-04-06 — Trump v. Bannon — → ledger
• 2026-07-10 — Proud Boys case dismissed — → ledger
• 2026-07-31 — Interior rules against the Scotts Valley casino — → ledger
• 2026-10-15 — Zampolli fired as envoy — → ledger
• 2026-10-26 — Furman: Comey firing unlawful — → ledger
• 2026-11-04 — Democrats promise oversight — → ledger
• 2026-11-05 — DOJ’s second Bannon motion — → ledger

Why it matters

Who the ethics laws reach (18 U.S.C. § 208; 5 C.F.R. part 2635). Those rules apply to officers and employees. Loomer, Bannon and Davis held no government appointment.¹,⁹,¹¹ Some personnel actions followed their public calls. They took place at the NSC, the NSA, the prosecutors’ office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) and the FDA. The record has no official finding on why those actions were taken. The one court ruling on such an action (Comey’s) rests on the law about firing employees. Congress can force private citizens to testify with a subpoena. The incoming House majority has announced investigations. The White House counsel’s office has added staff because it expects subpoenas.⁵

Removal of career employees (Civil Service Reform Act; separation of powers). DOJ said it could fire Comey “pursuant to Article II,” meaning under the President’s powers in the Constitution. It said the firing was not for cause or performance. Furman held on Oct 26, 2026 that the firing broke three things. They were the separation of powers, the Civil Service Reform Act and the Administrative Procedure Act⁶². The separation of powers is the Constitution’s division of power among Congress, the President and the courts. The Administrative Procedure Act (APA) is the law that sets the rules agencies must follow. Furman also said DOJ was trying to “upend” settled law that lets Congress regulate the firing of lower-level officers. DOJ had relied on a June 2026 Supreme Court decision about firing members of independent agencies (Trump v. Slaughter⁶³).⁴ DOJ says it will appeal. Comey’s claim under the First Amendment, which protects free speech, is still being argued in written briefs.⁴,⁶⁴

Antitrust and merger review (Clayton Act § 7, 15 U.S.C. § 18;⁶⁵ Tunney Act, 15 U.S.C. § 16;⁶⁶ Communications Act, 47 U.S.C. § 310(d)).⁶⁷ The Clayton Act bars mergers that may substantially lessen competition. The Tunney Act requires a court to find that an antitrust settlement, called a consent decree, is in the public interest.¹⁹ The Communications Act requires FCC approval before a broadcast license changes hands. After the HPE settlement, Alford said DOJ had “perverted justice,” and Sen. Elizabeth Warren said lobbyists were trying to sell merger approvals to the highest bidder. DOJ’s stated reason for the two firings was “insubordination.”⁴⁵,¹⁹,¹⁰⁴ The FCC approved the transfer from Paramount to Skydance after Skydance made written promises, including the ombudsman.³¹ Trump said he would be “involved” in the WBD decision.³³ DOJ cleared the WBD deal. A settlement with 12 Democratic attorneys general added a board to protect editorial independence.³⁴

Appropriations (Art. I, § 9, cl. 7;⁶⁸ Antideficiency Act, 31 U.S.C. §§ 1341–1342).⁶⁹ Under the Appropriations Clause, Congress decides how public money is spent. The Antideficiency Act bars agencies from spending more than Congress has provided. It also bars them from accepting voluntary services except in emergencies. The Mellon gift raises a question. May a private donation fund military pay when Congress’s funding has lapsed? The Pentagon said it relied on its general authority to accept gifts. The Guardian cited the Antideficiency Act’s bar on voluntary services.²⁵ No ruling on the gift from a court or from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Congress’s auditing arm, appears in the record.

Campaign finance and corruption law (Citizens United; McCormick; 52 U.S.C. § 30119; Hatch Act). A super PAC spends money on its own, separate from candidates. Gifts to such a group are legal and have no limit under Citizens United v. FEC (2010)⁸⁶ and later rulings.⁷² The Hobbs Act is a federal law against extortion. The Supreme Court has held that an elected official who takes campaign contributions breaks that law only in one case. The payments must be made in return for an “explicit promise or undertaking” to perform or not perform an official act (McCormick v. United States, 1991).⁸⁷ The MAGA Inc. filings raise a question: did agency positions follow donations? No official body has made a finding on it.⁷² Federal contractors may not give to “any political party, committee, or candidate” (52 U.S.C. § 30119).⁸⁸ Whether that ban reaches GEO’s gifts depends on which GEO company made them. The record does not show that.⁸¹ Scripps News reports that the Sept 1, 2026 gift came from a GEO subsidiary. It says campaign-finance reform advocates call giving through a subsidiary with no government work a loophole.¹²⁹ The Hatch Act is a law that limits political activity by federal employees. It bars covered employees from asking for or receiving political contributions. But its rules let them make their own contributions (5 U.S.C. § 7323; 5 C.F.R. § 734.208).⁸⁹ No complaint about Loeffler’s or Isaacman’s gifts is recorded.⁷⁶,⁸³

Pardons, dismissals and compensation (Art. II, § 2, cl. 1; Fed. R. Crim. P. 48(a)).⁷⁰ The January 6 grants rest on the pardon power. The record has no legal challenge to them.³⁸ Under that federal court rule, prosecutors need the court’s permission, called “leave of court,” to dismiss charges. Dismissing the four Proud Boys convictions needed that permission. Kelly granted it while stating that he disagreed with DOJ’s decisions.⁴¹ DOJ asked the court to dismiss the $100M civil suit on Aug 25, 2025. It argued sovereign immunity, the rule that the government cannot be sued without its consent. It also argued that the plaintiffs had not first used the agency claims process that the law requires.⁴⁸,¹⁰³

Contempt of Congress and the 22nd Amendment. DOJ’s Nov 5, 2026 motion makes an argument about executive privilege. It says the privilege shielded Bannon when he refused to comply with the January 6 Committee’s subpoena. That question bears on how Congress enforces its subpoenas through contempt of Congress.¹⁷ Bannon’s third-term statements concern the 22nd Amendment,⁷¹ which bars election to the presidency “more than twice.” Trump said on Oct 27, 2025 that he “would love to do it.”¹⁴,¹¹¹

Outcome

Where things stand

Furman ruled that Maurene Comey’s firing was unlawful (Oct 26, 2026). Her firing had followed Loomer’s public calls for her removal.⁹ He ordered her reinstated as of the firing, with back pay through Dec 20, 2025, when she joined a law firm. So she will not return.⁴ Prasad got his job back and was later set to leave at the end of April 2026.¹²¹,¹²² Bannon’s contempt conviction in the district court stands while DOJ’s second request to cancel it is pending. He has already served his four-month sentence.¹⁷ The Fort Pierce “grand conspiracy” investigation has produced no charges. U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones, whose office runs it, resigned on Nov 6, 2026.⁴⁶ Attorney General Todd Blanche gave no reason, and no outlet has named a new lead for the investigation.¹³⁰ The Paramount–WBD merger closed with an editorial-independence board, which came from a settlement with 12 Democratic attorneys general.³⁴ CBS fired 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley (Jun 2, 2026).⁴⁷ DOJ agreed in principle to settle the Ashli Babbitt lawsuit.⁴⁹ DOJ also set up a $1.776B “Anti-Weaponization Fund” (May 18, 2026). It is open to claims that could include January 6 defendants.⁵⁰

No official body has found a link between any MAGA Inc. gift and a government action.⁷² Robert Garcia, the incoming chair of the House Oversight Committee, promises investigations of Trump-family business.⁵ Trump said on Nov 2, 2026 that he would pardon Musk and his aides in advance if Democrats investigate them.⁵⁴ Gaps: Several things are still unknown. No official body has made a finding on the MAGA Inc. gifts. There is no final ruling in the Proud Boys’ civil suit. The outcome of the Gaza visa halt is not known, and neither is the outcome of DOJ’s appeal in the Comey case. Related: Media Settlements and Trump’s Lawsuits, FCC Actions and Press Access, Pardons and Clemency, Third-Term Statements and the No Kings Protests, Prosecutions and Investigations of Trump Critics and Conflicts Between the Executive and the Courts.

Status

Who is affected

The actions in this article reach federal employees, visa applicants, a tribe, service members and people convicted of federal crimes. Federal staff were removed after activist Laura Loomer named or criticized them. A court has ruled one of those removals unlawful.¹,⁹,⁴ Gaza residents seeking visitor visas, some for medical care, faced a State Department halt.¹² A tribe’s casino eligibility and a bridge’s opening were held up while donors with competing interests gave to MAGA Inc. No official body has found a link between any gift and any action.⁷⁵,⁷⁹,¹²⁶,⁷² Troop pay during the 2025 shutdown drew on a private gift.²⁵ January 6 defendants and anti-abortion activists received clemency. The Justice Department (DOJ) ended four Proud Boys leaders’ convictions.³⁸,⁵¹,⁴¹

• National Security Council (NSC) and National Security Agency (NSA) staff (removals, Concluded) — Trump fired six NSC aides on Apr 2–3, 2025 after Loomer gave him names of staff she considered disloyal. NSA director Gen. Timothy Haugh and his deputy, also on her list, were removed that week. The record does not include the administration’s stated reason.¹
• Maurene Comey (firing, Blocked) — she was fired on Jul 16, 2025 with a notice that cited “Article II of the United States Constitution” and gave no cause. Judge Jesse Furman ruled the firing unlawful on Oct 26, 2026. He ordered her reinstated as of the firing, with back pay through Dec 20, 2025, when she joined a law firm. DOJ says it will appeal.⁹,⁴
• Gaza visitor-visa applicants (visa halt, Unresolved) — on Aug 16, 2025, the State Department stopped all visitor visas from Gaza for a review. That was a day after Loomer posted videos of children from Gaza arriving for medical care. The department said “a small number” of medical-humanitarian visas had been issued. The result of the review is not in the record.¹²,¹²⁵
• Zampolli’s former partner (deportation, Concluded) — she was deported in October 2025. The New York Times reported that Zampolli had contacted a senior immigration official to have her moved into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody during a custody dispute. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says she overstayed her visa, and Zampolli calls her claims “absurd,” and the State Department ended his envoy status on Oct 15, 2026.⁴³,¹⁰⁵,⁴⁴
• Service members (Mellon troop-pay gift, Unresolved) — Timothy Mellon, named on Oct 25, 2025, gave $130 million toward troop pay during the shutdown. That is about $100 per service member. The Pentagon cited its “general gift acceptance authority,” and the Guardian noted the Antideficiency Act’s bar on accepting voluntary services except in emergencies.²⁵
• Scotts Valley tribe (casino eligibility, In force) — Interior suspended the tribe’s casino eligibility on Mar 26, 2025, and a court restored it on Oct 30 because the tribe had not received due process. The rival Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation had given $1 million to the inauguration. It gave MAGA Inc. $2 million while Interior was reconsidering (Mar 5, 2026). On Jul 31, 2026 Interior ruled that the tribe’s Vallejo land does not qualify for a casino.⁷⁵,⁹⁸,⁹⁹,¹⁰⁰,¹³¹
• Gordie Howe bridge (Trump’s hold on the opening, Pending) — Ambassador Bridge owner Matthew Moroun gave MAGA Inc. $1 million on Jan 16, 2026 and met Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Within hours of that meeting, on the evening of Feb 9, Trump posted that he “will not allow” the competing bridge to open until the United States is “fully compensated.” The opening was delayed as of June 2026, and House Oversight Democrats’ inquiry has no reported result.⁷⁹,¹²⁶,¹²⁷
• January 6 defendants (clemency of Jan 20, 2025, In force) — about 1,600 received pardons or commutations. By June 2026 a Lawfare review counted 97 riot defendants who had been newly arrested, charged or convicted.³⁸,⁴²
• Proud Boys leaders (seditious-conspiracy convictions dismissed, Concluded) — on Jul 10, 2026, at DOJ’s request, Judge Timothy Kelly dismissed the case against four leaders for good. He wrote that “no one should mistake the court’s granting of the government’s motion for its agreement with those decisions.” Five leaders’ $100 million civil suit, filed Jun 6, 2025, awaits a ruling on DOJ’s request to dismiss, filed Aug 25, 2025.⁴¹,⁴⁰,⁴⁸,¹⁰³
• Anti-abortion activists (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act pardons of Jan 23, 2025, In force) — DOJ’s warrant list shows 24 pardons for clinic blockades. They were prosecuted in the District of Columbia, the Middle District of Tennessee, the Eastern District of Michigan and the Southern District of New York. The Thomas More Society had asked for 21 of them.⁵¹
• Possible January 6 claimants (Anti-Weaponization Fund, Reversed) — DOJ’s $1.776 billion fund, created May 18, 2026, was open to claims that could include January 6 defendants. Judge Brinkema barred payouts from it on May 29, 2026, and DOJ dropped it on June 2, 2026, while keeping a settlement term that shields against audits.⁵⁰,¹²⁰

Key players

• Laura Loomer — activist — gave Trump names of NSC staff she considered disloyal; publicly called for Comey’s removal.¹,⁹
• Steve Bannon — podcaster — urged an investigation of Letitia James; said Trump would serve a third term.²,¹⁴
• Mike Davis — Article III Project — promoted the Fort Pierce grand jury; called for Boasberg’s impeachment; reportedly an HPE advocate.²⁰,³,¹⁹
• Leonard Leo; Kevin Roberts; Tucker Carlson — Federalist Society network; Heritage Foundation president; broadcaster — Trump called Leo a “sleazebag” (May 2025); Roberts defended Carlson’s Fuentes interview, then said “I made a mistake.”⁷,²⁴
• Timothy Mellon; Miriam Adelson — donors — Mellon paid toward troop pay during the shutdown; Adelson gave MAGA Inc. $25M in May 2026.²⁵,²⁶,⁸⁵,¹¹⁰
• William Walters — Daedalus Aviation chairman — gave to Noem’s PAC; his firms received DHS contracts.⁹⁰
• Foris DAX (Crypto.com); Jeff Yass; Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss; Matthew Moroun — donors — gave to MAGA Inc. while they had matters before federal agencies.⁷²,⁷⁴,⁸⁰,⁷⁹
• Kelly Loeffler; Jared Isaacman — SBA head (from 2025); NASA Administrator — gave to MAGA Inc. while in office.⁷⁶,⁸³
• Larry and David Ellison — Oracle; Paramount Skydance — Oracle took 15% of TikTok’s U.S. venture; Skydance won FCC approval for Paramount and took over WBD.³⁵,³¹
• Bezos; Zuckerberg; Thiel; Andreessen Horowitz — technology owners and investors — Post opinion-page limit, Meta settlement, Palantir Army deal, AI super PAC network.²⁸,³⁰,³⁷,³⁶
• Charlie and Erika Kirk — Turning Point USA — Charlie Kirk was shot and killed (Sept 2025); Erika Kirk endorsed Vance for 2028.²¹,²³
• Enrique Tarrio; Stewart Rhodes — January 6 defendants — received clemency.³⁸,³⁹
• Paolo Zampolli — honorary “special envoy” (to Oct 2026) — reportedly sought to have his ex-partner moved into ICE custody; envoy status ended Oct 2026.⁴³,⁴⁴

Chronology

• 2025 (early) — Vance’s Thiel-linked career — → ledger
• 2025-01-05 — Amazon’s Melania documentary — → ledger
• 2025-01-07 — Yocha Dehe gives $1M to inaugural committee — → ledger
• 2025-01-20 — January 6 pardons — → ledger
• 2025-01-21 — Salt Typhoon response; Haugh fired — → ledger
• 2025-01-22 — Rhodes on Capitol Hill — → ledger
• 2025-01-23 — FACE Act pardons — → ledger
• 2025-01 (late) — DOJ purge; Davis quote — → ledger
• 2025-01 (late) — Pardoned rioters reoffend — → ledger
• 2025-01-29 — Meta $25M settlement — → ledger
• 2025-02-11 — Bannon plea; James demand — → ledger
• 2025-02-14 — Crypto.com parent’s first $10M gift to MAGA Inc. — → ledger
• 2025-02-24 — Extremity Care’s $5M to MAGA Inc. — → ledger
• 2025-02-26 — Bezos WaPo mandate — → ledger
• 2025-03-02 — Trump attacks skin-substitute coverage rule — → ledger
• 2025-03-06 — Yass $15M; TikTok non-enforcement — → ledger
• 2025-03-26 — Interior suspends Scotts Valley casino eligibility — → ledger
• 2025-03-27 — SEC closes Crypto.com investigation — → ledger
• 2025-03-30 — Trump: “I’m not joking” about a third term — → ledger
• 2025-03-31 — Andreessen and Horowitz give MAGA Inc. $5M — → ledger
• 2025-04-02 — Loomer list; NSC firings — → ledger
• 2025-04-03 — Haugh removed as NSA director — → ledger
• 2025-04-11 — CMS delays skin-substitute coverage rule — → ledger
• 2025-04-29 — Bezos tariff call — → ledger
• 2025-05-02 — Babbitt settlement — → ledger
• 2025-05-29 — Trump attacks Leo — → ledger
• 2025-05-31 — Trump withdraws Isaacman’s NASA nomination — → ledger
• 2025-06-06 — Proud Boys $100M suit — → ledger
• 2025-06 (mid) — Zampolli and ICE — → ledger
• 2025-06-25 — Loeffler gives MAGA Inc. $2.5M in office — → ledger
• 2025-06-27 — HPE–Juniper settlement; Davis — → ledger
• 2025-07-16 — Maurene Comey fired — → ledger
• 2025-07-23 — Skydance–Paramount approval — → ledger
• 2025-07-28 — Antitrust deputies Alford and Rinner fired — → ledger
• 2025-07-29 — Prasad forced out of FDA after criticism including a Loomer campaign — → ledger
• 2025-07-30 — Easterly West Point post rescinded — → ledger
• 2025-07-31 — Palantir $10B Army deal — → ledger
• 2025-07-31 — MAGA Inc. mid-year donors (Energy Transfer) — → ledger
• 2025-08 to 2026-01-27 — Nursing-home donors; staffing rule defense dropped — → ledger
• 2025-08 — a16z-backed AI super PAC network launched — → ledger
• 2025-08-04 — Public Citizen lists MAGA Inc. donors with matters before agencies — → ledger
• 2025-08-06 — Benjamin Landa gives MAGA Inc. $5M — → ledger
• 2025-08-09 — Prasad reinstated as FDA vaccine chief — → ledger
• 2025-08-15 — Loomer posts videos of Gaza children arriving for medical care — → ledger
• 2025-08-16 — State Department halts Gaza visitor visas — → ledger
• 2025-08-25 — DOJ moves to dismiss Proud Boys’ $100M suit — → ledger
• 2025-09-10 — Kirk assassinated — → ledger
• 2025-09-12 — Foris DAX’s second $10M to MAGA Inc. — → ledger
• 2025-09-12 — Greg and Anna Brockman give MAGA Inc. $25M — → ledger
• 2025-09-15 — Miller on Kirk show — → ledger
• 2025-09-25 — Trump order approves TikTok divestiture framework — → ledger
• 2025-09-26 — Fort Pierce grand jury; Davis — → ledger
• 2025-10-06 — Weiss to CBS News — → ledger
• 2025-10-09 — Letitia James indicted — → ledger
• 2025-10-11 — Mellon $130M troop pay — → ledger
• 2025-10-13 — Knesset speech; Adelson — → ledger
• 2025-10-22 — Foris DAX’s third $10M to MAGA Inc. — → ledger
• 2025-10-23 — Bannon: “there is a plan” — → ledger
• 2025-10-27 — Trump: “I would love to do it” (third term) — → ledger
• 2025-10-30 — Heritage–Fuentes crisis — → ledger
• 2025-10-30 — Court reinstates Scotts Valley casino eligibility — → ledger
• 2025-11-05 — Roberts: “I made a mistake” — → ledger
• 2025-11-07 — Harshbarger pardon — → ledger
• 2025-11-14 — Kaye and Wilson J6-related pardons — → ledger
• 2025-12-05 — Netflix deal for WBD studios and HBO Max — → ledger
• 2025-12-07 — Trump: “I’ll be involved” in WBD decision — → ledger
• 2025-12-13 — Davis: impeach Boasberg — → ledger
• 2025-12-16 — Two Heritage trustees resign — → ledger
• 2025-12-18 — Erika Kirk endorses Vance — → ledger
• 2026-01-16 — Moroun gives MAGA Inc. $1M — → ledger
• 2026-01-22 — TikTok USDS closes — → ledger
• 2026-01-23 — Foris DAX’s fourth gift brings total to $35M — → ledger
• 2026-02-02 — Trump: Republicans should “nationalize the voting” (Bannon item split out) — → ledger
• 2026-02-03 — Bannon: “ICE surround the polls” — → ledger
• 2026-02-09 — Moroun meets Lutnick; Trump says he “will not allow” Gordie Howe bridge to open — → ledger
• 2026-02-13 — House Oversight Democrats open Moroun–Lutnick inquiry — → ledger
• 2026-02-17 — CFTC amicus brief backs Crypto.com — → ledger
• 2026-03-05 — Yocha Dehe gives MAGA Inc. $2M — → ledger
• 2026-03-06 — Makary says Prasad will leave at the end of April — → ledger
• 2026-03-10 — a16z and founders give MAGA Inc. $12M — → ledger
• 2026-03-20 — NYT: Zampolli sought ex-partner’s ICE detention — → ledger
• 2026-03-24 — DHS adds $303M to Daedalus contract — → ledger
• 2026-04-06 — Trump v. Bannon — → ledger
• 2026-05-05 — Adelson gives MAGA Inc. $25M — → ledger
• 2026-05-18 — $1.776B Anti-Weaponization Fund — → ledger
• 2026-05-29 — Brinkema bars DOJ from disbursing the fund — → ledger
• 2026-06-01 — Isaacman gives MAGA Inc. $1M as NASA head — → ledger
• 2026-06-02 — Pelley fired — → ledger
• 2026-06-02 — Blanche: DOJ “not moving forward with the fund” — → ledger
• 2026-06-19 — Winklevoss gifts after Gemini judgment motion — → ledger
• 2026-06-23 — Heritage: 53% of Project 2025 — → ledger
• 2026-07-10 — Proud Boys case dismissed — → ledger
• 2026-07-16 — GEO Group’s $1M gift after an ICE contract — → ledger
• 2026-07-31 — Interior rules Scotts Valley’s Vallejo land does not qualify for a casino — → ledger
• 2026-08-19 — Isaacman gives MAGA Inc. $2M as NASA head — → ledger
• 2026-08-21 — Sarofim gives MAGA Inc. $1M — → ledger
• 2026-08-21 — Winklevoss twins give MAGA Inc. about $10M more — → ledger
• 2026-09-09 — EXIM raises CesiumAstro financing to $280M — → ledger
• 2026-09 (late) — Popular Information: MAGA Inc. raised “over $400 million” — → ledger
• 2026-09-01 — GEO subsidiary gives MAGA Inc. another $1M — → ledger
• 2026-10-04 — NYT reports Daedalus markups and Walters’s gift — → ledger
• 2026-10-06 — Paramount Skydance completes WBD acquisition — → ledger
• 2026-10-09 — Senators demand Daedalus records — → ledger
• 2026-10-15 — Zampolli fired as envoy — → ledger
• 2026-10-26 — Furman: Comey firing unlawful — → ledger
• 2026-11-02 — Trump says he would pardon Musk and aides — → ledger
• 2026-11-04 — Democrats promise oversight — → ledger
• 2026-11-05 — DOJ’s second Bannon motion — → ledger
• 2026-11-06 — Quiñones resigns as U.S. Attorney; Fort Pierce probe has no charges — → ledger

Sources