So Much For Draining the Swamp!

President Donald Trump has lost more of his Cabinet secretaries to corruption and other ethics concerns in his first term than any other president in U.S. history. The departure of Labor Secretary Alex Acosta over the past sweetheart deal he gave pedophile hedge fund manager Jeffrey Epstein is just the latest incident.

With Acosta’s announced exit, the total number of ethics-related Cabinet-level departures in the Trump administration has reached five. This is an ignominious record for a president who claimed he would “drain the swamp” in Washington and eliminate corruption. The president has instead run one of the most corrupt administrations in American history with lax oversight, nepotism, self-dealing and the appointment of dozens of lobbyists to oversee the industries they previously worked for.

The five Cabinet secretaries who have left or are leaving the Trump administration under clouds of alleged corruption are former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, former Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Acosta. 

On top of these five Cabinet secretaries to depart under ethics clouds, there have been numerous proposed Trump appointments scuttled due to ethics controversies. Before Acosta became the labor secretary, Trump chose fast-food chain operator Andy Puzder for the job. But Puzder pulled his nomination amid accusations of labor violations, employment of undocumented immigrants and spousal abuse. Trump’s attempt to name White House physician Ronny Jackson to fill Shulkin’s position at Veterans Affairs ended after allegations of misconduct and mismanagement by Jackson emerged.

The replacements for the five ousted Cabinet members have their own problems. Four of them were previously lobbyists or corporate executives for the industries they now oversee. Acosta’s temporary replacement as acting labor secretary is Patrick Pizzella, a former lobbyist for overseas sweatshops.