Ken Vogel
@kenvogel
kenneth.vogel@nytimes.com
UPDATE: @blumenthal.senate.gov & @gallego.senate.gov have requested a DOJ Inspector General inquiry into the killing of the investigation of Trump's commutation given Todd Blanche's "refusal to answer questions on the matter, & the great importance of the fair & impartial administration of justice."
NEW: Sports betting companies DraftKings, FanDuel, bet365 & Fanatics dropped $29m into a super PAC called Win for America in the 2nd quarter, bringing the total raised to $70m this year.
In the latest example of the value of Kennedy connections in Trump’s Washington, the lobbying powerhouse Ballard Partners (run by top Trump fundraiser Brian Ballard) has hired RFK Jr.’s daughter-in-law (& ex-campaign chief) Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, who was an intelligence official in the Trump WH.
In light of the disclosure showing Trump's earnings soaring from $622m+ in 2024 to $2.2b+ last year, it's worth revisiting this telling quote from Eric Trump in late 2024, signaling that the family intended to aggressively & unapologetically pursue $$$ in a 2nd term: www.nytimes.com/2026/06/30/u...
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson sends a not-so-subtle signal to corporations seeking influence in the US House of Representatives, issuing an endorsement of his soon-to-be-former chief of staff, Hayden Haynes, who is joining the law & lobbying firm K&L Gates: “He will remain like family to us…”
I was in the market for a rag to clean my bathroom. Thanks, @ny-knicks.bsky.social! Go @sixersnba.bsky.social!
Political violence is not worse now than at other points in US history, nor are we at the precipice of democratic collapse, says @seanjwestwood.bsky.social, who tracks political violence & the reaction to it. An informative interview by @stavernise.bsky.social. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/28/u...
Great hires by @axios.com & @wired.com. Mike Zapler is a sharp editor with a deep understanding of how money & influence work in DC. And @hugolowell.bsky.social is a scoop machine.
Hunter Biden has apparently agreed to moderate (emcee?) 3 stops on Andrew Callaghan’s Channel 5 Carnival & Talent Show tour. (This is the context for the headlines about Hunter challenging Eric Trump & Don Jr to a cage match.)
US Marshals this morning raided the home of Jim Courtovich, the once-high flying Republican lobbyist & fixer. Saudi & other business partners had won a judgment against him for stealing $4m, & the raid was an effort to collect, reports Brody Mullins, who was on the scene & has a lively dispatch:
Josh Shapiro had game, & the @inquirer.com has the tape. www.inquirer.com/high-school-...
Robert S. Mueller III was born into privilege. He graduated from St. Paul’s, Princeton & NYU. But, unlike many scions of the Eastern Establishment, he joined the Marines & went to Vietnam, where he performed valiantly under fire. 🎁🔗 to the NYT obit. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/21/u...
In 2013, 34% of Democrats said their sympathies were with Israelis vs. only 18% who sided with Palestinians. That has more than reversed: In 2026, only 17% of Democrats side with Israelis vs. 67% siding with Palestinians, according to an @NBCNews.com poll. www.nbcnews.com/politics/202...
Trump 2.0 has been a boon for foreign lobbying: Since November 2024, there have been more than 380 new registrations, according to an analysis by The Free Press That’s more than all recent presidential terms at this point, except Clinton 1. www.thefp.com/p/foreign-lo...
Tom Clare — the libel lawyer who has represented the Sacklers, Oleg Deripaska, Project Veritas & the Trump crypto company — is now representing Kathy Ruemmler, the ex-Obama WH counsel who has been exposed as having a close personal relationship with Epstein, per @cnn.com. www.cnn.com/2026/02/12/p...
NEW: The defense contractor Raytheon / RTX donated $500k+ to the Kennedy Center last year, disclosing it as an "honorary expense," & listing the honorees as: ▶️Trump ▶️Pam Bondi ▶️Susie Wiles ▶️Dan Scavino ▶️Ric Grenell lda.senate.gov/filings/publ...
NEW: Vantive Health, which has been pushing the Trump administration to allow more Medicare reimbursements for at-home dialysis, reported a $2.5M donation to the Trust for the National Mall for Trump's WH ballroom project, listing it as "Honorary Expenses." lda.senate.gov/filings/publ...
Charles Koch & his son have a book out in May called "Becoming a Principle-Driven Leader: 41 Principles to Build an Enduring Business." *Their company is big in oil & has paid millions in environmental fines, while leadership spent heavily to discredit climate science www.amazon.com/Becoming-Pri...
NEW: Trump last week pardoned ex-Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez for the felony bribery case for which she was arrested in 2022, but not the misdemeanor campaign finance case to which she pleaded guilty in 2025. Trump quietly issued her a new pardon for the misdemeanor yesterday.
In 2017, the Trump administration had turnover in 2 cabinet positions & 35% of senior staff posts. In 2025, there have been no cabinet changes & 29% senior staff turnover. That’s still much higher than other recent administrations, according to a Brookings analysis. www.npr.org/2026/01/20/n...
Josh Shapiro’s response when asked if he had ever communicated with an undercover Israeli agent (“If they were undercover, I responded, how the hell would I know?”), echoes Paul Manafort’s response when asked if he had communicated with Russian intel: www.nytimes.com/2017/12/04/u...
Kamala Harris lamented that the Vice President’s office didn’t have a private bathroom, according to Josh Shapiro’s forthcoming book, per @politico.com. www.politico.com/newsletters/...
UPDATE: Trump granted clemency to the son of one of his GOP congressional allies, Steve Womack. James P. Womack was sentenced to 8 years in prison for distributing methamphetamine. His release from prison reunited him with his family during a difficult time for them www.nytimes.com/2026/01/16/u...