Trump’s Pay-to-Play Mentality Is a Danger to U.S. Foreign Policy

In May, a man named Ismail Termes was arrested in Belgium as a result of a corruption investigation conducted by agents from the FBI and the investigative arm of the US Department of Defense. The indictment alleged that Terlems, who worked in the NATO procurement office in Brussels, received bribes from a co-conspirator in 2019 and 2020 as part of a scheme to rig bids for NATO contracts. Investigators confirmed that Terlmaz, a Turkish citizen, died without his rights.

But then, in July, the US Justice Department announced that it had dropped all charges against Terlemez – who had left NATO to found a well-connected Turkish defense company – and he was released. We have no direct evidence that the decision was politically motivated, but the timing struck observers as suspicious. The Justice Department’s action came just two weeks after US President Donald Trump met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the NATO summit in The Hague.

In May, a man named Ismail Terlmaz died He was arrested In Belgium as a result corruption An investigation run by agents from the FBI and the investigative arm of the US Department of Defense. Indictment AllegedlyD Which Terlems, who worked in NATO’s procurement office in Brussels, had received bribes from… Co-conspirator in 2019 and 2020 as part of a manipulation scheme Bidding for NATO contracts. Investigators confirmed that Terlmaz, a Turkish citizen, died without his rights.

But then, in July, the US Department of Justice announced it Drop all charges Against Terlmaz —from He left NATO to start a well-connected company Turkish defense company —And he was released. We have no direct evidence that the decision was politically motivated, but the timing struck observers as suspicious. The Justice Department’s action came just two weeks after US President Donald Trump met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a meeting between them. NATO summit In The Hague.

It’s not hard to imagine Trump deciding he has to do his friend Erdogan a favor. It is true that there have been disagreements between Washington and Ankara in recent years, which have sometimes included controversial trade issues. But in reality there is a lot in common between the two leaders. They both like to combine business and politics, and often carve out members of their group Families. Trump has a son-in-law, Jared Kushner; Erdogan’s son-in-law Berat Albayrakjust like Kushner, is a conflict of interest who has already served a while in government. Trump wants to build New dance hall and for the White House using donations from its political supporters; Erdogan has built a huge edifice for himself Presidential Palace Which also sparked controversy over its financing.

Like Trump, Erdogan lashes out at his enemies with lawsuits. Accusations of treasonAnd demagogic posts on social media. Trump: “Whenever they have a problem with Erdogan, they ask me to call because they can’t talk to him.” He said In a recent interview with Politico, without specifying who they were. “He’s a tough guy. I like him very much. I think, actually, you know, he’s built a strong country and a strong army.” He forgets human rights. Who wouldn’t do a favor for a guy like that?

So far we’ve seen plenty of instances in which the Trump administration has been happy to oblige its friends abroad — including, most notably, by… pardon The former president of Honduras, who was convicted of smuggling 400 tons of cocaine into the United States, at a time of tension in Washington. Unannounced action war Against the alleged Venezuelan drug traffickers. It is striking that many prominent figures Pardon and The dismissed cases against Americans — including outgoing New York Mayor Eric Adams and Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar — also involved dealings with influence peddlers abroad. (Cuellar and his wife They were charged Last year, Adams was charged with accepting bribes from organizations and individuals linked to the government of Azerbaijan Accepting illegal gifts From Turkish officials.)

Trump’s tolerance for acts of cross-border patronage has family roots. Two of his sons are actively involved in business ventures, ranging from real estate to cryptocurrencies, which directly involve Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Kushner’s investment fund, Affinity Partners, is known to have received $2 billion from the Saudis, who are now financing his bid to help Paramount orchestrate a hostile takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery.

Standards have been dictated for a long time How should bosses handle their business interests? While you are in the office, it seems strange in retrospect; Trump swept them all away. The Trump Organization, which oversees the family’s investments, pledge In January, it refrained from dealing with foreign governments, but effectively avoided any restrictions on cooperation with private entities abroad. Forbes Estimates Trump has earned about $3 billion since returning to office. (I’m not sure if this amount includes the Boeing 747 that the Qataris gifted to Trump.) A large part of it can be traced back to its close relations with the Gulf.

It’s not just money. Trump finds clearly The Gulf countries in particular simpatico– Maybe because, like him, they don’t care about those fancy distinctions between public and private assets. that it It’s all in the family. Rulers like Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman can do what they want with government property; No one will hold them accountable. Crown Prince Famous bypass His kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund management committee decided to approve its massive investment in the Kushner Fund – perhaps because he saw that doing so would give him privileged access to the future US administration.

It turns out it was a good bet. The Crown Prince’s visit to Washington in mid-November brought generous promises of investment in the US economy, amounting to nearly 20% of GDP. Worth $1 trillionAccording to estimates of private school principals. In return, the Saudis received the desired promise F-35 fighters– with not a word about their dismal human rights record.

This is how the administration justifies its cozy relationship with its trading partners abroad: Officials say everything the president does is in the public interest.

Carolyn Levitt, the White House press secretary, bristled a few months ago when reporters asked about the administration’s apparent conflicts of interest in its dealings with the Gulf. “I think it’s frankly ridiculous for anyone in this room to suggest that President Trump is doing anything for his own benefit,” she said. He said. “He left a life of luxury and a life of running a very successful real estate empire for public service, not just once, but twice.” She claimed that Trump “actually lost money being president.” If that was ever true, it certainly isn’t now.

the National Security Strategy The administration’s recent release puts economic concerns at the forefront — with barely any mention of democracy or human rights. Contrary to management claims From neglecting the pastHelping American companies gain new markets has almost always been a goal of American foreign policy—as it has for most countries.

The question is by what means. This administration has abandoned decades of established practices on corruption issues Pause For example, enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which was designed to prevent U.S. companies from engaging in graft during business dealings abroad. The rationale for such policies was clear: corruption It brings risks. It erodes accountability, promotes inefficiency, and imposes higher costs on taxpayers (For example, when procurement officials prefer higher bids in exchange for commissions). It encourages other forms of criminality (such as that promoted by the former President of Honduras). It prevents transparency and honest bookkeeping (See Enron).

But there are special risks when the pay-for-play ethos is applied to foreign policy. Although your friends may choose to play with you, clever enemies can take advantage of your greed against you.

We see this dynamic at work in the administration’s completely oblivious dealings with the Kremlin. Moscow has smartly changed its approach To make Kirill Dmitrievthat Investment banker With an MBA from Harvard, she is the primary point of contact with Steve Witkoff, the former real estate mogul who serves as Trump’s point man in the Russia-Ukraine war. Russian President Vladimir Putin, a manipulator trained by the KGB, is organizing an advanced training course in this field. Diplomatic temptationplaying on the emissary’s romantic idea that the desire to make money transcends all else. More recently, Witkoff (whose children are also busy… Spend in Joining the negotiating table was Kushner, an equally ardent believer in the idealistic proposition that economic incentives could fix any international misunderstandings.

Sometimes commentators It equals Trump and Putin – but the Russian dictator actually couldn’t be more different. For Putin, economic issues take a back seat to him Geopolitical imperatives. He did not wage war on Ukraine because he wanted to make the oligarchs rich; He believes with every fiber of his being that he is His destiny is to rebuild the Russian Empire. He’s a man on a messianic mission who made a conscious choice to invade his southwestern neighbor, and so far, no one has convinced him that he needs to stop. But he made a cold, sharp reading of Trump and Witkoff, knowing that they were troubled by the opportunity to take advantage of Russia’s vast natural resources. So, as was recently documented in a fascinating piece of Preparing reports by Wall Street Journalthat’s exactly what he was hanging from.

Perhaps Trump, Witkoff, and the rest of them will one day understand the mistake. But dollar signs will likely continue to blind them. Unfortunately, it’s the rest of us who will end up having to foot the bill.