Guardians of Liberty

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization.

By Anna Marie Schuh
September 8, 2025

In the past, I have generally focused on management practices and ethical decision making. However, the purpose of good management practices and ethical decision making is to provide an environment that fosters good government and avoids corruption. So, in this column I want to focus on identifying corruption in government.

Political corruption involves using a government office for personal benefit. Typically, but not always, it involves the government office holder giving something (e.g., a favorable decision, a tax benefit, a job) in return for something else. The “something else” can take many forms, e.g., a gift, a job, influence, money, revenge. In this column, we will look at some recent examples of corruption.

One current example of corruption involves pardons. With limited exceptions, previous presidential administrations provided pardons based on recommendations by the Department of Justice considering the following factors: a Federal Bureau of Investigation background investigation; consultation with the sentencing judge, post-conviction conduct, seriousness of the crime, and recency of the offense. Examples of current administration pardons that do not appear to meet the Justice Department pardon guidelines and involve significant political contributions in money or kind include: a founder of an electric truck startup who with his wife contributed $1.8M to political committees; a nursing home executive who whose mother attended a $1 million-a-head political fundraiser; and a reality television couple whose daughter had spoken at a 2024 political convention.

Another example of corruption involves acceptance of gifts from individuals or groups that could seek special consideration or benefits from the recipient. This issue was so prominent with our country’s founders that they included the following prohibition in the Constitution: “[N]o Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them [i.e., the United States], shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.” In addition, all federal employees are covered by regulations that limit gifts to no more than $20 from sources that could seek some benefit from the employee. Some of the most prominent benefits received by the current administration during the last six months include the following: an air plane from the Qatar government (a state that uses its resources to influence several American institutions)  which will go to the president’s library at the end of his term where it will be available for his personal use; a $40M licensing fee from Amazon to produce a documentary on the president’s wife; and the president’s investment in crypto which currently represents 40 percent of his net worth while he issued an executive order promoting crypto. In same time frame,  the Securities and Exchange Commission  has paused investigations on a dozen crypto companies,

The final corruption examples involve providing or withholding government benefits based on political support. For example, after the California wildfires, the president said he wanted changes in California water management policies and voter identification laws in return for government help. After the Texas floods, he offered support without conditions. The president did not win the California electors, but did win the Texas electors. The president barred the associated press from Oval Office and Air Force One events because the outlet refused to use the term “Gulf of America.” The president stripped security clearances from former political opponents and New York officials who prosecuted him. He fired and demoted federal officials involved in investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. He stripped security details from and threatened former federal officials who disagreed with his policies or were not sufficiently loyal to him. In his first term, the president told his  chief of staff that he wanted some perceived political enemies audited by the Internal Revenue Service, and some were subsequently audited.

Thomas Jefferson said “The people are the ultimate guardians of their own liberties. In every government on earth is some trace of human weakness, some germ of corruption and degeneracy…Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone.” Government employees appointed through merit are intrinsically guardians of the people. They are appointed for their technical knowledge and avoid political considerations. In previous modern federal administrations their knowledge received fair consideration by elected and politically appointed officials. This is consistent with Jefferson’s view of liberty guardians. Currently, these guardians are under unprecedented attack. They are being demoted, reassigned, geographically moved and fired.  Still, it is important for these guardians to identify corruption as it occurs and do what they can to stop it. In my federal career, I saw the dedication of these people and I know that career federal employees will continue their guardian role despite the current challenges.

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Author: Anna Marie Schuh is Associate Professor and MPA Program Director at Roosevelt University, Chicago where she teaches political science and public administration. She retired from federal service after 36 years. Her last assignment involved management of the Office of Personnel Management national oversight program. She is a three-time past president of the Chicago ASPA Chapter. Email: [email protected]; BlueSky: profschuh.bsky.social.

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