Trump has opened up a shiny new object for his MAGAs to point to as proof he’s as honest as a person can be. He decided there should be a Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program that would pay up to 30k for tips about government fraud that lead to prosecutions. The $25 million allocated is of course taxpayer money but that’s not the issue tonight. No, what matters is that Trump’s tipline is being flooded with calls. Calls reporting HIM as committing fraud!
It amazes me that Trump and his fluffers didn’t see this coming. Yet, as Raw Story reports the tipline is indeed getting plenty of calls reporting fraud against none other than Don the Con Cornholeone himself:
The Trump administration’s new Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program is drawing ridicule on social media after Tuesday’s Oval Office launch, with users posting mock tips about the president and his family, according to the Daily Beast.
The Justice Department program offers members of the public up to $30,000 for tips about criminal fraud involving federal programs, the Beast reported. It is backed by $25 million, with the Daily Beast saying the money comes from the Treasury Department, and is overseen by Vice President JD Vance, who leads a task force on fraud. Trump, 80, promised whistleblowers a 1% commission.
Oh boy. J.D. Vance will be in charge of this “Charlie Fox.” If I have doubts (and I do) this idiotic beyond belief boondoggle will pay out anything I’d say there’s ample reason to do so. Oh, I’m sure some payouts will be made. Just not under the promised conditions. A handful of MAGAs or MAGA adjacent types will report something they heard and an investigation will be opened. With some fanfare of course, DOJ policy be damned. I’m quite sure if the tipster is checked out and found to be a solid MAGA/Republican they won’t have to wait for actual charges to be filed in court, much less an actual conviction.
In other words, the fraud tipline will generate more fraud as in Trump buying support. Imagine MAGAs running around their hometowns out there in ‘Real Murica’ bragging about Trump’s payoff. It won’t do him much good with the midterms just a couple of weeks off, and even if he lives that long (his health seems to get worse by the day) despite all the hints he won’t be running in 2028. Vance is probably tickled pink he’s got picked to run this vote-buying scam but it won’t help him either. It’s already blowing up in Team Trump’s faces.
I’m sure somewhere on social media, Truth Social at least Trump himself (or Natalie) made a grand post announcing this. Then some selected minions dutifully posted it to platforms like Xitter that actually has lots of viewers. Trump is getting ratioed:
Daily Beast reporter Tom Latchem wrote that the launch “instantly backfired.” Among the mock tips shared online was one reading: “I’d like to report Donald Trump, Donald Trump Junior, Eric Trump, Ivanka, Trump, every Cabinet member that is currently sitting, and I’ll get back to you with the rest.” Another user, Laurie, posted an image accusing the Trump family of profiting from cryptocurrency and overseas business deals. “I’d like to report this guy. You can put the $30K on my X card,” she wrote.
Well, you can read the linked article for more details but it concludes with what I consider an interesting tidbit:
At the Oval Office event, a reporter asked why a 1% reward is better than the False Claims Act, which gives whistleblowers far larger shares of recovered money. “At 1 percent, people will make millions and millions of dollars,” Trump replied before snarling at the reporter and menacing him.
To put it bluntly Trump had the self-promoting idea of handing out some taxpayer money. But not too much. Plus, the existing law won’t allow him/Vance to make sure it only goes to people in places where the recipients will sing Trump’s praises to high heaven. I’ll bet recipients have to sign an ironclad agreement not to make any claims under the old, existing law that would have (if they had a legitimate whistleblower claim) paid them far more than they’ll get from Trump. Hopefully regional/local news outlets covering those that get their little windfall with a comparison of what they should have gotten vs. what they actually did.
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