Peter Schweizer (1) (1964–)

Profiles in Corruption, Peter Schweizer, author; Charles Constant, narrator
Political corruption in the swamp is not concentrated in one political party. However, Peter Schweizer has chosen to write a book detailing and exposing the corrupt behavior of many of the Progressives who tout themselves as America’s saviors, as the knights that can gallop in and save the world from the despots on the right, from the Republicans and Trump and anyone associated with them. His research has uncovered show more shady deals, nepotism and incestuous behavior in government transactions. The naked eye would never see these things, not only because of a complicit left leaning press which hides the faults of the left, but because the trail to the underhanded business deals and appointments that enrich themselves, their friends and their families is hidden in secret business deals which are often in the names of people associated with the politician, that do not have to disclose their business dealings in any but the most superficial manner.
These people featured in the book (Amy Klobuchar, Cory Booker, the Sanders and the Clintons, Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris, Sherrod Brown and Eric Garcetti), all believe they can save America from a man they, and the press, have consistently demonized, President Donald Trump. They have also defamed his family, pointing fingers in all directions, claiming corruption, tax evasion, criminal behavior, crony capitalism, a violation of the Emoluments Clause, incompetence and anything else they could think of to shame them. Yet, these people have ghosts in their own closets and have made deals that are the same as, or worse than, those that they are accusing others on the right of doing. Schweizer readily admits that there are those on the right who also use the political system to benefit themselves, but I, the reader am well aware that many on the right have already been showcased, trashed and splashed over all the headlines from the left leaning media world, without a corresponding effort to cover those on the left doing the exact same kind of thing, or worse, to financially help themselves and their families without leaving a discernible trail to follow.
In his book, he attempts to show that these very same individuals throwing rocks at the Republicans, claiming to be far more virtuous, actually live in glass houses and are perhaps only far better at hiding their shameful nepotism and incestuous dealings with relatives, corporations, criminals, and anyone or any business that can positively influence their career and future. Donations definitely help to put a politician in your corner, even if the politician rails against you and your business, in public. In private, politicians are schizophrenic! They have more than one side! Their relatives, business associates and/or opportunities, friends, girlfriends, etc., were all put in positions of power and influence once they were elected.
Schweizer’s powerful in depth research has connected the dots to show the hidden deceptive behavior. These politicians have used every trick in the book to benefit themselves while shielding the information that would prove it. The route is therefore circuitous and the reader has to draw their own conclusions as to their motives. Politicians accept money from groups they publicly disavow when it serves their purpose, and they make excuses to explain away the opposition’s questions about their somewhat secretive, dubious arrangements. It is hard, therefore, to trace the money with perfect accuracy, but all the people Schweizer has featured have quietly enriched themselves. Many have even dealt with unsavory characters to do so. They get away with it because of a complicit press which ignores their behavior, coupled with a school system that brainwashes the student body by pushing a curriculum drowning in Progressivism rather than in the teaching of critical thought!
This book will not please many liberals, but it should be read by all of them so that they can see that the crimes and behavior they constantly criticize Trump and his family for actually often pale when compared to some of what has been done and hidden by Progressives and Democrats in the spotlight now. show less

Have you ever wondered just how honest most politicians are… or exactly how dishonest?

Having an impression that all politicians are corrupt self-serving hypocrites is one thing, but after reading this book about the major front-runners in the up-coming presidential election, not only are my suspicions confirmed but completely justified.

Written by a reputable journalist who cites specific detailed examples, with 100 pages of documented references, Peter Schweizer dishes the dirt on show more widespread deception, corruption, and self-serving hypocrisy in the political arena. I don’t know how many of the activities listed are illegal, but they are certainly immoral and unethical.

A few examples: Kamala Harris got her big break by having an affair with the (married) “God Father” of San Francisco, and after becoming the DA of San Francisco, and Attorney General of California somehow, she just happened to avoid prosecuting some very bad criminals.

And Bernie Sanders wife Jane was mixed up in a case of a fraudulent $10 million bank loan which never got repaid, and a burglary that involved destroyed pertinent documents. And by the way, Bernie never held a job outside of the government but somehow, he and Jane amassed millions of dollars and several estate homes.

Biden is the worst! The Hunter debacle is just the tip of the iceberg. Biden has lined the pockets of all his family members with millions of dollars of tax payers money. His brothers Frank and James should be in jail! And maybe Hunter, too.

Amy Klobuchar seems pretty innocent except for the fact that she is the “queen of earmarks”. I tried to do further research on that but recent years records have been obliterated from Google. However, if you search back far enough, in 2010 she did enact 88 earmarks worth over $100,000,000. She seems to pretty much match Bernie on many social issues. I wonder what promises she is making to her current donors.

And Elizabeth Warren – not only did she use the “Native American” handle to get an education, but also to get a teaching job at Harvard when the college was specifically looking to hire minorities.

You can read all about it in this book. And the deception amongst all of them is deep and convoluted. Much like Bill and Hillary’s Clinton Foundation, they all have non-profit organizations going for themselves. Sometimes multiple organizations intertwined… Peter Schweizer follows the paper trail, and at the end of the trail there, is always huge bank accounts linked to these very politicians. And much of the non-profit money is exempt from taxes.

They claim to be for the middle-class, spouting equality and fairness for all. Too bad they don’t live up to their own standards.

One further comment – Peter Schweizer admits most Republican politicians fall into this same category, but he decided to focus on the Democrats because Democrats are always for “bigger government” and “more” government control of everything, on every level– which in effect gives the politicians more power and more opportunity to line their own pockets.

"Profiles in Corruption" is a well-timed publication and definitely a worthy read. show less

A disturbing book. It tells you everything you knew was true about government corruption but were afraid to admit. The trouble with government is NOT that this party or that party is in control and is doing wrong, but rather it is that both parties are corrupt and playing their voter bases for fools. Democrats might think that corporations should be regulated and that their political leaders are dedicated to doing just that. Republicans might think that corporations are already overregulated show more and that their political leaders are dedicated to rolling back regulations. These are lies.

Actually, politicians and bureaucrats are gaming the system, trying to maximize the amount of money available for their personal use. They have figured out ways of doing this that are "extralegal"; that is, not ethical but not technically illegal, either.

Often, their methods look a lot like extortion. (Schweizer points out that often the difference between a bribe and extortion is a matter of perception; you have to look at the preponderance of evidence to tell them apart, and even then it may be difficult to prove.)

Under the current set up, legislation is not for doing good, it's for extorting money out of corporations. As Peter Schweizer puts it, money is not corrupting politics; politicians are already corrupt, and they are corrupting money in several different ways. Why else would corporations only give to politicians--whether Democrats or Republicans--mainly on the occasion of important legislation that helps (or hurts) those corporations, and why would powerful committee chairmen or party leaders who have the most sway on votes--who can even determine whether and when a vote will happen--attract the most donations? Why else does each side depend on the supposed abuses of the other side to gin up contributions but never do anything to reform the system so those alleged abuses stop? Why does each politician have several different campaign funds that they use to accumulate money for themselves or even to pay off each other? Why is it that--even though economists agree that tax credits for research and development have been good for the economy and for the general improvement of life--Congress has not made these credits permanent but instead has voted to extend them every few years since 1981, thus making corporations contribute to politicians on both sides on the occasion of each vote? Why do members of the administration hire themselves out as consultants to help corporations fight arcane laws and hostile policies that these former insiders formulated? Why are corporations so easily persuaded to hire relatives of politicians as consultants?

This book paints a depressing picture of what Schweizer calls "the permanent political class." Depressing because these people will not reform the corrupt system they have built. As Schweizer puts it, you or I might complain that the system isn't working, but for the politicians and bureaucrats who are making money off of their so-called public service, the system is working fine. show less

This is a powerful, unbelievably well researched book that exposes the contradictions within the Clinton dynasty, although it is so information driven that I could not take it all in without reading it slowly. Still, for ordinary citizens, non-scholars, it shows just how carefully the Clintons, both experienced and knowledgeable lawyers, have skirted the outer edges of our legal and justice system to take advantage of the power they wield within their own party, the Democrats, to advantage show more themselves time and time again. In much the same way that Bill Clinton exploited the word “is” in his definition of sexual relations, they have exploited the word “fundraising”, for themselves and their Clinton Foundation, during their tenure in government and outside of it for decades. There is little more to say other than that a reader with an open mind will learn how they hobnob with the rich and famous, make deals with shady governments and often shadier operatives, disregard criminal behavior in their associates, and enrich themselves and their friends in the process, which appears to be their primary goal.
The Clintons are very smart. They know how to create an unsolvable puzzle, a maze that is unfathomable and therefore untraceable with regard to their personal and public behavior. From their secret server to their interactions and speeches in foreign countries, their activities read like a web of intrigue that could be found in a novel, but not in reality. However, this truth is stranger than fiction. Because of their expertise in covering their tracks, it is simply not possible to directly point a finger at any particular actions they have taken. There is no straight line that leads to them; rather, there is a circuitous route of coincidences of such sheer magnitude, that seem to involve the enrichment of the Clintons, the Clinton Foundation, and those they have dealings with or arrange meetings for, with heads of state or other influential politicians and leaders, from whom they then curry favor or enrich themselves or other friends and participants, that it is difficult to escape the inevitable conclusion that the Clintons know how to work the system for their own benefit, first and foremost. It appears that the authority of the Clintons knows know bounds. If they see opportunity, they know how to exploit it; they are the perfect opportunists.
Oddly, or perhaps for obvious reasons, depending on who is interested in the question of their behavior patterns, the current government, under Barack Obama, appears not even willing to allow or provide a proper investigation by the Justice Department into their machinations because all the party, and those involved in its hierarchy and in the higher echelons of the administration, seem to care only about winning an election. After reading this book, it feels that their activities, and what is in the best interest of the country, seems secondary to the needs of the party, the Democrats, and the Clintons, who want to retain the White House at all costs.
The Clintons are very powerful indeed; they have done their duty for their party; they have been loyal, and the powers that be believe that they deserve to be rewarded. They are well funded and connected and seem to be coated in Teflon, often avoiding investigation into their questionable activities. The media, already indicted for its bias, refuses to cover their “escapades” honestly or aggressively, and instead, seems to spin the news in favor of the candidates they prefer, avoiding the reporting of actual news. This book makes the point that America seems to be at a very important crossroads which will affect future generations for years. show less