Town Hall Seattle: Civics Series
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Feb 2, 2022
It’s not uncommon for commentary about former president Trump’s spending habits to be met with raised eyebrows and stifled chuckles; soundbites about golf resorts and hotel empires induce a special kind of side-eye when they pop in and out of the news. But beyond anecdotes, most Americans probably don’t know the colossal extent of Trump’s spending. How bad was it?
Bad, argued Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter David Cay Johnston. According to Johnston, Trump’s self-beneficial money machine started churning less than 40 minutes after taking the oath of office and didn’t slow down during his four years of presidency. Johnston’s new book, The Big Cheat, layed out the flow of money in and out of hundreds of Trump’s enterprises. He chronicled the conflicts of interest, the favors, and the entanglement of actions that benefited only the Trump family — but came at a great cost to the American people and jeopardized our national security.
David Cay Johnston is a journalist, author, and winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Beat Reporting. He has been called “One of America’s most important journalists” by The Washington Monthly, and he has acted as an uncredited source of documents and insight for major campaign reports by The Washington Post, The New York Times, Bloomberg, and network television. He has chronicled Donald Trump’s conduct in two other books: Temples of Chance and the New York Times bestseller The Making of Donald Trump.
Sarah Reyneveld is an attorney, community advocate, union member, and parent. Sarah currently serves as a Managing Assistant Attorney General (AAG) in the Washington Attorney General’s Office’s (AGO) Environmental Protection Division and previously served as an AAG representing the Department of Labor and Industries for nine years. Sarah is a proud 15-year state employee who feels blessed to have worked at the AGO, Washington State Governor’s Office, Washington State Senate, and the University of Washington. She received a BA from Smith College, MPA from UW Evans School, and law degree from UW Law School. In 2016, she received the inaugural Evans School Young Alumni Award for her distinguished public service.
Buy the Book: The Big Cheat: How Donald Trump Fleeced America and Enriched Himself and His Family (Hardcover) from Third Place Books
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