For organizations that exist to root out official wrongdoing in government, the last four years have been a whirlwind. President Donald Trump blazed new trails in cronyism, corruption, and political opacity, and watchdog groups found a target-rich environment to expose malfeasance and conflicts of interest.
With a markedly more conventional president soon to take office, those groups are now trying to figure out how to maneuver and—in some cases—survive without the drama and content that Trump provided. Some of them have decided not to.
For some, the Trump wars—and investigations into his conduct—will not stop when he leaves office. The outgoing president’s misdeeds, in their view, remain more deserving of precious resources than the man who will soon occupy the Oval Office.