Donald Trump wants to crush The Swamp. The leaks, the sneaks, and the secrets are all there. Our writers, David Gardner, Farrah Tomazin, Sarah Ewall-Wice, and Laura Esposito, are sifting through the ooze so you don’t have to. Don’t miss out.
In this week’s news from the ooze: Frederick Trump, Michelle Obama, Milli Vanilli, Keith Krach, Pete Hegseth, Ken Paxton, Chris LaCivita, Michael Wolff, Davis Ingle, Laura Bush, Larra Mullin and Ellie Gottheimer, Evita Duffy-Alfonso, Ben Domenech, Meghan McCain, Gregory Bovino, Stefano Forte, Susie Wiles, Marco Rubio and Marco Rubio.
A bitter MAGA civil war has ballooned between two D.C. organizations vying to celebrate America’s 250th birthday and a missing $100 million in taxpayers’ money.
The flag-waving has quickly turned to finger-pointing as Donald Trump, 79 (but only for two more weeks), seeks to put his mark (and probably his name) on the festivities. After all, the country is only a little over three times as old as him.
And, as is often the case with the Thrifter, sorry Grifter-in-Chief, much of the conflict revolves around money and ego.
Frustrated by the bipartisan, inclusive efforts of the congressionally run America250 tasked with organizing the festivities, Trump set up his own MAGA-minded Freedom 250 organization.
The two groups have since spent months awkwardly circling each other, with critics questioning why a second organization was needed at all. Behind the scenes, the answer appears to be control—over the events, the messaging, the donors and, perhaps most importantly, the money.
Now, members of America250 have expressed concerns that up to $100 million in taxpayer dollars intended by Congress to fund civics education, volunteer initiatives, and the restoration of historical monuments has been redirected to Freedom 250 by the administration.
America250 is a bipartisan non-profit working with the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, established by Congress in 2016, with former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, and former First Ladies Laura Bush and Michelle Obama as Honorary National Co-Chairs.
The effort is supported by a bipartisan Congressional Caucus of more than 350 members — the largest caucus in U.S. history—and its ex officio members include some notable MAGA names portrayed in official phots as a grinning Todd Blanche; a very airbrushed Linda McMahon; a dark-haired Pentagon Pete Hegseth; a constipated-looking Doug Burgum; and Marco Rubio (twice, once as Secretary of State and once as Acting Archivist).
America250 had a grand plan to unite the country with a massive block party that would bring 350 million Americans together and inspire a record-setting year of volunteer service through America Gives.
But the president had other ideas. More on the lines of America Takes.
Trump’s Freedom 250 task force is a “patriotic” (read MAGA) alternative, with events such as UFC at the White House, the American State Fair (whose concert series with Milli Vanilli and The Commodores just imploded), and Trump’s very own “Patriot Games” (think Hunger Games with more school athletes and less violence).
And the group looks more like a very expensive birthday party for Trump’s political loyalists.
At the center is former Trump State Department official Keith Krach, who serves as CEO. Krach’s estimated net worth is estimated at around $441 million, largely tied to his past equity holdings in tech firms like DocuSign, which he used to run. Surrounding him are familiar MAGA power players, including top fundraiser Meredith O’Rourke and campaign strategist Chris LaCivita. Both are now conveniently on the board of the National Park Foundation, which legally houses Freedom 250.
And then there’s spokeswoman Julia Freidland, a GOP comms operative charged with spinning events such as the botched concert at the National Mall, whose artists fled faster than a congressional Republican from a town hall.
It all sounds distinctly unpatriotic. Million-dollar donors are being offered private access and photo opportunities with Trump, and Krach asked the globalist elite for cash at Davos earlier this year.
And Freedom 250 remains as opaque as Trump’s tax filings, particularly regarding the group’s finances, contracts, governance, and relationship with the National Park Foundation.
It’s a perfect portrait of 2026: a task force created to celebrate unity has been sidelined in favor of a Trump grift which can’t even book some z-listers, but can coin in millions without any scrutiny.
Happy birthday, America!
Paxton Divorce ‘Trial’ Takes Suspicious Turn
The marquee event of the month in Texas was going to be the divorce hearing for Ken Paxton, the Republican Senate candidate, brought by his estranged wife Angela Paxton on “Biblical grounds.” Democrats were stocking up on popcorn and brisket for an everythings-bigger-in-Texas scandal session at the open court hearing in Collin County. This was not going to be all sizzle, no steak. Angela Paxton, herself a Republican Texas state senator, ended their 38 years of marriage last July. The final straw appeared to be her husband cheating (this time) with a Christian married mother of seven.
The hearing should have brought some clarity on what exactly the would-be-senator’s wife meant by “Biblical grounds,” which is not a legal term in use in Texas. When she announced the split, Angela basically implied that remaining married to Ken was a one-way ticket to Hell. “Today, after 38 years of marriage, I filed for divorce on biblical grounds.I believe marriage is a sacred covenant and I have earnestly pursued reconciliation. But in light of recent discoveries, I do not believe that it honors God or is loving to myself, my children, or Ken to remain in the marriage. I move forward with complete confidence that God is always working everything together for the good of those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose,” she wrote. But in a suspiciously well-timed move, the hearing, scheduled for June 24 to June 26, is off. Far be it from The Swamp to point fingers, but Collin County’s judicial offices are all held by Republicans, a party which knows it will benefit from not having Paxton’s dirty washing aired for the world to see…
A Thief Is on the Loose in Trump’s West Wing
Who, exactly, writes the memorable insults which the White House delights in delivering to journalists? It should be fairly simple: Whoever has their name on the insults. But in the Trump West Wing, it is not as simple as that. The Swamp discovered that there must be theft because of an intriguing encounter with the, ahem, creative process. The Daily Beast’s Erkki Forster asked politely for comment on a revelation from Michael Wolff on the hit podcast, Inside Trump’s Head. He received a response from Davis Ingle: "Michael Wolff is the biggest moron in media. What an absolute dumba--. He needs to skip the Quaaludes for breakfast." And tagged at the end was the rather crucial attribution: “- me”. But just 30 minutes later, Ingle was back. “Attribution should be Steven Cheung," he wrote. Intriguing... and prima facie evidence that the West Wing has a problem. The Swamp sees only two scenarios here. Was Ingle, 33, trying to steal the credit from the White House heavyweight Cheung, more than a decade his senior and far up the Trump food chain? Or was Cheung trying to steal a younger and lower-ranked colleague’s work and pass it off as his own? Insult theft is no joke. The Democrats are keen to issue subpoenas if they successfully gain the gavel in the midterms. We have a whole topic of investigation oven-ready for them here!
Nepo Cry Babies United You Have Nothing to Lose (Literally)
MAGA has been around for a little more than a decade, but it is now creating a second, and possibly even a third, generation. Take Evita Duffy-Alfonso, 26, who has announced the birth of her daughter Rosita. If you do not follow MAGA’s generations game, you may well ask, “Who she?” Evita is the daughter of Sean Duffy, Trump’s Transportation Secretary, and Rachel Campos-Duffy, who is a Fox News weekend anchor. The couple, of course, met on The Real World and parlayed reality television into careers as conservative media figures, with Duffy having a past as a CNN and Fox News contributor, and Campos-Duffy a three-times hopeful/three-times reject for The View.
The birth was announced in the traditional way—a Fox News segment—and followed by the traditional celebration: A meltdown by the new mother on social media. In this case, she took umbrage at the Daily Beast’s headline, “Trump Goon’s Nepo Baby Announces Birth of Daughter.” The Swamp is happy to fact-check. Duffy’s career includes working for MAGA house journal The Federalist in the form of hosting a podcast with her father; contributing to her parents’ friend Dan Bongino‘s show as a “Gen Z journalist and culture analyst”; writing for her parents’ past and current employer Fox News; appearing on her parents’ Fox News podcast; and frequent appearances on Fox & Friends Weekend, hosted by, err, her mom. Seems like a fairly nepo resume to us. Among those jumping to attack the Beast for mentioning the new mom’s nepo status was Ben Domenech, who wanted to tell the world how he had been the first to employ Duffy-Alonso, at The Federalist. “She is an astonishing intelligent beautiful woman, courageous and proud, who earned everything she’s ever had,” he gushed. Perhaps Ben should apply to run the Guild of Nepo Cry Babies. He is the son of Douglas Domenech, a serial George W. Bush appointee who was Trump’s assistant Secretary of the Interior, and is married to Meghan McCain, who in nepo world, needs no introduction. Incidentally, the new baby’s father, Evita’s husband Michael Alfonso, is running for Congress in Wisconsin. He has happily received an endorsement from his father-in-law’s boss, Donald Trump, and donations from the transportation industry which his father-in-law regulates. It’s a true family affair!
Ben’s Declaration of Independence
On the subject of Ben Domenech, The Swamp has belated congratulations on his latest move. He has transferred from the D.C. outpost of the British weekly news magazine The Spectator to Ben Shapiro‘s struggling Daily Wire. Word reaches us that this may have come after some turbulence between him and the Brits at the helm of The Spectator. Who can blame Ben for declaring independence from His Majesty’s subjects? It’s what this country was founded on!
ICE Cowboy’s Grifty Bromance With ‘Goldendoodle’ Democratic Rep
And in further news of the nepos… A new children’s book tells the story of a goldendoodle from New Jersey and a dalmatian from Oklahoma whose fathers get elected to Dog Congress in Washington, D.C.
It may seem an unlikely pooch friendship between a mud-loving Westerner and a bridge-and-tunnels suburban slicker. But a closer look at the authors of Shmoo & Ozzie Go To Washington suggests that the fictional relationship isn’t such a coincidence.
According to the Amazon book blurb, “Ellie Gottheimer is a high school student from New Jersey and Larra Mullin is a high school student from Oklahoma. They wrote this book with the hope of inspiring young readers to grow into thoughtful, compassionate leaders capable of changing the world for the better.’
If you’re wondering how two high school students got a book deal, look no further than their last names: Mullin and Gottheimer.
Larra is the daughter of Markwayne Mullin, Donald Trump’s new ICE Cowboy Department of Homeland Security secretary.
And Ellie is the teenage daughter of five-term New Jersey Democratic Party Rep. Josh Gottheimer. The two dads have been staunch defenders of each other. Gottheimer appeared in person at Mullin’s crunch confirmation hearing in March and even released a statement saying: “We don’t agree on everything, but after a decade of working out together, and taking on bipartisan issues, Markwayne has become a very good friend.”
What else do they have in common? Lots and lots of money. Mullin declared his net worth at up to $97 million in his last disclosure to Congress. And Gottheimer’s prolific stock trading means Quiver, which tracks politicians’ assets, puts his worth at $41 million. (The Swamp has asked if this putative bestseller’s proceeds are going to charity but has yet to hear.)
As for the nepo babies, will having a published book on their applications help get them into the colleges of their choice? That remains to be seen. And they are hardly the first writers with links to the presidency to push their children’s books. Kash Patel penned his The Plot Against the King trilogy with Trump, inevitably, the hero. Jill Biden wrote about Willow the White House cat and Karen Pence illustrated her daughter’s book about a bunny named Marlon Bundo.
The book drops in late June. No word yet on which author is Shmoo and which is Ozzie.
Wiley Plot to Keep the Slush Plush
The Swamp detects the hand of Susie Wiles behind Monday’s leak that the Trump administration had decided to abandon its $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund. Surprise, surprise, a few minutes later, the DOJ announced that it was abiding by the federal judge Leonie M. Brinkema’s decision to put the skids on the slush fund. Not that anybody was fooled, but they dropped the crooked, grifting scheme because it was unlawful. And because Speaker Mike Johnson told Donald Trump that even Republican Reps were outraged at the deal’s threat to the party’s razor-thin House majority. Still, Trump refuses to drop the part of the settlement which bars the IRS from “prosecuting or pursuing” all claims and “examinations” of Trump or “affiliated individuals” as well as related trusts and businesses FOREVER.
(Not So) Tough on Crime
If Ken Paxton’s baggage isn’t enough, Republicans in New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District have found themselves an unusual law-and-order candidate: a former NYPD officer who was kicked off the force after an internal trial found he struck his wife in the face. Michael McGuire, a Marine veteran running for Congress, is now trying to explain away the disciplinary case. His defense? It was a departmental probe, and not a criminal trial; his ex-wife didn’t testify, and nobody with firsthand knowledge took the stand. But that doesn’t change the fact that the NYPD’s own trial commissioner sustained the charges and recommended dismissal, which is exactly what happened. The bigger question is why McGuire thinks he has a shot at winning the primary? Then again, in today’s Republican Party, baggage isn’t necessarily a bug—it’s practically a credential. Just ask Donald Trump, who survived two impeachments, four criminal indictments, one criminal conviction, and a civil adjudication that he had committed a sexual attack which a judge said was “rape” in ordinary language, all to become America’s 47th president. Apparently, “tough on crime” doesn’t always extend to practicing what you preach.
Never Forget Your Roots
A summit full of fawning far-right white nationalists in Porto, Portugal? That’s amore for New York Young Republican Club President Stefano Forte and ousted Border Patrol goon Gregory Bovino, who took a break from publicly begging the Trump administration for his job back to attend Remigration Summit 2026, where far-right Europeans gathered to promote the mass expulsion of immigrants and minority groups from their countries, as well as sampling the local sunshine and cuisine.
There, the two headliners were quickly heralded for their Italian-American roots.
“The Italian blood means we’re not taking s–t from anyone. You want to ruin our country with your third-world bulls–t? FAFO,” Lorenzo Caccialupi, a far-right Italian influencer known for wearing a “Make Italy Great Again” hat, wrote on X in a post amplified by Forte. “REMIGRATION will come to America and the Italian-Americans will lead the way in removing those who need to go!”
Er, Caccialupi may need to brush up on his U.S. history.
Bovino is the great-grandson of Michele Bovino, one of the roughly four million Italians who immigrated to the United States between 1880 and 1920 and were often met with intense vitriol. When Michele entered the country on a boat from Naples, his race was recorded as “Southern,” as opposed to “white.”
As for Forte, his name might be Italian, but he frequently touts his Puerto Rican and Greek heritage. His mother immigrated from Amorgos, Greece, to Queens in 1971 in pursuit of what he has called the “American Dream.” His father, Eric Forte, was born in Queens after his grandmother, in Forte’s own words, “left her family in Puerto Rico to pursue a better life in New York City.”
Southern Italians, Greeks and Puerto Ricans leading the charge against immigrants? Racial purists like patriarch Frederick Trump, who was arrested at an anti-Catholic KKK march, will be spinning in their graves!
