Revolving Door

May 15, 2025 | The American Prospect

Timi Iwayemi Alex Moss

Op-Ed Department of CommerceHoward LutnickIntellectual PropertyPatent and Trademark OfficePharmaRevolving Door

Trump Appointees Are Hijacking the Patent System

The PTAB’s inter partes review (IPR) process was designed to swiftly weed out low-quality patents—the kind that stifle competition, inflate consumer prices, and entrench monopolies. But since Trump and Lutnick’s arrival, a quiet bureaucratic coup at the USPTO has undermined this critical safeguard. Acting Director Coke Morgan Stewart has moved to centralize power and gut accountability measures, opening the door to a flood of dubious patents.

May 09, 2025

Xaver Clarke

Newsletter Consumer ProtectionCorruption CalendarCryptocurrencyDOGEElon MuskEthics in GovernmentRevolving DoorTechTrump 2.0

Corruption Calendar Week 16: The Grift That Keeps On Giving

Welcome to week sixteen of the Revolving Door Project’s Corruption Calendar, where we highlight examples of corporate corruption shaping the Trump administration’s agenda and their material impact on everyday people. Read our first fifteen issues here and follow us on Bluesky and X for updates.

March 07, 2025

Timi Iwayemi

Newsletter

Corruption CalendarCryptocurrencyEthics in GovernmentFinancial RegulationHealthRevolving Door

Week Seven: One Nation Under God, Indivisible

The seventh week of Trump’s presidency was a stark reminder of how little the public’s wellbeing factors into his administration’s decisions. This week, the administration reiterated its position that it’s open season for corporate predators, RFK Jr. moved to abolish public input into public health regulations, co-president Elon Musk found new ways to exploit the federal contracting system, banking regulators chose Wall Street over Main Street, and a corporate lobbyist stepped in to facilitate the sale of precious public lands to lumber companies.