ProPublica is releasing a trove of disclosure records that detail the finances of more than 1,500 Trump appointees, including former lobbyists, industry executives and at least a dozen officials who declined to identify former clients.

Thousands of companies are jockeying for billions of dollars in Defense Department contracts to build a shield designed to intercept and destroy missiles launched against the United States.

But amid the intense competition, a handful of firms have an important inside connection.

At least four of the companies awarded contracts so far are owned by Cerberus Capital Management, a private equity firm founded by billionaire Steve Feinberg, who until last year ran the company and is now the deputy secretary of defense — the second-highest-ranking official in the Pentagon.

Feinberg oversees the office in charge of the Golden Dome for America project, which is modeled on Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system.

  • Mulligrubs@lemmy.world
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    19 days ago

    This is standard operating procedure.

    Reps and others pass laws; they invest accordingly.

    It’s easy to make a fortune when you can predict outcomes. “If we pass this law, ________ will profit. Let’s buy ________ now, before the rush of investors.”

    This is why they and their entire families become stinking rich on such a small salary, looking into Maxine Waters recently, for example, was blatant and shocking to me.

    Trump’s entire family are now billionaires, in just a few years in office.

    Add up all of these little “perks” and you realize that politics are one of the easiest ways to become rather wealthy… much easier than running a small business, for example.

  • Basic Glitch@sh.itjust.works
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    19 days ago

    Seems more than a little likely these idiots would try to provoke an attack in order to either justify building a golden dome or to test something they’ve already built…

    Good thing the most competent administration in history replaced diversity with meritocracy, otherwise I’d be a little worried about them being arrogant, not knowing what they’re doing, and refusing to listen to anyone who isn’t a yes man, and inevitably killing us all in an attempt to prove how useful they really are.

    Seeing how far AI has come in the U.S. since 2025 should reassure us that we’re in excellent, and very large hands.

  • Paragone@lemmy.world
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    19 days ago

    … they help “regulate”.

    Falsifying-quotes should have been used in the title, tbh.

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