A new study by Public Citizen’s research team has uncovered that 205 corporations, ranging from high‑profile tech firms to financial investors, poured a total of $210.5 million into MAGA Inc. and other Trump‑aligned Super PACs while the Trump administration cancelled 212 federal enforcement actions.
The cancellations cover 80 investigations, 67 lawsuits that were in active litigation, and 54 accountability measures that were reversed or never pursued. Among the actions were 10 criminal investigations, 10 criminal lawsuits, 14 corporate pardons, and five leniency deals that were abandoned.
Key contributors include Elon Musk, whose companies Tesla and SpaceX benefited from eight separate cancellations. Musk’s America PAC pledged $100 million to support Republican candidates in the 2026 midterms and donated $5 million to MAGA Inc. Crypto.com, which avoided an SEC probe into alleged unregistered securities trading, gave $35 million to MAGA Inc. and $2 million to Keep America Great. Gemini’s co‑founders, Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, each donated $10 million to MAGA Inc., while the venture‑capital firm Andreessen Horowitz contributed $12 million. Nine of the corporations that received enforcement relief are also part of Andreessen Horowitz’s investment portfolio.
Rick Claypool, who compiled the database, explained that the cases were identified through public filings, court documents and agency press releases. He noted that many cancellations were formal dismissals, while others involved the withdrawal of investigations at an early stage or the termination of prior consent decrees. The report also acknowledges that weaker settlement agreements, such as deferred prosecution deals, are more difficult to quantify but likely exceed the number of outright cancellations.
Public Citizen co‑president Robert Weissman described the pattern as a “great deal for corporate wrongdoers at the expense of victims and the American people.” Claypool added that the scale of the contributions raises fundamental questions about what corporations expect when they invest heavily in a political operation that includes the President.
Coverage of the findings has been limited. Bloomberg reported on the study a week ago, but mainstream outlets have largely omitted the story, possibly due to staffing constraints and the proximity to the midterm election cycle.
The report highlights a potentially significant link between corporate financial support and the Trump administration’s regulatory decisions, suggesting that the flow of money may have influenced the pace and scope of federal enforcement.
