CREW requests records on Trump political appointees who transitioned into career civil service positions 

From Trump’s appointment of big donors to high-ranking government positions to his profiting off of the presidency through his properties, the Trump administration was marked by extreme grift, raising questions about whether Trump was able to extend undue benefits to his allies past his presidential term. As of March 2021, three dozen Trump Administration political appointees reportedly transitioned into career civil service positions through a controversial process known as “burrowing”—and the public should know the final count.

CREW has requested records from the Office of Personnel Management—the office that must authorize such transitions—on all the appointees whose transitions to civil service positions were approved, as well as the names of the officials who signed off on these transitions.

Trump frequently used the government to benefit his loyalists and supporters, and it would come as no surprise if that extended towards winning controversial or underqualified political appointees permanent government positions. Revelations that any OPM officials were either complicit in pushing forward undue authorizations or pressured to benefit Trump appointees would paint a fuller picture of how Trump weaponized the government for his and his political allies’ benefit. Trump’s grifting off of the presidency knew no end, but answers around burrowing could help the public get one step closer to understanding how deep it went.