Recent events, including Donald Trump launching a cryptocurrency and dining with its large holders, and his pardon of Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao, raise questions about the ethics of government.

Binance had worked with a Trump-tied venture on a stablecoin, allegedly netting Trump hundreds of millions while most token buyers lost money. Separately, Paramount paid Trump $16 million shortly before his administration approved its $8 billion merger.

While Democrats blame Trump, the article posits that the issue is systemic. The inherent nature of big government, with its vast resources and regulatory power, creates opportunities for the selling of favors regardless of who is in office. Such policies, it argues, inevitably invite corruption.