The Most Corrupt Government in US History
A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble
“Your rulers are rebels and companions of thieves. Everyone loves a bribe and runs after gifts.” — Isaiah 1:23
Yesterday, the Department of Justice announced a $1.7 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” linked to settlements from IRS leak investigations and Trump allies. The fund is meant to compensate people who say they were politically targeted by federal investigations or disclosures. Critics warn that the money could end up going to Trump loyalists and people connected to January 6.
Even writing that sentence feels surreal. This is unquestionably the most corrupt administration in US history.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche described the arrangement as “a lawful process for victims of lawfare.” Senator Ron Wyden called it “among the most corrupt acts in American political history.” Both statements show just how divided things have become. One side sees this as normal government action. The other side sees the system eating away at its own ethics right before our eyes.
Don Moynihan, a professor of public policy at the University of Michigan noted, “Using public money to reward the perpetrators of right-wing violence seems potentially far worse, even, than using it to enrich the president.”1 He is putting words to what many of us feel but can’t quite say.
This isn’t just ordinary corruption or favoritism. It’s something darker: the state starting to reward loyalty to an ideology, and maybe even making political violence seem acceptable.
Representative Jamie Raskin warned that the administration appears to be “figuring out a way to refund the January 6 militia, presumably to get them ready for the next round of battle.”
Let’s stop and think about that for a second.
Imagine a government using public money to pay people linked to an attempt to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power. If this happened somewhere else, Americans would spot the warning signs right away.
But part of what authoritarian drift does is slowly erode the public’s ability to recognize danger while living inside it. People acclimate. They rationalize. They adjust themselves psychologically to conditions that once would have felt unimaginable. That’s where much of the grief lives right now, at least for me.
Many Americans genuinely believed certain principles anchored public life. If you were part of the conservative movement, you believed in fiscal restraint. You upheald constitutional order. You advocated for accountability and equal application of law. You held the belief that public institutions existed to serve the good of the whole nation rather than reward tribal loyalty. We are watching those principles fall apart almost in plain sight.
What hurts isn’t just the corruption. It’s realizing those values might not have been as strong as we thought.
Jesus often talked about hypocrisy, but in scripture, it’s more than just being inconsistent. It’s acting righteous in public while using power for selfish reasons. That’s why Jesus spoke most harshly to leaders who used moral words to justify unfair systems.
The prophetic tradition takes it further. In Hebrew scriptures, corruption isn’t just about personal greed. It’s what happens when a society’s talk about justice, faith, and order no longer matches reality, and leaders keep using those words while the system rewards exploitation and loyalty to power. Over time, even the meaning of words starts to break down.
Human beings require some shared relationship to truth in order to live together ethically. Once public life becomes organized primarily around loyalty, grievance, spectacle, and power, moral discernment begins deteriorating alongside democratic institutions.
I think a lot of us feel that decline within ourselves right now. There’s exhaustion, confusion, and a sense that things which once would have shocked the country now seem normal. It feels like nothing breaks the cycle anymore because outrage is everywhere.
That takes a toll on people.
Some people become overly reactive. Others go numb. Some turn to ideology for comfort, while others pull back emotionally because the problems feel too big to handle.
I get all of those reactions. But I don’t think going numb is the answer, at least not spiritually.
Our spiritual teachers remind us that clarity is important, even when it’s painful. The Desert Fathers warned about how distorted thinking can take over. Buddhist teachings say that societies built on craving and fear lose compassion and judgment. The Hebrew prophets teach we have to keep telling the truth about what we see, even when it’s easier to stay quiet.
I won’t give you false hope. These days, hope is often offered too easily.
But I will say this:
It matters that your body senses something is wrong. If you feel anger, grief, confusion, or disbelief, it means you haven’t gone numb. You can still recognize what’s right and wrong, and that’s more important now than we might think.
Just because others are silent doesn’t mean you have to be. Even if institutions fail to show courage, you don’t have to give up your own.
People are still pushing back. Groups like Democracy Forward, CREW, and Public Citizen are already taking these actions to court. Some judges have questioned what’s happening. Maybe these efforts will work. Maybe they won’t stop everything.
But resistance isn’t just about winning. Sometimes, resistance starts with saying no. Say no to normalizing corruption. Say no to losing your sense of what’s right. Say no to letting exhaustion make you give in.
We should also be honest about how much this affects our bodies. Our bodies hold onto what our minds can’t handle. The nervous system takes in all the instability, the outrage, the confusion, and the sadness of seeing public life change so much.
So I want to ask you: What does your body need right now? Do you need rest? Quiet? A walk? To cry? To pray? To talk with someone who understands? Maybe you need to turn off the noise for a while and remember you’re still a living person, not just a nervous system taking in everything that’s happening.
Things feel heavy right now. You don’t have to carry this by yourself. And you don’t have to pretend it isn’t hard.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
What values or assumptions about American public life feel shaken for you right now?
Where do you notice yourself becoming numb, overwhelmed, or emotionally detached?
What helps you remain grounded in truth without collapsing into despair or cynicism?
A Prayer for the Day
A Prayer For A Breaking Country
God, we feel the strain in our bones. Something precious is eroding around us: truth, trust, decency, the fragile agreements that let human beings live together without devouring one another. We are tired of the noise. Tired of the cruelty. Tired of watching power feed itself while the vulnerable carry the cost. Some days the grief arrives suddenly. Some days it settles like smoke. Teach us how to remain tender without breaking apart. Keep alive in us the part that still recoils at injustice. Keep alive the part that still knows this is not how the world is meant to be. And when we cannot see clearly ahead, when the future feels heavy and uncertain, hold us close to one another. Because the weight of this moment is too much to carry alone. Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Refusing Numbness
Today, notice where you feel emotionally overloaded by the state of the world. Do not shame yourself for feeling angry, discouraged, or exhausted. Your nervous system is responding to real instability. But also resist the temptation to shut down completely.
Choose one practice today that reconnects you to moral clarity instead of endless outrage. Read deeply instead of scrolling endlessly. Have an honest conversation with someone you trust. Spend time in silence. Pray. Walk outside. Journal what you are grieving.
Most importantly, remind yourself that seeing clearly is itself a spiritual discipline.
Authoritarian cultures depend upon confusion, exhaustion, and public numbness.
Protect your capacity to remain awake.
Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…
My team and I launched a new experiment we are calling “The Commons.” It’s an online space centered around communities of practice: groups of people who share a common concern, set of problems, or passion for a topic, and deepen their knowledge and expertise by interacting on an ongoing basis. Join the community here.
May 27, 2026, 12pm ET - FREE WEBINAR - I will be hosting an online experience titled “Reclaiming the Power of Imagination: A live experiential webinar with Jackie Sussman." Jackie, a psychotherapist, author, and leading expert in Eidetic Image Psychology, has spent over forty years helping leaders and individuals unlock creativity, uncover hidden strengths, and move through limiting patterns. During this session, she will lead a live Eidetic process shaped by mythic imagery, offering a direct experience of the work. REGISTER HERE.
September 8, 2026, 7-9pm ET, ONLINE EVENT - I’ll be hosting a powerful online gathering on the spiritual, historical, and prophetic meaning of the Black Madonna with Matthew Fox, Alessandra Belloni, and Christena Cleveland. Together, we will explore the Black Madonna as a symbol of resilience, liberation, sacred feminine wisdom, and healing in a fractured world through conversation, story, music, and spiritual reflection. If you feel drawn toward a deeper encounter with the Divine Feminine and the ancient traditions that continue to nourish movements for justice and wholeness, I hope you’ll join us. Learn more HERE.
October 18-21, 2026 - PREACH! 2026 Conference- I’ll be co-hosting PREACH in Minneapolis with Church Anew, a new gathering for preachers, storytellers, worship leaders, and spiritual communicators navigating what it means to speak with clarity, compassion, and courage in a changing world. If you’ve sensed that the preaching moment has changed and are longing for thoughtful community and renewed imagination for this work, I hope you’ll join us.
I drafted a Strategic Framework for Congregations as we move into the coming years of increased authoritarianism around the world. If interested, you can download it here.
Fun Things My Friends Are Up To…
I get to work with such amazing, creative people. This section is my way of celebrating them—no paid promotions, just joy in what they’re creating.
There are moments when a spiritual path calls not only to the mind, but to the body, the voice, and the ancient memory carried deep within us. This summer, internationally acclaimed folk artist and teacher Alessandra Belloni is leading a pilgrimage along the Amalfi Coast centered on the Black Madonna, sacred chant, ritual drumming, and devotional dance rooted in centuries-old traditions of Southern Italy. Participants will visit ancient sacred sites, learn healing rhythms and chants passed down through generations of women, and explore the wisdom of the Divine Feminine through music, movement, and ritual. If this stirs something within you, you can learn more at Alessandra Belloni’s official website.
My colleague, Dr. Tim Eberhart, is offering a summer course that I wish I could take! Regenerative Mission & Ministry: Ecological Practices for Land Repair is a 7-week course for those seeking to integrate eco-theological reflection, earth-based spiritual wisdoms, and regenerative design principles for land repair. Participants will journey as a community of learners through a cultivated curriculum that incorporates selected readings, video instruction, ecological practices, and more aimed at healing social and ecological relations for the sake of mutual flourishing. It starts on June 3, so sign up soon if you’re interested!
The University of Victoria (UVic) offers an online course, A Meta-Relational Approach to AI. The course is designed for participants who are interested in thinking about AI in ways that challenge modernity’s extractive programming patterns in both humans and machines. The next cohort starts in NEXT WEEK. Registrations are open.
If you are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/05/trump-irs-lawsuit-settlement-slush-fund-weaponization-department-justice-ethics-corruption/
I've already posted, but I feel compelled to post this poem:
Because in the end,
The fraudster will fraud,
the criminal will convict;
he will shun the margins
and ignore the sick.
He will give to the rich
and deceive the poor,
say God loves you
and knock down your door.
He will shout to deceive until you believe
The insidious song the Sirens sing.
Oh! Where is our Isaiah?
Where is our Nathan?
Who is the one to speak truth to a king?
Thank you, Rev. Cameron. You're right, there's just so much going on right now. A friend of mine and I love dystopian fiction, and we both agree the country seems swamped in political dystopia. And yes, many of us -- myself included -- are benumbed, palled, in a subtle depression. Oh, dear Lord, send your prophets! Rev. Cameron, you are one of them.