Disgusting

Until recently, the federal government prohibited sales of firearm silencers overseas in order to protect American soldiers serving abroad from being ambushed.

But no more, thanks to Donald Trump's administration, according to a breaking story in yesterday's New York Times (link here). Trump's White House hired a lobbyist for the silencer industry who went to work for the administration while doing the bidding of his former employer. One of his key tasks was masterminding how to get rid of the silencer ban.

As the Times article notes, this is in keeping with a familiar pattern in the Trump administration — hiring lobbyists in key positions who then go on to relax and repeal regulations affecting their former employers. At least four of Trump's cabinet secretaries and administrators are lobbyists who then went to work for his administration. All have focused on lifting regulations to the benefit of former employers.

And all of those former employers are heavy donors to Trump's re-election effort. Talk about pay-to-play politics.

Remember when Trump said he was going to drain the swamp? Turns out that was just a big fat lie wrapped up in a snappy slogan. Trump has worked tirelessly to make the swamp bigger and badder than ever.

And in the case of the firearm silencer industry, he has put the interests of a campaign donor ahead of the safety of the American military. Dollars before lives once again.