Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son, is often in the news for his questionable business dealings. But if Kamala Harris becomes President, her brother-in-law, Tony West, might take that title.
Tony West, married to Kamala’s sister, Maya, learned his trade during the Obama years. He led the Justice Department’s Civil Division, where he developed a new way of doing shady deals, similar to what old-time politicians called “Honest Graft.”
Here’s how it worked:
Before 1977, Congress had to approve any large settlement over $100,000 involving the federal government. But that year, Congress removed the cap, giving the Justice Department a blank check to pay any settlement amount from an account known as the Judgment Fund.
This fund is highly secretive. Details about who gets paid, the facts of the cases, and even the lawyers involved are often not revealed. Even the Government Accountability Office admitted that no one knows how many claims the federal government handles each year.
For three decades, the system worked without major issues. But in 2009, when Tony West took over, things changed. He began using settlements to pay off political allies. One example is when the Justice Department, under his leadership, settled a lawsuit for $1.33 billion in favor of Hispanic and female farmers, even though many of them hadn’t claimed discrimination. This move was criticized as a “runaway train” driven by racial politics and benefiting law firms with millions in fees.
West also started demanding that companies in settlements donate large sums to Democrat-supporting activist groups, rather than helping the actual victims. These donations were designed to benefit political allies while excluding conservative organizations.
West’s actions didn’t stop there. In a 2016 settlement with Volkswagen, he required the company to fund a $2 billion electric car project that Congress had rejected. Liberal groups were thrilled, even joking about building a statue to honor West.
Kamala Harris, as California’s attorney general, was involved in these deals, cosigning the agreements for her state.
This strategy continued under the Biden-Harris administration. In 2021, a billion-dollar settlement with illegal immigrants was almost approved but was canceled after public outrage. However, the DOJ still quietly paid attorneys’ fees to ACLU lawyers involved in the case. Recently, the DOJ agreed to pay $2 million to FBI agents Peter Strzok and Lisa Page for releasing their anti-Trump texts, even though they were sent on government phones.
This kind of corruption isn’t bipartisan. When Donald Trump became President, his Attorney General banned these settlement slush funds. But one of the first acts of the Biden-Harris DOJ was to bring them back.
While Democrats accuse Trump of being in the race for personal gain, none of their court cases against him involve misusing government funds. Meanwhile, Tony West’s methods of funneling taxpayer money to left-wing groups are alive and well. And if Harris becomes President, West might just become her top lawyer.
Hunter Biden may need to step aside—Tony West could be the next “Big Guy” in town, showing how “Honest Graft” is really done.
