The Biden administration’s weaponization of the federal government directed at President Trump was deeply concerning, but the truth is that it goes deeper and wider than many realize.  Under President Biden’s leadership, the federal government’s regulatory authority was routinely corrupted and used to advance their radical political agenda.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which is supposed to focus on protecting investors and markets, was instead used as a political tool to advance the Biden administration’s agenda.  The SEC pursued a regulation-by-enforcement campaign by launching investigations and lawsuits into several crypto companies without clear guidance.  The SEC even weaponized routine financial reporting and giving a platform for climate activism by requiring businesses to disclose climate-related risks.

Regulators at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, under Biden, pressured banks to sever ties with crypto clients, which eliminated these companies from accessing the banking system.  As a result, Silvergate Capital and Signature Bank were put out of business.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) under the Biden administration was used to sue a whole host of companies.  When these companies sought guidelines on how to rectify the problems, they were met with hostility. The point was never to protect the public. The point was always to grab headlines and make political statements.

One example where the Biden administration chose to flex its muscles is in the aftermath of the Dobbs ruling, which remanded abortion law and policy back to the states.  The administration was caught off guard with the ruling and decided to use the FTC to make examples of companies in order to make headlines and show its political base that it was doing something to fight back.

One such company caught in the crosshairs was a small Idaho-based technology company named Kochava.  On August 29, 2022, the FTC sued Kochava and claimed in its suit that company was selling “sensitive” geolocation data.  The FTC never clearly defined what those terms meant.  After all, the sale of geolocation data is perfectly legal.  So what was the company doing wrong?

The vague application of the legal definition “sensitive locations” was intentional.  Kochava was a convenient sacrificial lamb to cast the Biden administration as the savior of the abortion industry.

Kochava is just one of many examples of government overreach and abuse at the hands of the Biden administration.  What happened to it is collateral damage from an administration that operated by fiat and routinely used government power to make examples of everyday hardworking Americans, just to make political statements and silence the opposition.

Fortunately, the Trump administration has an opportunity to reverse course and dismiss reckless lawsuits against companies like Kochava.

It's critical to understand that these corrupt actions have a ripple effect that extends to businesses of all sizes and industries.  Small businesses don’t have legal teams or deep pockets for lobbyists to counter partisan attacks.  It creates a level of uncertainty, and instead of growing their company, they are forced to pay for a costly legal defense.  This has a chilling effect on the entrepreneurs and the business community that energizes our great economy.  

The Biden administration’s reckless actions did real damage to real people.  It is time to right this wrong.  President Trump is doing an amazing job of rooting out corruption and returning dignity and integrity back to our government agencies.  This work must not only continue, but also move forward at an even faster pace.  The Trump administration must leave no stone unturned in removing the aftereffects of Biden’s abuse of power for good.

The Trump administration, Congress, and the courts must rein in regulatory overreach and ensure that agencies follow the law, not political directives.  One of the most basic ways to achieve this goal is to drop all existing Biden-led lawsuits that have ostracized law-abiding companies and instead empower them to create jobs and grow our economy.  We can Make America Great Again by making government agencies politics free again.

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.