Senate Could Pass Bill that would let every American sue Trump to recover funds obtained through corruption

Every American gets a ticket to court, Donald Trump is the defendant, and the prize is a cut of whatever a judge decides was obtained through corruption.

Schumer, joined by Sens. Alex Padilla, Jeff Merkley, and Andy Kim, introduced S. 5183, the Anti-Corruption Bureau Creation Act. It has two big pieces.

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This bill is modeled on the False Claims Act. Everyday people and state attorneys general could sue “in the name of the United States” to recover money that covered officials allegedly obtained by corruptly using public office for personal enrichment. Successful plaintiffs would keep a share. Schumer’s pitch on the floor was blunt: get Americans their money back, and stop what he called Trump’s “Art of the Steal.”

The bill creates a new independent Anti-Corruption Bureau that would swallow the Federal Election Commission, the Office of Government Ethics, and the Office of Special Counsel, give the combined shop subpoena and enforcement power, and try to wall it off from a president who wants to starve or staff it.

If the government joins the case, the private plaintiff gets 15 to 25 percent of the proceeds. If the government sits it out, the share jumps to 25 to 30 percent, plus attorneys’ fees off the top. Frivolous cases can stick the plaintiff with the other side’s fees. The statute of limitations is 10 years, and the bill is written to reach conduct on or after January 20, 2025.