In this episode of Terms of Engagement, Amanda Carpenter of Protect Democracy joins hosts Archon Fung and Stephen Richer to examine how political corruption undermines democratic institutions and public trust, distorts policymaking, and makes citizens increasingly cynical about the democratic process. Carpenter, a former journalist and Capitol Hill staffer, alleges that President Donald Trump has turned the presidency into a vehicle for personal enrichment, including a pay-for-pardons scheme between lobbyists and the White House. She argues that the U.S. should be preparing an anti-corruption infrastructure now to investigate the Trump administration, including civil forfeiture and other asset-recovery tools to claw back any ill-gotten gains. Carpenter says such measures—which would be pardon-proof—could act as a deterrent to public corruption in the future.
Listen to the Audio Podcast
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About our Guest
Amanda Carpenter is a writer and editor at Protect Democracy, a cross-ideological nonprofit dedicated to combatting authoritarianism, who works with the group’s advocates and experts to promote its mission, ideas, and key priorities. Before joining Protect Democracy, she was a writer for The Bulwark and CNN Contributor. Prior to that, she worked on Capitol Hill as Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s communications director and South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint’s speechwriter. She brings over 15 years of political and media experience with her to Protect Democracy.
About the Hosts
Archon Fung is the Winthrop Laflin McCormack Professor of Citizenship and Self-Government at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Director of the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation. His research explores policies, practices, and institutional designs that deepen the quality of democratic governance with a focus on public participation, deliberation, and transparency. He has authored five books, four edited collections, and over fifty articles appearing in professional journals. He received two S.B.s — in philosophy and physics — and his Ph.D. in political science from MIT.
Stephen Richer is the former elected Maricopa County Recorder, responsible for voter registration, early voting administration, and public recordings in Maricopa County, Arizona, the fourth largest county in the United States. Prior to being an elected official, Stephen worked at several public policy think tanks and as a business transactions attorney. Stephen received his J.D. and M.A. from The University of Chicago and his B.A. from Tulane University. Stephen has been broadly recognized for his work in elections and American Democracy. In 2021, the Arizona Republic named Stephen “Arizonan of the Year.” In 2022, the Maricopa Bar Association awarded Stephen “Public Law Attorney of the Year.” In 2023, Stephen won “Leader of the Year” from the Arizona Capitol Times. And in 2024, Time Magazine named Stephen a “Defender of Democracy.”
The views expressed on this show are those of the hosts alone and do not necessarily represent the positions of the Ash Center or its affiliates.
