The donations apply to the transition period from Donald Trump winning the election to being sworn in as president. Unlike Sweden, the US government administration is largely made up of party-loyal officials, which can make the work of replacing the approximately 4,000 people affected in government agencies when the country changes administration difficult – and costly.
Now The New York Times reveals that several people who donated money to the transition period have been given prominent positions by Donald Trump.
Top diplomats and ministers
Among others, Steve Witkoff is on the list of donors. Witkoff is the Trump administration's special envoy to the Middle East, but has also been given a prominent role in the peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.
In addition, Linda McMahon, Secretary of Education, and Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Commerce, are on the same list.
Within the judiciary, Stanley Woodward Jr., the Justice Department's third-highest-ranking official, and Dominick Gerace II, who was sworn in as Ohio district attorney, are found as donors to Trump's transition period.
The current Trump administration has not signed the customary agreement that caps donations at $5,000 and makes them public. Trump's chief of staff Susie Wiles has said the decision not to sign is a way to "save taxpayers' hard-earned money."
"Hiding who buys the government"
But the decision has been criticized. Interest groups have raised the alarm that the lack of transparency in how the latest transition was handled has made it impossible for the public to see if there are any conflicts of interest within the government.
They claimed they were saving taxpayers' money, but what they were really doing was hiding who was buying the government, says Max Stier, president of the Partnership for Public Service organization in The New York Times.
