Evan Osnos, in the latest issue of the New Yorker, reviews the state of American oligarchy and the First Family’s use of the Oval Office as a private moneymaking machine.

One small excerpt:

Even seasoned practitioners of Washington pay-to-play have been startled by the new rules for buying influence. In December, a seat at a group dinner at Mar-a-Lago could be had for a million-dollar contribution to MAGA Inc., a super PAC that serves as a war chest for the midterms. More recently, one-on-one conversations with the President have become available for five million. The return on investment is uncertain, a government-affairs executive told me: “What if he’s in a bad mood? You have no clue where the money is eventually going.” Another lobbying veteran described the frank exchange as “outer-borough Mafia shit.”

And on a related note, in the NYT today: “Trump Pardoned Tax Cheat After Mother Attended $1 Million Dinner”