Vance's Maine anti-fraud pitch fuels debate over Trump-era corruption

Heather Cox Richardson argues that the Trump administration’s anti-fraud push, highlighted by J.D. Vance in Maine, is a partisan tactic to smear Democrats, while genuine program fraud is relatively rare and often perpetrated by criminal networks; she notes CMS cautions that “improper payments” aren’t the same as fraud and points to broader patterns of corruption and self-enrichment around Trump and allies—pardons for donors, aggressive fundraising, and overseas ventures—that complicate the narrative about fights against fraud.