When the Protector Becomes the Perpetrator: $230 Million and the Price of Power
“When the protector becomes the perpetrator, the wound isn’t just legal—it’s relational. Healing begins when the people remember their power.” — Mary Coughlin
When the Protector Becomes the Perpetrator: $230 Million and the Price of Power
We’ve reached a startling moment: the current president of the United States is demanding $230 million from his own Justice Department, paid by American taxpayers, to compensate him for federal investigations he claims were politically driven. CBS News
This isn’t just another litigation. It’s a rupture in the covenant of public service and trust.
The Wound
In trauma-informed care, one of the deepest injuries comes when the protector becomes the perpetrator. When a system meant for accountability begins protecting the powerful instead. Here, we see the extraordinary: a sitting president potentially approving a payout to himself for investigations initiated under his watch. The Guardian
“It’s awfully strange to make a decision where I’m paying myself.” — the president. ABC News
Why This Matters
The claims involve two high-profile investigations: the probe into alleged 2016 election interference and the search of Mar-a-Lago for classified documents. AP News
Under the Justice Department’s own rules, such large settlements require approval by senior officials. Two of those officials once were personal attorneys or allies of the president. Conflict? Yes. Transparency? Fading. The Washington Post
If this payout is approved and the process hidden, the precedent is chilling: the government funding the indemnification of those it investigates. And what happens to ordinary citizens seeking justice for real harms?
Trauma-Informed Lens
From our work in TIDC and Caring Science, we know these patterns:
Safety is violated when a system claims to protect you but instead shields the powerful.
Trust is shattered when process dissolves into favoritism.
Voice & Choice are silenced when the people’s money is used without the people’s consent.
This isn’t simply politics. It’s relational harm at a national scale.
Our Response
We are not powerless. Here’s how we step into our role as stewards of democracy and care:
Demand transparency. Contact your representatives and ask for full disclosure of any settlement discussions, including names, amounts, and the decision-makers.
Find your member of CongressMonitor ethics oversight. Watch for investigations by Congress and independent watchdogs into possible conflicts of interest.
Hold the narrative. Share this story widely because accountability begins when the harm is named, seen, and refused.
Ground in relational ethics. In your professional sphere whether NICU, advocacy, or education remind teams: systems must serve people, not power.
A Call from the Heart
Our work is rooted in care, presence, and integrity. When a leader claims indemnity from the very system he leads, we are called to lean into collective sovereignty—the idea that no one person, no one office, holds the final say. The covenant belongs to us.
We do not relinquish it.
We stand vigilant. We stand in care.
Mary
P.S.: If this strikes you, consider deepening your framework of relational leadership through the Trauma-Informed Professional (TIP) Program—where we turn care into action, and action into justice.
