Washington — Washington (AFP) – Rahm EmanuelThe 2028 Democratic presidential candidate is proposing a far-reaching ban on betting in prediction markets by federal employees and their families as part of an effort to draw attention to what he says is a culture of corruption sweeping the country’s politics.
The proposal, which Emanuel shared with The Associated Press, would apply to leaders and employees across the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the federal government. Emanuel said that if elected, he would create a department within the Ministry of Justice to investigate such betting.
As legal gambling took off in the United States, there were widespread concerns about its impact on everything from sports to addiction. But Emanuel said he was prompted to focus on the issue after concerns emerged that some in Washington with inside information about national security plans may have profited from bets made before recent military action in Venezuela and Iran.
“Clearly someone with inside information within the government was betting and making money,” he said in an interview. “You have American citizens, what I call the real 1%, people who volunteer to serve the interests of this country and its national security, and they are putting their lives on the line, and there is someone else sitting in their basement betting on it.”
He described his action as part of a broader campaign to destabilize the capital, which he says has become insensitive to corruption under Trump.
“All of Washington has become accustomed to this immorality and immorality and no one is saying anything,” Emanuel said. “Washington needs a good power wash.”
Few know Washington as well as 66-year-old Emanuel, who was a congressman from Illinois who helped Democrats score landslide victories in the 2006 midterm elections, an election year that some in the party look to for inspiration as they try to regain control of Congress this year. He became the president’s White House chief of staff Barack Obama Before being elected to two terms as Mayor of Chicago. He was the United States Ambassador to Japan under President Joe Biden.
Now Emanuel is considering a bid of his own for the White House in 2028. In the early stages of that contest, several Democratic governors, including Gavin Newsom ca and Josh Shapiro Pennsylvania received the most attention. Governor of Kentucky Andy Bashir He made an aggressive move of his own over the weekend by flying to Vice President J.D. Vance Home county in Ohio To offer a scathing critique of the man who could become the leading contender for the next Republican presidential nomination.
Against this backdrop, Emanuel has distinguished himself by issuing a series of proposals that often address issues at the heart of the Democratic debate. After Biden’s presidency raised questions about the ability of elderly leaders to remain in public office, Emanuel proposed a mandatory retirement age of 75, an idea that would prevent him from seeking a second term if elected. He also proposed banning children under 16 from using most social media and literacy remediation options.
And often, on the road in communities from Michigan to Mississippi, he floats these ideas in places that don’t always get the attention of potential presidential candidates.
He said he hopes to work with Congress to enact predictive betting bans, but would consider taking executive action if that is not possible. In the interview, he insisted that he did not issue such proposals simply to set the direction of the Democratic debate as another campaign season approaches.
He said measures such as the ban on predictive betting are intended to shock Washington and force it to return to the norms that have long governed politics.
“I bring this up because everyone sleepwalks,” he said.