Catherine Rampell is an economics journalist and commentator, economics editor at The Bulwark, and an anchor at MS NOW. Her work focuses on economics, politics, public policy, and immigration. She previously wrote an opinion column for The Washington Post and reported for The New York Times and PBS NewsHour.
DI has documented statements by Catherine Rampell on 2026 Midterm Elections, Government Spending, and Law Enforcement. Read the quotations, original sources and related cases below.
Role at the time: Economics journalist commenting on her own X account
Condemned
Statement summary
Rampell questioned the credibility of Trump's election-contingent dividend by comparing it with earlier promised payments.
“no checks have been issued”
Read the original post (opens in a new tab)Catherine Rampell compares Trump's election pledge with previous promised checks · Catherine RampellOriginal post or statement body
Why we used this label
The post presents a negative assessment of the pledge's credibility, not a legal conclusion about vote-buying.
Role at the time: Columnist, The Washington Post; Bulwark contributor
Condemned
Statement summary
Catherine Rampell said the FBI's lowered hiring standards reflect prioritizing loyalty to Trump over effectiveness.
“CBS had a story about how they are having to lower the recruiting standards for the FBI... no longer automatically disqualifying if a person... has hired a prostitute, stolen from a previous employer, or even engaged in beastiality... they're no longer optimizing on who is the most effective... but rather who is willing to pledge personal loyalty to Donald Trump.”
Rampell frames the policy as no longer optimizing for effectiveness but for personal loyalty to Trump, an express condemnation of the hiring-standards change.
At the September 9, 2026 Republican convention, Donald Trump promised $5,000 per adult citizen if Republicans retained the House and Senate. Supporters called it a share of economic gains; critics questioned the election condition, legality, timing, cost, and tariff-revenue financing.
FBI Director Kash Patel defended the bureau's removal of automatic hiring disqualifiers for prostitution, employee theft, and bestiality, saying it protects trafficking victims. Sen. Dick Durbin and former FBI official Andrew McCabe publicly disputed that framing.
