Methodology

This page explains how this project is built and maintained, how events are chosen, how pages are written, how errors are handled and what role AI tools play. I’m publishing this because a project focusing on accountability should account for itself as well. If you’re deciding whether to trust what you read here, this page is for you.

What this project is

This is a structured, cross-linked record of documented misconduct by Donald Trump, his associates, and the institutions that enable them. I am the sole maintainer and neither this project nor I am affiliated with any campaign, party, organization or funder. Nobody pays for placement, framing or omission.

How events are selected

An event makes it in when it meets three tests:

1. It is documented. Court records, government reports, inspector general findings, sworn testimony, or credible journalism. No rumors, predictions or opinions make the cut.
2. It fits the project’s scope. Misconduct, corruption, obstruction, abuse of power, or damage to democratic institutions and norms.
3. It can be sourced without a paywall. Every claim here should be verifiable by anyone with an internet connection, not just readers with paid subscriptions.

Selection and omission are still judgment, and it’s mine. I don’t claim this set of events is exhaustive or that my summaries are beyond reproach. What I claim is that every event page is anchored to sources you can read yourself.

How pages are written

Every event page follows the same template: Summary, Key Figures, Institutions Involved, Sources, and a Wikipedia overview where one exists. Uniform structure is a feature. It makes the record scannable, comparable and machine-friendly. This aids the pipelines and scripts working behind the scenes, makes the site friendly to search engines and easier to manage as it grows.

The writing process for each page:

1. AI-assisted research and first draft. I develop a title, rough timeframe and key points as I learn and read about new events, including all the people and institutions involved as well as important concepts to touch on. I then hand those over to AI tools to produce rough drafts and find additional relevant sources. This is a research accelerant and a way for me to quickly gather my notes into a cohesive paragraph, nothing more. No AI draft is published as written.
2. Full manual rewrite. I personally rewrite every summary, sentence by sentence, checking each statement against both my own research and the sources as I go. The tone, the emphasis and the final wording on every page are mine.
3. Source validation. I read and verify every source before I include it. I would say about 30% of the sources the AI tools originally suggest don’t make it past this step. They are either weak, paywalled, misattributed, a bunk link or don’t actually support the claim. I then manually search for and replace them with sources I find myself.
4. Manual archiving. I personally copy the text of sources into the vault, so I can ensure their accuracy and relevancy. This is slow, but it means I have actually read what I’m archiving, and it makes every source searchable from any page even if the original link rots. Additionally, I provide archive links where they exist. These archive links are populated programmatically using the API for The Wayback Machine.

How the site is built

The project is an Obsidian vault of Markdown files (events, people, institutions, definitions, sources), published as a static site using the Quartz git project which ties into Cloudflare where I manage the URL and security.

I’m a data engineer by trade, so under the hood it’s built foremost as a database. Every file carries a unique ID in its frontmatter, so internal page links survive renames and reorganization. Before anything is published, Python scripts sweep the vault to normalize formatting and escape special characters. Then the entire vault is parsed into a database that, together with page templates, drives a private web app I use for additions and edits. This web app normalizes the structure of each page. Finally, a Python script rebuilds the timeline from all the event pages before I use the Quartz Syncer plugin for Obsidian to push batch updates to my git repo and trigger a Cloudflare site rebuild.

Corrections and updates

This is a living record. Events are added, summaries rewritten and sources upgraded on an ongoing basis. If you find an error, a claim a source doesn’t support, a broken link or a mischaracterization, please let me know and I will fix it. The fastest way to reach me is by emailing me at feedback@reallegacyoftrump.com.

Why I’m anonymous

I went to great lengths to try to stay anonymous because I don’t want to risk my own safety. All it takes is one person with a perceived score to settle, and the means to do so, to ruin my day. I do understand that anonymity costs credibility, though, and I’ve tried to pay that cost back by making every claim independently verifiable. You don’t have to trust me, because you can read the court filing, the IG report, the transcript, etc. The sources are the real authority here. I’m just providing them all in one place.

Limitations

• One maintainer means one perspective, one set of blind spots and human error. Verification is careful and meticulous, but not infallible. I try to make up for this by requesting feedback and suggestions.
• The scope is deliberately limited. This project documents misconduct and complicity, and it doesn’t pretend otherwise.
• Summaries necessarily condense ideas, and that requires making editorial decisions. When in doubt, read the sources. That’s what they’re there for.