I was wondering if this was going to happen, because USAID and their employees, along with so many federal agencies, plays fast and loose with taxpayer money
Trump administration considering criminal referrals in USAID fight
The Trump administration is signaling it may bring criminal referrals against employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) or grantee recipients over allegations of misuse of foreign assistance, which would mark an extraordinary next step in the administration’s push to gut the agency.
Peter Marocco, who is serving as acting deputy administrator for USAID, told lawmakers in a closed-door briefing Wednesday that he and his staff are looking at making criminal referrals to the Department of Justice, according to two people familiar with the conversations.
It’s unclear if Marocco will follow through on the threat, said one person who was in the room during the briefing, but they saw it as a significant signal, coming up in a meeting with members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
A January memo from the USAID Office of Inspector General (OIG) laid out resistance from some aid grantees over sharing information that officials say is needed for oversight and accountability. The OIG memo highlighted $8 billion that was primarily distributed to United Nations agencies and multilateral development banks which they criticized as being shielded from scrutiny.
This is government money. Taxpayer money. This is not a case “you do not have to prove you didn’t do anything wrong.” It’s a case of “you took the money, you need to show accountability with it. What did you do with it? Was it used for the intended purpose? How much was skimmed off the top? Did the project come to fruition?”
Criminal referrals would further escalate tensions between the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s Department Of Government Efficiency team on one side, and government employees, foreign aid recipients and Democrats on the other. Some Republicans have privately advocated for certain programs and spending priorities behind the scenes.
Yeah, well, if they weren’t doing, let’s say generously, stupid things with the money, they would have nothing to worry about, right?
What criminal referrals would do would be to put every federal employee and every monetary recipient on notice that Bad Conduct will not be tolerated, and everything best be on the up and up, because you might not be caught for past or future Bad Behavior, but, you might! And you might well be looking at felony charges and a nice jail stay.
Democrats complained the briefing occurred behind closed doors and not publicly, lasted only one hour and permitted each lawmaker 30 seconds to ask questions, with few if any follow-ups allowed. Marocco was given two minutes to answer each question.
Perhaps the FBI should be looking at if those Democrats are getting money from these projects. Anyhow, if Democrats want to keep protecting the Bad Behavior from federal employees and the groups they give money to, keep at it!
So men beating police officers get pardons and The Catholic Relief Agency ($4.2 BILLION from USAID) gets felony indictments.
Got it.
Sadly, most of the Capitol kerfufflers had already been punished before they were pardoned. They get their records cleared, any lingering probation requirements removed, and a few were released from jail, but most has already completed their unjust, politically-motivated sentences.
They paid a price, but, in the end, they achieved their goal: to keep Donald Trump as President of the United States. If President Biden’s and Merrick Garland’s persecution of the patriots of January 6th contributed to the re-election of Donald Trump, then we owe the political prisoners a debt of gratitude which can never be fully repaid.
But, in a way, the 2020 election was a great thing for the United States, because Mr Trump was a mostly typical president: he made some changes, but he wasn’t truly the bull in a china shop he has been this time. Would our 45th President, had he won re-election in 2020, have taken a battle axe to USAID, the Department of Education, and all of the other ridiculous and superfluous government programs he has this time around?
Our Kontrarian from Kentucky agrees that the objective of the Capitol riot was a coup. A failed coup at the time, but treason none the less. Led by the Traitor in Chief, Donald Trump.
Said Mr Dana: in the end, they achieved their goal: to keep Donald Trump as President
Sometimes it’s necessary to overthrow the government to save our nation (get your SINTOTGTSON hat here).
Rimjob proves again he’s a stupid grumpy old woman.
“Kontrarian from Kentucky”? You still don’t realize we won? And you still don’t realize you’re the bad guys.
LG,
Agreed, the coup by you traitors was eventually successful. You won!
Relax. MAGAts won and continue WINNING! You hold “all the cards”!
Mr Dana describes himself as a libertarian, so yes, kontrarian is appropriate.
The real questions have to be: how were the requests for aid made, and who was approving them? What kinds of idiots were doling out money for the truly stupid s(tuff) on which money was spent?
Mr Dana asks the questions of what idiots were doling out less than 1% of our hard-earned tax money??
Congress!! USAID was created by President John Kennedy who was punished by a Russian for it. But Congress authorizes the funding yearly. Even when the Republicans are in charge. But there’s a new Daddy in da house now, so Congress needs to drop their drawers for a spanking!
C’mon, every uber-wealthy American (even our Canadian-South African’s) in government (13 BILLIONAIRES in Trump admin) has conflicts of interest. So what? You have to break eggs to make a delicious omelet!! These Americans have proven their worth, obviously. They deserve to rule us.
Sang Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof:
Because, when you’re rich, they think you really know!!
(Be forewarned, Fiddler was about the persecution of Jews by Russia).
Veterans and supporters are marching on DC Friday March 14 to protest cuts to the Veterans Administration (VA). Musk and Project 2025 plan to fire some 80,000 VA employees (some 30% of VA employees are US veterans!).
Draft dodger Trump has not always been on the side of the “suckers and losers” that make up our military. In fact, he prefers those “who weren’t captured”.