Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Elon doubles down. Why is he hiding what is going on inside USAID?

The corrupt politicians “protesting” outside the USAID building are the ones getting money from USAID.

That’s why they’re there – they want your stolen tax dollars!

Is there any evidence that any of these people are getting money from USAID or is he just blatantly lying.

Americans actually making money off of USAID contracts are the huge American conglomerates.

What are you even talking about?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It doesn't matter if you hate USAID. It doesn't matter if you think the money they spend is a waste of taxpayer dollars. It doesn't matter if you think Musk is a genius and a renegade and superhero all wrapped up into one. None of it matters. What matters are the laws of the United States of America say there is a right way to do things, and Musk is operating outside of those laws right now. He has no legal authority to do what he is doing. So he needs to be stopped and held accountable.

+10109192827483

It is NOT about USAID. It's about letting a rogue agent take over the government and do whatever he wants.

Trump and the GOP can shutdown USAI, it's within their right. But there are rules,. procedures and laws for how to do it. Elon cannot fire employees who are civil servants and command government police forces. GTFO.

Elon does not run our entire government outside of the law.

+ another 10000000000
I'll keep posting this on threads all over the place until I'm blue in the face. It's the process everyone should be paying attention to, not just the outcome. Our democracy is built on a constitution and rule of law, and when you eliminate those, despite being happy with the outcome, you're an ignorant fool.

Come on. This just rings so hollow. Our country has an extremely long history of individual and collective action that breaks or bends then prevailing law—all the way back to the country’s founding fathers who knew they were risking their lives in declaring independence.

This goes all the way from the trivial (Harry Reid intentionally misleadingly insinuating that Mitt Romney was a tax cheat from the Senate floor—and laughing about it no less) to the most important issues (John Lewis and his good trouble).

Indeed, we’re less than 8 years removed from an FBI director leaking stories to the press, an FBI agent altering evidence in a warrant application and, as we speak, purported FBI agents are sharing details with each other on social media on how to anonymously leak information they are not authorized to disclose. My guess is that you are mostly supportive of these ethical and legal lapses (hopefully not on the warrant business), but we are to believe that all of a sudden you really care about the rule of law and process?

The left can’t spend the first Trump presidency declaring that he is such a unique threat to democracy that institutional guardrails should be ignored and then come back and assert institutional guardrails. It just has no credibility.

I’m not happy about violation of the law and institutional guardrails being ignored. But this has been happening for the better part of my adult life dating back to the second Bush administration. Why should we care now? Because this time it is different? Maybe you are right and this is the time to care. But after decades of this garbage, across both political parties, I just can’t…

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

NEWS FLASH:

USAID was started by EXECUTIVE ORDER.

The Foreign Assistance Act was passed by Congress on September 4, 1961.
The act separated military and non-military aid, and mandated the creation of an agency to administer economic aid.

It was created by Executive Order after being passed as LAW by CONGRESS.

You ignoramuses are literally dismantling our country based on your own personal ignorance. JFC

Agree. The arrogance accompanied by total ignorance is astounding.

So, are the congresspeople going to the courts now? What's the next step?

Ahhhh

Elon's disinformation crew has arrived, trying to direct the narrative away from HOW USAID was closed to trying to overwhelm the conversation to why USAID was closed. Yawn. This is trolling 101.

Again, DOGE was only established to RECOMMEND changes to the government, not to have unilateral power to close office and fire civil servants. Not even the president can give them that power.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Elon doubles down. Why is he hiding what is going on inside USAID?

The corrupt politicians “protesting” outside the USAID building are the ones getting money from USAID.

That’s why they’re there – they want your stolen tax dollars!

Is there any evidence that any of these people are getting money from USAID or is he just blatantly lying.

Oh please. Do you even need to ask? Of course he's lying.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When this is all over, Musk is going to spend the rest of his days in prison.

Hopefully his days are short in number.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treason_laws_in_the_United_States

where is steve bannon! He promised Musk would be out before inauguration. This is a serious question. Where are the right wingers who hate Musk?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It doesn't matter if you hate USAID. It doesn't matter if you think the money they spend is a waste of taxpayer dollars. It doesn't matter if you think Musk is a genius and a renegade and superhero all wrapped up into one. None of it matters. What matters are the laws of the United States of America say there is a right way to do things, and Musk is operating outside of those laws right now. He has no legal authority to do what he is doing. So he needs to be stopped and held accountable.

+10109192827483

It is NOT about USAID. It's about letting a rogue agent take over the government and do whatever he wants.

Trump and the GOP can shutdown USAI, it's within their right. But there are rules,. procedures and laws for how to do it. Elon cannot fire employees who are civil servants and command government police forces. GTFO.

Elon does not run our entire government outside of the law.

+ another 10000000000
I'll keep posting this on threads all over the place until I'm blue in the face. It's the process everyone should be paying attention to, not just the outcome. Our democracy is built on a constitution and rule of law, and when you eliminate those, despite being happy with the outcome, you're an ignorant fool.

Now you are talking about rule of law .... how about deportation?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How was USAID associated with the CIA?

The argument/theory is that USAID was used to provide an indirect mechanism to funnel money into entities for various intelligence purposes. Like propping up a coup movement against an unpopular political figure.

I worked in an industry tangent to US contracting for a long time overseas as my firm was involved in reconstruction projects in Iraq and Afghanistan and heard some wild stories about USAID. Let me explain a simple situation. USAID gives funding to build water pipes to a village in whatever developing country. Sounds great and it is on the surface of it. But do you ever ask yourself who gets the contracts to actually build the pipes? And who owns the companies that builds the pipes? Most people don't and that's why the more jaded people say much of USAID funding ends up in the pockets of local corrupt politicians including national leaders of those countries.

Also looks like funding of research at a certain virology institution in China may have been through USAID.

I do think a lot of good activities is supported by USAID but to be frankly honest and based on the stories told by experienced NGO people overseas, that USAID could have been a front for CIA / intelligence activities does not surprise me at all. And I don't doubt we will learn a lot more in the next few months. People here hate Musk and DOGE but if those screenshots he's releasing on twitter are accurate, then just wow. That's why I would urge people to be a bit careful before rushing to defend USAID. We just don't know how much more will be revealed by an administration that seems determined to unclassify every classified secret in DC.

Thank you for the informative post. I did some digging on the Google machine and found out a little more about USAID.

Why is an aid agency creating a fake twitter to destabilize Cuba?

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/03/us-cuban-twitter-zunzuneo-stir-unrest

I get politics is dirty, and geopolitics even dirtier, but couldn’t this have been done with another agency as to not taint the reputation of US foreign aid?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where are the Republican politicians?

Now is not the time for toxic politics. We need at least some GOP politicians to help because they put country first. There has to be at least one sane republic who is NOT OK with Elon Musk messing around in the Treasury after stating he wants the Treasury on block chain.

Do GOP politicians understand their social security, TSP, etc. is all in there too? So is everyone in their family. If they crash the dollar the country will be in chaos. There has to be GOP who will be on the right side of history. Come on.

Call your representative and put pressure on them to stop all workings: cabinet approvals, legislation etc. until Musk is out. I’m hearing whispers Rs don’t like it either, but they are too afraid to speak up. You need to call and stiffen their spines.

You do realize what you sound like, right ? You lost your job because it's funding was eliminated and your response is to lobby that the entire US Gov't shut down until you get your job back and the person who eliminated your job is gone.

Elon, in my opinion, is a change agent and he is doing what he was appointed to do.

Maybe you should be asking instead why Congress continued to allow USAID funding to be approved decade after decade ( it now reaches 50 Billion a year ) when back here in the US, our bridges, ports, trains, Air Traffic control are all crumbling.

Let's take that 50 Billion a year and invest it back into a US Sovereign Wealth Fund.

Everything Musk is doing is illegal. Everything Trump is doing is illegal. When Biden and Obama were Presidents all you clowns said they did not have authority to do anything without an act of Congress. What happened to your "principles" and "beliefs" and your "worship of law and order"? Was that all bullshit?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How was USAID associated with the CIA?

The argument/theory is that USAID was used to provide an indirect mechanism to funnel money into entities for various intelligence purposes. Like propping up a coup movement against an unpopular political figure.

I worked in an industry tangent to US contracting for a long time overseas as my firm was involved in reconstruction projects in Iraq and Afghanistan and heard some wild stories about USAID. Let me explain a simple situation. USAID gives funding to build water pipes to a village in whatever developing country. Sounds great and it is on the surface of it. But do you ever ask yourself who gets the contracts to actually build the pipes? And who owns the companies that builds the pipes? Most people don't and that's why the more jaded people say much of USAID funding ends up in the pockets of local corrupt politicians including national leaders of those countries.

Also looks like funding of research at a certain virology institution in China may have been through USAID.

I do think a lot of good activities is supported by USAID but to be frankly honest and based on the stories told by experienced NGO people overseas, that USAID could have been a front for CIA / intelligence activities does not surprise me at all. And I don't doubt we will learn a lot more in the next few months. People here hate Musk and DOGE but if those screenshots he's releasing on twitter are accurate, then just wow. That's why I would urge people to be a bit careful before rushing to defend USAID. We just don't know how much more will be revealed by an administration that seems determined to unclassify every classified secret in DC.

So. . . sort of like this:

A construction company that has been repeatedly touted by President Donald Trump and his allies has been awarded a major border wall construction contract valued at more than $1.2 billion, a US Army Corps of Engineers spokesperson told CNN on Tuesday. (CNN)

Fisher all built a wall on private land using Build the Wall donations (Bannon convicted of fraud IIRC), which led to this:

Constructed on private land along a Rio Grande River bank near Mission, Texas, the wall's risks came to light in a 2019 lawsuit filed by the US Justice Dept. It charged that the $42-million steel bollard fence fence was showing signs of erosion and instability and was in violation of a treaty with Mexico under the International Boundary and Water Commission because of flood risks to the river flow.
Texas officials and an adjacent non-profit wildlife center also sued over the project.
Under the federal agreement approved in US district court on May 31, Fisher and its units and affiliates must properly maintain the structure for 15 years. They also must repair defects such as bollards that lean more than 6° out of alignment, repair cracks in the foundation more than 3 in. wide and address any erosion under the footers or settlement of the foundation.

https://www.enr.com/articles/54215-us-settles-border-wall-suit-against-contractor-fisher-sand-gravel

Fisher Sand and Gravel had great GOP connections. It also had a history:
According to information compiled by Good Jobs First, a policy resource center that promotes corporate and government accountability, Fisher Sand and Gravel has been fined 16 times by the Environmental Protection Agency since 2000 and has paid more than $430,000 in fines. The largest was $150,000 in 2013, when the EPA found the company failed to comply with dust mitigation regulations at facilities in Maricopa County, Arizona.

I believe ultimately Fisher had more fines than that. Also had to reorganize the company at one point because of a child porn/assault conviction by one of its officers

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How was USAID associated with the CIA?

During the Vietnam War the CIA used it as a cover for their ops.

CIA is STILL using USAID as a slush fund.

MUSK is trying to get into FinTech to save X. Nothing he is doing is about saving Government. He’s trying to enrich himself.

https://fortune.com/2025/01/31/visa-is-partnering-with-x-to-launch-x-money-elon-musks-rival-to-venmo/

So now he’s going to shut down Venmo? Lovely.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
How much was USAID spending in Ukraine?
For what exactly????

We gave Zelensky more than enough cash already.

WTF cares. Look at the goddamn big picture.

We see —> MASSIVE CORRUPTION.

FIVE HUNDRED MILLION to Ukraine in 2014? Victoria Nuland? 2014 is when Hunter’s immunity begins.

USAID has been funding ECOHEALTH ALLIANCE. Samantha Powers said so. And Academy of Medical Science in China. Deep VZIN. Dig deeper, people.

Just so I'm clear, your answer to massive corruption is the world's richest man holding himself above the law to shut down a branch of government without any legal authority to do so? That's not even more massive corruption in your eyes? What's to stop him from them doing the same to other branches of government, ones that maybe you are a bigger fan of? Do you somehow believe you and Musk as so alinged that he will only intefere in things you hate and leave all the things you personally find important alone?

You cannot make this stuff up! Oh let’s not fund a coup or terrorist organization in Africa, but we’re totally fine having someone buy the US presidency if he stops giving $$ to grifters.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It doesn't matter if you hate USAID. It doesn't matter if you think the money they spend is a waste of taxpayer dollars. It doesn't matter if you think Musk is a genius and a renegade and superhero all wrapped up into one. None of it matters. What matters are the laws of the United States of America say there is a right way to do things, and Musk is operating outside of those laws right now. He has no legal authority to do what he is doing. So he needs to be stopped and held accountable.

+10109192827483

It is NOT about USAID. It's about letting a rogue agent take over the government and do whatever he wants.

Trump and the GOP can shutdown USAI, it's within their right. But there are rules,. procedures and laws for how to do it. Elon cannot fire employees who are civil servants and command government police forces. GTFO.

Elon does not run our entire government outside of the law.

+ another 10000000000
I'll keep posting this on threads all over the place until I'm blue in the face. It's the process everyone should be paying attention to, not just the outcome. Our democracy is built on a constitution and rule of law, and when you eliminate those, despite being happy with the outcome, you're an ignorant fool.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

NEWS FLASH:

USAID was started by EXECUTIVE ORDER.

News flash. That executive order was merely to implement the Foreign Assistance Act. That Act, by the way, is very specific about what constitutes foreign assistance..

Please elaborate what constitutes foreign assistance. Why those foreign countries with problems feeding people care about all those dancing programs by USAID?