Reports of money that was being misspent by USAID are "just the tip of the iceberg" about how billions of dollars have been used over the years, Catharine O'Neill Gillihan, a former USAID White House liaison in President Donald Trump's first term in office, told Newsmax on Saturday.
"It's egregious," Gillihan told Newsmax's "The Count." "There is so much more within the State Department as well. I worked at both the State Department and USAID during Trump's first term, and I can't even start on the stuff that I saw."
Her comments come after Dr. Mark Moyer, the former director of USAID's Office of Civilian-Military Cooperation, told Newsmax Saturday that USAID concealed its activities from Trump during his first term, including with humanitarian operations in Syria that dated back to the Obama administration.
Gillihan said she's happy that the current State Department is "taking a fine-toothed comb" and going "line by line, item by item, making sure that every single penny that goes out the door is in alignment with our national interests."
Some of the expenditures that have come up have included money spent for sex change operations, transgender comic books, and more, and Gillihan told Newsmax that while she was working in Washington, people were coming to her office from other countries "begging us to stop this stuff."
"[They were] saying 'this is not in alignment with our values as a country, as a nation,'" she said. "'Here your government is spending millions and millions of dollars to try to destroy our cultures. And we're not OK with that.'"
Most of those countries did not have the resources to fight back, Gillihan added.
"It's a great day to hear that a lot of this funding is stopping," she said. "I think a lot of these countries around the world are going to be very happy."
Meanwhile, Gillihan called it "hypocritical" that a judge has blocked Trump's plan to put thousands of USAID workers on paid leave, and that some states are suing the Trump administration over the Department of Government Efficiency [DOGE] accessing records.
"Donald Trump and his team have done their part through the executive branch and now it's up to the courts and to the Congress to make sure this mandate is enacted," said Gillihan, adding that Trump, "under Article 2 of the Constitution, has this power to do this. The other branches of government need to follow up and keep this in play."
Gillihan also spoke out against the Democrat lawmakers who have been calling for resistance against DOGE leader Elon Musk and Trump.
"Where were they in East Palestine?" she said. "Where were they in North Carolina during the hurricanes? Where were they during the wildfires in California? That is their priority as elected members of the House and Senate is to serve the American people. Not all of these corrupt national governmental organizations around the world."
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
- Find Newsmax channel in your home via cable and satellite systems – More Info Here
- Watch Newsmax+ on your home TV app or smartphone and watch it anywhere! Try it for FREE – See More Here: NewsmaxPlus.com