Trump: Dems Used USAID Money as 'Payoff' to Media

President Donald Trump accused Democrats in government of stealing "billions of dollars," with much of the money going to media outlets as a "payoff" for good coverage.

Elon Musk's advisory Department of Government Efficiency, which has been tasked with finding ways to streamline government and reduce spending, has focused on the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

"LOOKS LIKE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS HAVE BEEN STOLLEN AT USAID, AND OTHER AGENCIES, MUCH OF IT GOING TO THE FAKE NEWS MEDIA AS A 'PAYOFF' FOR CREATING GOOD STORIES ABOUT THE DEMOCRATS," Trump posted Thursday morning on Truth Social.

"THE LEFT WING 'RAG,' KNOWN AS 'POLITICO,' SEEMS TO HAVE RECEIVED $8,000,000. Did the New York Times receive money??? Who else did??? THIS COULD BE THE BIGGEST SCANDAL OF THEM ALL, PERHAPS THE BIGGEST IN HISTORY! THE DEMOCRATS CAN'T HIDE FROM THIS ONE. TOO BIG, TOO DIRTY!"

Democrat lawmakers have become irate over Musk targeting USAID and gaining access to classified and sensitive information at several executive branch agencies.

The White House on Monday issued a release Monday titled "At USAID, Waste and Abuse Runs Deep." It listed "pet projects of entrenched bureaucrats" that included:

• $1.5 million to "advance diversity equity and inclusion in Serbia's workplaces and business communities"
• $2.5 million for electric vehicles for Vietnam
• $2 million for sex changes and "LGBT activism" in Guatemala
• $6 million to fund tourism in Egypt
• Millions to EcoHealth Alliance — which was involved in research at the Wuhan lab
• Hundreds of millions of dollars to fund "irrigation canals, farming equipment, and even fertilizer used to support the unprecedented poppy cultivation and heroin production in Afghanistan," benefiting the Taliban

The Trump administration last month put on leave about 60 senior career officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), after Washington put a sweeping freeze on aid worldwide.

It was reported this week that USAID staffers were instructed to stay out of the agency's Washington headquarters, after Musk announced Trump had agreed with him to shut the agency.

Politico reported Tuesday that the administration intends to put nearly the entire Washington, D.C., USAID staff on leave.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this story.

• Sen. Britt to Newsmax: USAID Reckoning 'New Day in America'
• Ric Grenell to Newsmax: Devil in the Details With USAID