Investigative journalist Michael Shellenberger has presented findings suggesting that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) played roles in the 2019 impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump.
According to Shellenberger, the whistleblower who initiated the impeachment was a CIA analyst introduced to the White House during the Obama administration.
In his analysis, Shellenberger connects the dots as to how USAID funding was used during the Trump impeachment hoax. In an X post, he wrote:
“Reporting by Drop Site News last year revealed that the CIA analyst relied on reporting by a supposedly independent investigative news organization called the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), which appears to have effectively operated as an arm of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which President Trump has just shut down. The CIA whistleblower complaint cited a long report by OCCRP four times.”
Further, Shellenberger highlights that OCCRP’s co-founder, Drew Sullivan, has claimed the organization was instrumental in changing governments and indicting prime ministers in several countries. This raises concerns about the legality of such entities influencing domestic politics. The report suggests that the CIA, USAID, and OCCRP used similar tactics in President Trump’s 2019 impeachment, which would be illegal if applied domestically.
OCCRP denied the allegations and threatened legal action against Public, calling the claims false and defamatory. However, Drop Site News stands by its findings, asserting that OCCRP has not disproven the allegations, and the evidence contradicts its claims of journalistic independence.
These revelations prompt questions about the involvement of U.S. agencies in internal political matters and the potential implications for governmental integrity.
