You truly cannot make this up. After getting caught with their hands in the taxpayer-funded cookie jar, Politico responded with the most condescending, gaslighting-laced statement imaginable, and honestly, it’s impressive. Not because it was convincing—far from it—but because it took some serious gall to pretend that everything was just fine while USAID was being effectively dismantled for rampant waste and corruption.
Let’s back up for a second. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team did what no one in Washington ever seems interested in doing: they followed the money. What they found was so egregious that USAID was practically shut down on Friday, absorbed into the State Department, and most of its employees furloughed.
That’s right—the supposed humanitarian agency turned out to be nothing more than a bottomless pit of government waste and ideological activism. And among the many jaw-dropping revelations? USAID had been spending millions on media subscriptions, effectively bankrolling left-wing outlets under the guise of “professional resources.”
And yet, when faced with these receipts, Politico went into full-blown damage control, publishing a statement that is equal parts laughable and infuriating. Here’s the gist of it: We’re totally independent, guys. We have never taken a dime from the government. Oh, but, uh, yeah, government agencies do subscribe to our premium service for totally normal and professional reasons. It’s not “funding” it’s just a “transaction.”
Ah, yes. A transaction. Just like how a guy in a back alley handing over a briefcase of cash is simply conducting business. The mental gymnastics here are something to behold.
Let’s break this down. Politico proudly declares that they have “never received any government funding—no subsidies, no grants, no handouts.” But they conveniently leave out the key part: they sell their “news, intelligence, and data” to government agencies using taxpayer dollars. So, while it’s not a “grant,” it’s still money being funneled from public funds straight into their pockets. But no, don’t call it government funding! It’s just an exchange of services!
This is the Democrat-media complex personified. The government, run by left-wing bureaucrats, dumps millions of tax dollars into a media operation that, coincidentally, just so happens to push left-wing narratives and anti-Trump hysteria. Then, when confronted about it, the media turns around and claims, No, no, we’re totally neutral and independent! It’s like watching a corrupt politician swear he’s never taken bribes—while standing next to a luxury car bought with “campaign donations.”
And then we get the real kicker: Back to work. Oh, please. Back to work doing what, exactly? Churning out more smug editorials about how democracy is under threat every time conservatives ask questions? Crafting more fawning profiles of Biden’s ice cream preferences? More “bombshell” reports on how the walls are totally closing in on Trump (for the 400th time)? We know the game.
We had to pay $8 million dollars of our money to subsidize a magazine to the left of Stalin whose entire purpose is to help elect Democrats into power?
Politico owes us an $8 million dollars back.
— Kash Patel 🇺🇸 News (@KashPatel_News) February 5, 2025
The best part of all of this, though, has to be the reaction. Because no one is buying it. No one. The internet lit up with well-deserved mockery, and even casual observers could see right through the spin. The harder they tried to explain away this “totally normal and above-board” relationship with USAID, the worse it looked. Every paragraph in that statement reads like a kid getting caught stealing candy and insisting, Well, technically, I didn’t steal it because I didn’t take it directly out of the jar, I just happened to find it in my pocket later.
The left has always relied on controlling institutions to maintain its grip on power, and the media is one of their most important weapons. But thanks to Musk and DOGE, the grift is finally being exposed for what it is: taxpayer-funded propaganda disguised as journalism. And no matter how many self-righteous statements they issue, they’re not fooling anyone.
