INTERNACIONAL
Four plead guilty in massive bribery scheme at agency Democrats fought to protect from DOGE
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The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), an agency essentially dismantled by DOGE amid complaints from Democrats that cutting waste would harm impoverished countries, is at the center of a massive bribery scandal.
A federal contracting officer and three businessmen have pleaded guilty in a scheme involving bribes like cash, NBA tickets, and a country club wedding in a scandal the Department of Justice (DOJ) said was part of a $550 million scam, Fox News Chief Washington Correspondent Mike Emanuel reported Friday.
Roderick Watson, 57, worked as a USAID contracting officer, according to a DOJ press release, and pleaded guilty to «bribery of a public official.»
According to the DOJ, Watson sold his influence starting in 2013, with contractors Walter Barnes, owner of Vistant, and Darryl Britt, owner of Apprio, funneling payoffs through subcontractor Paul Young to hide their tracks.
RISCH URGES ‘TOP TO BOTTOM’ USAID SPENDING REVIEW AFTER WASTE, FRAUD EXPOSED
Demonstrators and lawmakers rally against President Donald Trump and his ally Elon Musk as they disrupt the federal government, including dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development, in Washington on Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
«During the scheme, Britt and Barnes paid bribes to Watson that were often concealed by passing them through Young, who was the president of another subcontractor to Apprio and Vistant,» the press release explained.
«Britt and Barnes also regularly funneled bribes to Watson, including cash, laptops, thousands of dollars in tickets to a suite at an NBA game, a country club wedding, downpayments on two residential mortgages, cellular phones, and jobs for relatives. The bribes were also often concealed through electronic bank transfers falsely listing Watson on payroll, incorporated shell companies, and false invoices. Watson is alleged to have received bribes valued at more than approximately $1 million as part of the scheme.»
THOUSANDS OF USAID TERMINATIONS TO TAKE EFFECT BY SEPTEMBER IN AGENCY’S FINAL LEG OF ‘DRAWDOWN’
Former employees of USAID leave the headquarters building in Washington on Feb. 27, 2025. (Leigh Green for Fox News Digital)
Vistant was awarded in November 2023, as part of a joint venture, a contract worth up to $800 million with one of the focuses of that contract being to address «a variety of issues affecting the root causes of irregular migration from Central America to the United States,» an issue that President Joe Biden tasked then-Vice President Kamala Harris with during his presidency.
Several days later, that contract was canceled after USAID published a notice that said Vistant was excluded from government contracting due to «evidence of conduct of a lack of business honesty or integrity.»
The joint venture then successfully sued the government over being put on that exclusion list and was re-awarded the contract and given a $10,000 payment in August 2024.
«Corruption in government programs will not be tolerated. Watson abused his position of trust for personal gain while federal contractors engaged in a pay-to-play scheme,» Acting Assistant Inspector General for Investigations Sean Bottary of the USAID Office of Inspector General (USAID-OIG) said in the press release.
«USAID-OIG is firmly committed to rooting out fraud and corruption within U.S. foreign assistance programs. Today’s announcement underscores our unwavering focus on exposing criminal activity, including bribery schemes by those entrusted to faithfully award government contracts. We appreciate our longstanding partnership with the Department of Justice in holding accountable those who defraud American taxpayers.»
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Protesters hold placards as Pete Marocco, deputy administrator-designate at the USAID, attends a meeting with members of Congress to discuss foreign assistance on Capitol Hill in Washington on Mar. 5, 2025. (Kent Nishimura/REUTERS)
USAID was one of the public faces and most drastic examples of DOGE’s efforts to cut waste, fraud, and abuse in government, and the effort resulted in the agency’s programs being cut by 83%, while the programs deemed vital were moved to the State Department.
USAID’s website went dark, and employees were barred from entering its headquarters on Feb. 3, while others had their work put on hold. The Trump administration then announced that all USAID direct-hire personnel would be put on administrative leave.
The agency came under fire for many funding choices, including allocating $1.5 million for a program that sought to «advance diversity, equity and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business communities» and a $70,000 program for a «DEI musical» in Ireland.
During DOGE’s sweep, it was revealed that U.S. dollars were ending up in the hands of terror-linked groups, such as funds reportedly providing «full funding» for al-Qaeda terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki to attend college in Colorado, Fox News Digital previously reported.
As DOGE was dismantling USAID, many Democrats and media outlets blasted the cuts, claiming they would harm impoverished recipients of aid across the globe and some, including U2 frontman Bono, who said the cuts would lead to over 300,000 deaths.
Several House and Senate Democrats protested outside of USAID’s headquarters in early February, expressing outrage over the layoffs and cuts, The Hill reported.
«Anybody who cares about good and effective government should be concerned about the waste, fraud, and abuse in government agencies, including USAID,» Matthew R. Galeotti, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, said in the DOJ’s press release.
Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy and Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.
INTERNACIONAL
WATCH: GOP senators divided over whether Epstein documents are a distraction or a needed reckoning
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Republican senators offered a range of responses when pressed on how the Trump administration has been handling the Epstein files controversy, with some calling it a distraction and others arguing the American people are «entitled» to answers.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the «first phase» of declassified files related to Jeffrey Epstein Feb. 27, noting the move was following through on President Donald Trump’s commitment to «lifting the veil» on Epstein and his co-conspirator’s actions. Bondi also said the same month she was in possession of an Epstein «client list.»
However, the February declassification contained mostly information and files that had already been publicly available, and the Justice Department subsequently indicated that no «client list» exists. Since then, a series of events, including a clash between FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino and Attorney General Bondi, have led to mounting pressure on the Trump administration to release more files.
‘NOT GOING AWAY’: INSIDE THE EPSTEIN DRAMA THAT’S THROWN HOUSE GOP INTO CHAOS
Trump’s relationship with Epstein has come under more scrutiny after his DOJ under Attorney General Pam Bondi recently said there is no Epstein «client list.» (Getty Images)
«This is factual. Epstein trafficked a lot of young women, some of whom were minors. The American people are entitled to know who — if anyone — he trafficked these young women to, besides himself, and why they weren’t prosecuted,» John Kennedy, R-La., said.
«Now that’s a very simple question that’s at the bottom of all of this. The Department of Justice is going to have to answer that question to the satisfaction of the American people.»
TABLES TURN AS HOUSE GOP BLASTS DEMS FOR SUDDENLY DEMANDING EPSTEIN TRANSPARENCY FROM TRUMP ADMIN
Kennedy’s call for transparency comes after the president described the Epstein situation as a «hoax» while blasting Democrats and other «weaklings» who continue to buy into it.
«Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this ‘bull—-,’ hook, line, and sinker,» Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform last month amid mounting reports of internal division within the administration over its handling of the Epstein case
When asked about how the Trump administration was handling the Epstein furor, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., said he thought the situation was being used by Democrats to create a «distraction» from the ongoing investigations into former President Biden and others, like the probe related to Biden’s use of an autopen tool to sign important documents and the investigation into whether Obama-era officials manufactured evidence to accuse Trump of Russian collusion.
Senators Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., left, and John Kennedy, R-La., shared their takes on how the Trump administration is handling the Epstein controversy. (Getty Images)
«Look what’s being investigated right now through the Biden administration. … So, what are they going to talk about now?» Mullin asked. «This is nothing but a distraction from the actual facts that is coming out about the Biden administration. Of course, the Democrats say, ‘Well, we’re just about transparency.’ Well, where was the transparency the last four years?»
Democrats have suggested Trump could be implicated in the files, but Mullin said that if such a circumstance were true, the information would have been leaked by the Biden administration.
Mullin’s counterpart in the Senate, Republican Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford took more of a middle ground in his response about how the administration has been handling the Epstein files.
Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., left, and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, talk as they head to the U.S. Capitol for votes July 31, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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«The challenge is there are people that are victims that are in it, and there are folks that are not criminals that are in it as well,» Lankford said. «And the challenge the Department of Justice has is you’ve got a girl that was 14, 16 years old and was abused. Well, now she’s, let’s say 26 or 30, married and has children.
«Maybe her family knows about this, maybe they don’t. I don’t know the situation, but we gotta figure out a way to be able to protect those folks that are genuine victims on all this as well as getting out as much information as you possibly can.»
For Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, the debate about the Epstein files was not something she was interested in talking about when approached by Fox News Digital.
«I’m going,» Collins responded when pressed on the matter outside the Capitol complex.
jeffrey epstein,republicans,senate,donald trump,ghislaine maxwell,politics
INTERNACIONAL
El líder de la ONU advirtió sobre una “peligrosa escalada” tras la decisión de Israel de tomar la ciudad de Gaza
El secretario general de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas (ONU), António Guterres, expresó este viernes su preocupación tras la decisión de Israel de extender su ofensiva militar en la Franja de Gaza y asumir el control de la ciudad de Gaza, la mayor aglomeración del enclave palestino.
Según un comunicado leído por su portavoz adjunta, Stephanie Tremblay, Guterres considera que esta medida “marca una peligrosa escalada” en el conflicto y pone “aún más en peligro” a los civiles en la región, incluidos los rehenes en manos de terroristas palestinos.
En palabras de Tremblay, Guterres “está profundamente alarmado por la decisión del Gobierno israelí sobre ‘tomar el control de la ciudad de Gaza’”, y advirtió que esto podría “agravar las ya catastróficas consecuencias de millones de palestinos”.
El secretario general subrayó que los palestinos en Gaza “siguen padeciendo una catástrofe humanitaria de proporciones terroríficas”, al tiempo que señaló que una nueva ofensiva podría “provocar un nuevo desplazamiento forzado, muertes y destrucción masiva, suponiendo un sufrimiento inimaginable a la población palestina”.
El conflicto en la Franja de Gaza se acerca a los dos años y, según declaraciones oficiales, la decisión del gabinete de seguridad del primer ministro israelí, Benjamin Netanyahu, añade tensión a la ya inestable situación.
El Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU anunció la convocatoria de una reunión de urgencia para este sábado, con el objetivo de abordar el nuevo plan israelí tras solicitudes de varios miembros, según informaron fuentes diplomáticas a la AFP. “Varios países en nuestro nombre y en el suyo propio están solicitando una reunión del Consejo de Seguridad”, declaró este viernes el representante palestino ante la ONU, Ryad Mansour.
Guterres reiteró su llamado a un alto el fuego y a facilitar la entrada de ayuda humanitaria, exhortando a las autoridades israelíes a cumplir con sus obligaciones conforme al Derecho Humanitario Internacional. “No habrá una solución sostenible a este conflicto sin el fin de la ocupación ilegal y una solución viable de dos Estados. Gaza es y debe seguir siendo parte integral de un Estado palestino”, afirmó el secretario general.
Adicionalmente, Guterres recordó que la Corte Internacional de Justicia (CIJ) exige a Israel “poner fin a su presencia ilegal en los territorios palestinos ocupados –que abarca Gaza y Cisjordania, incluida Jerusalén Este– lo antes posible”.
En el ámbito humanitario, Tremblay confirmó el encuentro celebrado el miércoles entre personal de la ONU y representantes de la Fundación Humanitaria de Gaza (GHF, por sus siglas en inglés), entidad respaldada por Israel y Estados Unidos desde mayo para la distribución de alimentos en la zona. La portavoz explicó que la reunión, impulsada por la Misión de EEUU ante la ONU, abordó “la grave situación humanitaria en Gaza”.
“Con prácticamente toda la población de Gaza al borde de la hambruna, damos la bienvenida a cualquiera que eleve su voz para llegar urgentemente con asistencia humanitaria a los civiles de Gaza. Pero ya tenemos un plan basado en principios humanitarios reconocidos globalmente”, explicó Tremblay.
Según el Ministerio de Sanidad palestino, cientos de personas han muerto por disparos del Ejército israelí o a consecuencia de disturbios cuando buscaban ayuda en los centros de la GHF, ubicados en áreas bajo control militar israelí. Una reciente investigación de Médicos Sin Fronteras (MSF) sostiene que estos centros ‘son lugares de asesinatos orquestados y deshumanización’ y pide su cierre. Además, un grupo de 25 relatores y expertos de la ONU solicitó esta semana el desmantelamiento de la GHF, creada por Israel en febrero de 2025 con apoyo de EEUU.
La ONU mantiene que su “plan funciona” y ofrece puntos de distribución en todo el territorio, donde las personas pueden recibir asistencia humanitaria de manera segura. Preguntada por los principios que rigen el trabajo de la GHF, Tremblay respondió: “Creo que puedes ver lo que está pasando en Gaza día a día”.
El aumento de la ofensiva y el control de Israel sobre la ciudad de Gaza han avivado la preocupación internacional. Con el Consejo de Seguridad preparado para abordar la situación, la comunidad internacional aguarda las próximas decisiones respecto al futuro del enclave y la respuesta humanitaria en la región.
(Con información de AFP, EFE y EP)
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