Welcome to the RedState Weekly Briefing where we recap the most popular stories of the week in case you missed them. Let’s dive into what has captured everyone’s attention this week. Grab a cup of coffee (or something stronger, especially on this Super Bowl Sunday), and settle in for this weekend edition of your favorite online publication.
#1 – USAID Officials Lock DOGE Out of the Building, Trump Delivers the ‘Find Out’ Response — by Bob Hoge
Some DOGE personnel were reportedly seeking access to security systems, personnel files, and classified information according to sources familiar with the matter.
Amid concerns that the Trump administration is intentionally dismantling the agency, USAID Director of Security John Voorhees and his deputy have been placed on leave. There are speculations that President Trump might issue an executive order merging USAID into the US State Department – a move that has raised legal concerns among Democratic lawmakers.
More and more people, from underlings at the General Services Administration to DEI zealots at the Pentagon, are finding out that if you mess around and work from within against this administration, there will be a “find out” response soon forthcoming.
#2 – NEW: Massive Press Scandal As USAID Funding for ‘Politico’ Revealed, and It Gets Worse From There — by Bonchie
Politico should not survive this. To take millions of dollars from the entity you are covering and not let your readers know about it is a huge breach of journalistic ethics. Hopefully, this leads to major investigations because does anyone actually believe it costs $447,998 for 37 subscriptions to a news site? If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.
#3 – NEW: Sen. Kennedy Decimates Dems and USAID on Senate Floor With Shocking Details — by Nick Arama
Plus, as Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) has explained, USAID hasn’t been forthcoming about their actions when members of Congress ask questions. Indeed she says when she tried, they were threatened when she started asking about money going to Ukraine. Fortunately, President Trump has now launched an investigation into the USAID mess.
Kennedy said he wasn’t saying that everything USAID did was bad but that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has now taken over as the acting USAID administrator, was going to separate out the good from the bad. He also observed that Democrats want to attack Musk and the process, they don’t want to talk about all the bad things that he’s been finding.
#4 – After More Than 3 Years, Another Biden Lawfare Scheme Has Been Dismantled — by Jennifer Van Laar
Back in November 2021, the FBI raided the home of investigative journalist James O’Keefe, who was then with Project Veritas, and two other PV journalists, as part of a federal investigation into the alleged theft of a diary Joe Biden’s daughter, Ashley, was storing at a rehab facility. Two people, Aimee Harris and Robert Kurlander, had obtained the diary and shopped it to Project Veritas. Even though Project Veritas spoke to Ashley Biden and she verified the diary was hers, they weren’t convinced of its authenticity (thinking it might be an elaborate catfishing effort) and held off on publishing anything from it. National File published excerpts from the diary, and shortly after that, the pre-dawn raids were carried out against O’Keefe and his associates.
#5 – WATCH: Margaret Brennan Gets Laid Out by Brian Mast After Demanding ‘Evidence’ of State Department DEI — by Bonchie
When Mast then notes that State Department officials have prioritized DEI over effective diplomacy, Brennan thinks she’s laying a trap by asking for “proof.” Instead, he turns the table on her, bringing the receipts by listing specific grants and programs that went to things like drag shows and other LGBTQ initiatives.
