USAID and CIA linked to Trump's 2019 impeachment, investigative journalist reports

By bellecarter // 2025-02-08

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Investigative journalist Michael Shellenberger claims that USAID and the CIA were directly involved in the 2019 impeachment effort against President Donald Trump, suggesting it was a domestic regime change operation disguised as foreign aid and investigative journalism.
The whistleblower who triggered Trump's impeachment was a CIA analyst during Obama's administration. The complaint heavily relied on a report from the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), which is allegedly funded and controlled by USAID.
A 2024 documentary by NDR, a German broadcaster, supported Shellenberger's findings, revealing USAID's significant control over OCCRP, including personnel and operational decisions. The documentary faced censorship due to pressure from OCCRP co-founder Drew Sullivan.
OCCRP and Sullivan attempted to suppress the NDR documentary and threatened legal action against Shellenberger's outlet, Public, for the allegations. Despite these threats, OCCRP has not provided concrete evidence to refute the claims.
Shellenberger's findings suggest illegal domestic interference by U.S. intelligence agencies, potentially treasonous. Trump's efforts to dismantle USAID align with his claims of such agencies engaging in domestic political interference, raising concerns about the integrity of U.S. foreign aid and intelligence operations.

Investigative journalist Michael Shellenberger has unveiled evidence suggesting that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) played a direct role in the 2019 impeachment effort against President Donald Trump. According to Shellenberger, this operation was a domestic regime change effort masquerading as foreign aid and investigative journalism. The findings, detailed in a post on X, challenge the traditional narrative surrounding Trump's impeachment and raise significant questions about the role of U.S. intelligence agencies in domestic politics. Shellenberger's investigation centers on a CIA analyst who was stationed in the White House during former President Barack Obama's administration. This analyst, identified as the whistleblower who triggered Trump's impeachment, filed a complaint based heavily on a report by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). The OCCRP, a media outlet, is directly funded and controlled by USAID, according to Shellenberger's findings. In his X post, Shellenberger wrote, "USAID's defenders say it's about charity and development in poor nations. It's not. It's a $40 billion driver of regime change abroad. And now the evidence suggests that it, along with the CIA, were behind the 2019 impeachment of Trump – an illegal regime change effort at home." The whistleblower's complaint, filed in 2019, alleged that Trump abused his powers by withholding military aid to Ukraine to pressure the country into investigating former President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. The complaint cited the OCCRP report four times, which alleged that two Soviet-born Florida businessmen were key actors in connecting Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, with former Ukrainian prosecutors to investigate the Bidens.

The role of OCCRP and the censorship scandal

A 2024 documentary by German television broadcaster NDR, produced in collaboration with several international investigative news organizations, further corroborated Shellenberger's findings. The documentary revealed that USAID not only funds OCCRP but also has significant control over its operations, including the approval of key personnel and the annual work plan. However, the documentary faced censorship after OCCRP co-founder Drew Sullivan pressured NDR to suppress its findings. According to a report by Mediapart, Sullivan made false accusations against the NDR journalists involved in the project. Ryan Grim, a journalist for Drop Site News, highlighted the censorship scandal on X, stating, "NDR, Germany's public broadcaster, is facing a censorship scandal and has defended itself by saying it never killed a news report about OCCRP and its State Department funding – b/c no report was ever produced to kill. That was absurd – and dozens, maybe hundreds, of journalists knew it to be false, and now of course, someone has leaked it." Sullivan boasted that OCCRP had been responsible for regime changes in several countries, including the indictment or ouster of prime ministers. This admission, Shellenberger argues, underscores the organization's involvement in political operations that typically occur abroad but were allegedly directed at the U.S. government in 2019. Shellenberger's findings suggest that the CIA, USAID and OCCRP collaborated to orchestrate Trump's impeachment, mirroring the regime change operations they typically conduct in foreign nations. However, such domestic interference is highly illegal and potentially treasonous. OCCRP, in response to the allegations, threatened legal action against Shellenberger's outlet, Public. Miranda Patrucic, Editor in Chief of OCCRP, wrote, "The premise of your article is factually false and defamatory. The claim by Dropsite News and partner media that USAID has control over editorial appointments has been disproven and we suggest you read our response to that." Despite OCCRP's threats, neither the organization nor its supporters have provided concrete evidence to refute the allegations. Shellenberger's revelations come at a time when Trump is moving to dismantle USAID, a move that aligns with his long-standing claims of U.S. intelligence agencies engaging in domestic political interference. The findings not only cast a shadow over the 2019 impeachment proceedings but also raise broader concerns about the integrity of U.S. foreign aid and intelligence operations. (Related: Trump administration shuts down USAID, ending decades of covert operations.) BigGovernment.news has similar news on government collusion with mainstream media. Watch the video below that talks about Trump's efforts to reset America to thrive in a multi-polar world. This includes shutting down USAID. This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

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The role of OCCRP and the censorship scandal

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