Trump Contemplates Legal Action Against USAID Employees Following Shocking DOGE Investigation
President Donald Trump is considering filing criminal charges against staffers at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) after a bombshell investigation by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) exposed significant misuse of foreign aid programs.
Pete Marocco, USAID’s deputy administrator-designate, briefed members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday regarding the ongoing review of the agency’s operations and spending, which has been under Trump’s scrutiny. The review, influenced by findings from Elon Musk’s DOGE initiative, may result in criminal referrals for misconduct within the agency.
Rep. Keith Self (R-TX), who attended the meeting, told DailyMail, “There’s still judicial action being taken, even as recently as this morning. They plan to refer USAID officials to the Department of Justice,” emphasizing that fraud is a criminal offense.
Marocco did not rule out the possibility that both USAID employees and recipients of grants could face criminal charges. Rep. Self noted, “If they’re finding fraud, not just ineffective programs, but outright fraud, then those responsible should absolutely face prosecution.”
Self added that Marocco and USAID would only discuss potential criminal recommendations if they could present a strong “paper trail” to back their claims.
An additional source who attended the meeting also confirmed the seriousness of the allegations, telling DailyMail, “Marocco briefed both Democratic and Republican members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, revealing that the scale of waste, fraud, and abuse at USAID was worse than initially thought.” The source continued, “He mentioned that several criminal referrals to the Justice Department were under consideration.” The misconduct stemmed from USAID’s decentralized accountability system, which allowed grantees on the ground to misuse U.S. taxpayer money in inappropriate and possibly illegal ways.
In response to DOGE’s intervention, USAID is undergoing significant reforms. High-ranking officials, including the agency’s security director, have been placed on administrative leave, and the USAID website has been temporarily taken offline. Programs aimed at promoting democracy and free speech have been curtailed or put on hold.
Meanwhile, a 5-4 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday blocked President Trump’s attempt to keep billions of federal aid contracts frozen while his administration audits them for waste and fraud. The ruling came as a setback for conservatives who viewed it as a defeat for Trump’s efforts to curb government inefficiency.