It was recently revealed that George Soros received approximately nine million dollars of United States taxpayer money from the Obama administration in 2016. The Hungarian born billionaire reportedly used the money to pay for his socialist-communist undertakings in the European country of Albania.
Last week, the Justice Department handed over 32 pages of documents to Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group. The delivery of the records was a result of a Freedom of Information Act, FOIA, lawsuit against the U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID, and the State Department.
The recently released information reveals USAID money was provided by its Civil Society Project to sponsor Soros’ left-leaning “East West Management Institute” via USAID’s “Justice for All” initiative. The “Justice for All” campaign sought to bolster the efficacy and transparency of the judicial system in Albania.
The USAID reported the initiative aspired to improve citizens’ trust in the courts and a more proficient judicial system. Judicial Watch enthusiastically disagreed with this premise. The conservative watchdog group insisted the funds were utilized specifically to award the Albanian socialist government more control of the judiciary system.
In a statement, Judicial Watch’s President said, “The Obama administration quietly spent at least $9 million in U.S. taxpayers’ dollars in direct collusion with left-wing billionaire George Soros’ backing of a socialist government in Albania. It is particularly outrageous that the State Department allowed the Soros operation to help direct taxpayer funds to other groups.”
According to Fox News, an official from the USAID notified the network on April 4, 2018 that the agency didn’t award grants to Soros’ Open Society Foundation in Albania. Judicial Watch stated the records unveiled the State Department provided the Hungarian born billionaire’s Open Society Foundation “direct input” concerning its own program funding reviews in the European country.
In a telling report from February 10, 2017 covering “Engagement with the Open Society Foundation for Albania” read, “as one of the major assistance providers in Albania, representatives for the Open Society Foundation are frequently asked to participate in technical reviews of applications that we receive for funding.”
However, the document cited the Embassy’s Public Affairs Section “has not received any funds from the Open Society Foundation to support any projects or activities.” The report also claimed the Public Affairs Section “has not provided any funds to the Open Society Foundation to support their projects or activities.”
In a statement to Fox News, a spokesperson for the Open Society Foundation remarked, “For decades, there has been broad bipartisan agreement in Washington, DC on the need to promote democracy and human rights abroad. Of late there has been an unfortunate and misguided effort to politicize this process.”
The statement went on to read, “The Open Society Foundations and the U.S. Government shared an interest in helping Albania and other similarly situated countries transition from communism and democracy, and in promoting an independent judiciary.”
However, Judicial Watch attained a memo from April of 2016 proving the U.S. Embassy in Tirana “sponsored” a survey while partnering with the Open Society Foundation to ascertain Albanian citizens’ “knowledge, support, and expectations on justice reform.” Amazingly, documents from February of 2017 reveal the State Department utilized taxpayer money to subsidize a second survey with the Open Society Foundation.
Regarding the outrageous use of taxpayer funds, Judicial Watch’s President remarked, “George Soros is a billionaire and he shouldn’t be receiving taxpayer support to advance his radical left agenda to undermine freedom here at home and abroad.”
In March of 2017, several U.S. Senators sent previous Secretary of State Rex Tillerson a letter urging him to open a probe regarding the claims the U.S. government was siphoning taxpayer funds to back Soros in Albania. Senator Mike Lee, Republican-Utah, led the charge.
In an April 4, 2018 e-mail, a spokesperson for the Senator informed Fox News that, “Sen. Lee was not satisfied with the State Department’s response to his letter about USAID funding for international progressive institutions that spread leftist ideas at tax payer expense. He hopes the next Secretary of State will put an end to these payments.”
Besides Albania, Judicial Watch is attempting to obtain information about Soros’ pursuits in Columbia, Macedonia, and Romania. We’ll have more on these stories as they develop.
~ American Liberty Report
