Newsmax Guest Explains How USAID ‘Hoodwinked’ Trump During First Term

Former State Department official Mike Benz explained during a recent Newsmax appearance how the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was able to operate in opposition to President Donald Trump during his first term — right under his nose.

Benz, who served in the State Department under Trump during that first term, said that because USAID was often engaged in “discreet action” to further democracy — rather than “covert action,” which would require the president’s approval — the agency was able to operate without direct oversight from the White House.

Benz shared a short clip of his appearance with David Harris Jr. on “The Pulse,” along with the following caption: “Because USAID can classify its cloak and dagger work as ‘discreet action’ for democracy promotion rather than ‘covert action’ requiring presidential sign-off, USAID can keep the President of the United States totally in the dark. This is how USAID hoodwinked Trump term 1.0.”

WATCH:

Because USAID can classify its cloak and dagger work as "discreet action" for democracy promotion rather than "covert action" requiring presidential sign-off, USAID can keep the President of the United States totally in the dark. This is how USAID hoodwinked Trump term 1.0 https://t.co/iVs1fxtu4v pic.twitter.com/a5hGoKFhg2

— Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) February 5, 2025

“USAID is one of the most disturbing organizations in the entire federal government,” Benz began. “It may rank number one, in fact. USAID is under the cloak of being a humanitarian aid organization designed to advance U.S. foreign policy, it’s assigned the dirtiest tasks that the State Department can’t get caught doing and that used to be done directly by the CIA.”

Benz went on to say that USAID essentially operated in the way that the CIA used to engage in covert operations, but did not have to get the same approvals from the White House in order to carry out those operations.

Benz concluded by adding, “If you understand the CIA’s history with money laundering, you’ll begin to get a glimpse of the size of the problem with USAID and why they won’t let either Congressional Oversight or DOGE see their books.”

The Trump administration has effectively shut down USAID, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed the issue in a statement supporting the plan: “They have basically evolved into an agency that believes that they’re not even a U.S. government agency, that they are out — they’re a global charity, that they take the taxpayer money, and they spend it as a global charity irrespective of whether it is in the national interest or not in the national interest.”