U.S. President asks DOGE to review the contracts signed with this ‘Radical Left’ news agency.

On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump asked Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), to recover US$9.5 million granted to Thomas Reuters Special Services (TRSS) for a “social defense” program.

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The Republican politician and his officials accuse Joe Biden’s administration of using public funds to ensure the press aligns with Democratic interests. More specifically, the latest accusations are directed against The New York Times, Politico, and Thomas Reuters Corporation, which is the parent company of TRSS and the Reuters news agency.

“DOGE: Looks like radical left Reuters was paid US$9,000,000 by the Department of Defense to study ‘large-scale social deception.’ Give back the money, now!” Trump posted on social media.

“DOGE: Why was Politico paid millions of dollars for nothing? Buying the press??? Pay back the money to the taxpayers! How much has the failing New York Times paid? Is this the money that is keeping it open??? They are buying the press!” he added.

Last week, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that she had confirmed that over US$8 million had been allocated to subsidize Politico subscriptions, emphasizing that this would not happen again because “the DOGE team is working on canceling those payments now.” Musk implied that the Department of Defense’s contract was a cover to conceal the transfer of funds for other purposes.

“Musk, who has been tasked by the president with dismantling federal agencies and laying off hundreds of thousands of federal workers while slashing ‘fraud and waste,’ took aim at Reuters on Wednesday night, shortly after the outlet reported that the majority of his DOGE spending cuts were based on ideology rather than cost savings,” the British newspaper The Independent reported.

In reality, however, the contract with Reuters took effect in September 2018 during Trump’s first term and concluded in November 2022. At that time, the Pentagon justified the contract by classifying it as an expense under “Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services” and “Research and Development.”

The revelation about the payment to Thomas Reuters Corporation comes as DOGE has uncovered a scheme of wasteful spending within the government. More specifically, in recent days, Musk has heavily criticized the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and has demanded its closure. In response, Trump froze all USAID funds for 90 days, except for those allocated to Israel and Egypt. This measure has halted USAID operations in most of the 180 countries where the U.S. agency operates.

teleSUR/ JF

Sources: EFE – The Independent

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