Destruction of world’s largest humanitarian programme was done without formal authority or official oversight, former USAID employees claim
Elon Musk, leader of the Trump administration’s now-disbanded Department of Government Efficiency, must sit for depositions along with senior State Department officials over their role in dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.
Pointing to findings that Musk had made the decision to break up USAID – one of the world’s largest humanitarian programs – despite lacking formal authority or official approval – District Judge Theodore Chuang wrote that there was “no alternative” than for Musk and other officials to provide testimony regarding their decision-making process.
The ruling represents a win for a group of anonymous former USAID employees who are suing Musk, DOGE and State Department officials over the closure.
And what will that do?
It should be remembered that when AOC made her first appearance with Congress, it was to question Michael Cohen during his testimony, before going to prison. She rapidfired questions at him, and he rapidfired answers right back, and that testimony formed the foundation of Leticia James’ successful prosecution of Trump and verdict of guilty on 34 felonies. So real consequences can come from these Congressional dog & pony shows.
Furthermore, they will be under oath, so if they say anything that contradicts anything else, it’s perjury. And this testimony will be the official record, so if they ever make a statement that contradicts it, it’s perjury again.
Also, they’re going to try to avoid testifying, so we may get the opportunity to imprison them when they refuse to honor the subpoenas.
And when they do testify, we get to use their lies against them in campaigns, etc., and they get to put their virtuosic stupidity, ignorance, and evil on display for the entire world.
At worst? Ever so slightly stoke voter outrage at this whole fiasco and increase awareness of the oligarch class.
At best? Fines, jail time, reinstatement of disbanded agencies.
Nothing in the at best camp is likely to happen, but making a spectacle out of it and potentially getting someone to admit something they don’t mean to will likely help nudge some voters. Even if they’re mostly left leaning getting more people to turn out will help.