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Feds May Fund Terror, Report Says

November 23, 2007 8:30 AM

Fedsmayfundt_mn_2 The U.S. government can't be sure taxpayer money isn't winding up in terrorists' pockets, it admitted recently.

According to a recent government audit stamped "Sensitive but Unclassified" obtained by the Chicago Tribune, the U.S. Agency for International Development can't be sure that some of the billions in aid it distributes annually doesn't go to individuals or groups with terrorist ties, the paper reported.

"Although it conducts programs in countries where terrorism is a major concern, USAID has not developed or instituted a worldwide anti-terrorism program," the Tribune quoted from the audit prepared by the USAID inspector general. "USAID risks providing funding or other material support and resources to terrorists or terrorist organizations."

Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.

The Tribune notes that federal law bans the practice of giving money to groups considered terrorist organizations by the U.S. government.

Rep. Mark Kirk, D-Ill., requested the audit after learning that USAID, the nation's largest distributor of foreign aid, had on occasion approved money for questionable recipients, including the Palestinian group Hamas, labeled a terrorist group by the U.S. government, and a Bosnian group whose president was barred from entering the United States.

Inspector General Donald A. Gambatesa concluded that both grants "could have been avoided if USAID had comprehensive vetting policies and procedures."

A USAID spokesman told the Tribune the agency was "taking [the report] very seriously."

Do you have a tip for Brian Ross and the Investigative Team?

November 23, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (9)

User Comments

100 Million Americans already fund terrorism ! As long as drugs remain illegal they'll keep it up !

Posted by: kenny | Nov 23, 2007 3:08:49 PM

Of course the USA taxpayer funds terrorism. Right now, the US Congress has allocated $75 million to foment regime change in Iran, a completely illegal act under the UN Charter and some of this funding is being channeled by the CIA to a known terrorist group called Jundullah, based on the border of Pakistan and Iran. THis information is in the public domain. The USA has a long and inglorious history of using taxpayer money to fund acts of international terrorism, such as deposing legally elected leaders of sovereign nations, supplying weapons and logistics to terrorist groups and more than the space here allows me to list. So the answer is - yes, the US taxpayer has been funding terrorists for decades, but unfortunately, the biggest terrorist of them all is the US government. You don't believe me? Google anything that I have stated and you will see what I mean.

Posted by: Ziggy | Nov 23, 2007 6:19:18 PM

Do those terrorists invade countries with trumped up intelligence?

Posted by: Sandra Lea | Nov 24, 2007 5:00:19 AM

Ziggi is one more in a long line of America haters. He shouts his insults of hate which are based on unfounded conspiracy theories on blogs and web sites. Yet, he overlooks documented atrocities and war crimes committed by leftist heroes Stalin, Chairman Mao, Che, Castro, et al. "The 'useful idiots' will bring us victory"...J. Stalin.
McCarthy was right!!

Posted by: AntiMoonbat | Nov 24, 2007 7:37:46 AM

Can't be sure? Oh, please! Of course some of the taxpayers' money winds up in the hands of terrorists. When you are dropping cash at lightning speed in the Middle East, some of it is bound to end up in a terrorist training camp.

We've been funding a terrorist enclave at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Wash. DC for nearly seven years now.

Posted by: I'm Sure | Nov 24, 2007 7:49:34 AM

Of course the United States funds terrorism. By doing business with Saudi Arabia we are doing so. The Saudis are two faced and back stabbing. How many Saudis were on the planes on 9/11? I think it was 14 out of 19. An excellent book is "House of Bush House of Saud" which talks about how America is in bed with the devil. We are funding our own demise every day of the week.

Posted by: Eric | Nov 24, 2007 11:48:35 AM

Our intelligence agencies often work at cross purposes. Tight compartmentalism and 'smokestack' chain of command ensures even spooks working the same bureau will not know what their neighbor in the next cubicle is doing. "Enemy" and "terrorist" are relative only in context to the mision at hand. Mix in plenty of narco trafficking by the CIA and others to fund black ops, and it's no wonder folks have a hard time understanding who's really the bad guy out there. Unfortunately, we have a long history of overthrowing democratic governments to insert pro-US dictators. The resulting carnage, at least from the population's perspective, can only be termed as terrorism.

Posted by: h5mind | Nov 25, 2007 12:43:44 AM

Since too long now an "executive order" has trumped the laws of this land -

and Americans haven't done a thing about it. Seems we've allowed our executive branch of government do just about anything it pleases.

The day we start enforcing our laws (where's the law permitting us to fund "regime change")is the day when questions like this won't have to be posed.

Posted by: waitingfor08 | Nov 25, 2007 7:16:32 AM

I really think it's time we let Germany and France handle some of the situations that mandate the CIA having to do things that 'nice people like us' don't wish to talk about. We saw the Soviets trying to take Afghanistan in the '80s in order to obtain a warm water port for their navy...and wound up supporting what became the Taliban. Would any of you who are condemning the US now (ziggy) have objected to us then trying to help out these tribesmen against a Soviet/KGB take-over? It's easy to criticize after time has passed - and you're all safe and sound in the good ole USA.

Posted by: Bill | Nov 25, 2007 11:52:58 PM

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