Questions abound over exactly where the more than $100 billion sent by the U.S. to Ukraine over the last two years has gone. But at least some of that American taxpayer money is going to fund Ukraine's war propaganda machine. A Real Clear Investigations report finds that the U.S. is helping to fund several Ukrainian media outlets that push pro-war propaganda and censor anyone who questions or criticizes the war with Russia, including prominent Americans. The money flows to these outlets through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
While ostensibly fighting "misinformation" about Ukraine and the war, these outlets have engaged in many of the same tactics as some American media. Namely, attacking and seeking to silence anyone who doesn't fully support President Zelensky and continuing the two-plus year war with Russia. They have attacked American critics like Tucker Carlson, Glenn Greenwald, and economist Jeffrey Sachs as agents of "Russian propaganda."
It is not surprising that Ukrainian media would push pro-Ukraine and pro-Zelensky propaganda, but it is a major issue when the U.S. is helping to fund it. That is why a growing number of Republicans in Congress are demanding an end to the endless funding to Ukraine. "We literally just gave away every ounce of leverage we have (to get a border security bill.) Why? To fund Ukraine, unpaid for, with no clear mission," said Congressman Chip Roy (R-TX) on the House floor after passage of the latest foreign aid bill.
Congressman Cory Mills (R-FL) has been among those calling for cutting off all funding to Ukraine unless there is a full accounting of where the money is going. "In 2022, Marjorie Taylor Greene put (a bill) on the floor to do a 100-percent audit on Ukraine," Mills told the Firebrand podcast. "We said that was our benchmark, before we talk about any further funding, we want a 100-percent audit of this thing. No one wanted to do it."
Mills has no doubt that U.S. dollars are going to fund corruption in Ukraine. "When you talk about how many people Zelensky has gotten rid of for corruption, when you talk about all of these others there who are basically taking some off the top and giving it back to the officials," he told the podcast. "We're talking about 100-plus billion dollars, imagine if just a fraction of that went to our own border."
"That's why I say no more money to Ukraine, no more money to these foreign wars," Mills continued. "Secure and put America first, and invest in our industrial base."
Photo: AFP