EXCLUSIVE: Trump admin takes action after massive fraud uncovered at agency Dems tried to protect from DOGE

Following the uncovering of a massive bribery disgrace at USAID the Small Business Administration SBA is ordering a full audit of all administration contracting officers who have exercised grant-awarding authority under the agency s business expansion venture over the last years In a letter obtained by Fox News Digital SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler noted the scale of the USAID fraud is a damning reflection of systemic failures in oversight and accountability She further announced that the fraud was not an isolated matter In response Loeffler instructed Associate Administrator Tre Pennie who oversees establishment contracts awarded by SBA to act decisively to crack down on any promising similar abuses in the agency Loeffler instructed Pennie to right now initiate a full-scale audit of the agency s awarding officers back to DEM SENATOR ACCUSES TOP TRUMP OFFICIAL OF BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN DYING The role of federal regime contracting officers is not ceremonial or self-dealing rather it is a position of immense authority and fiduciary responsibility explained Loeffler The contracting process must be transparent and built on merit not personal gain This comes after USAID an agency tasked with administering civilian foreign aid was essentially dismantled by the DOGE waste fraud and abuse cuts made under Elon Musk and President Donald Trump The move was met with massive protests from Democrats who claimed that cutting USAID would impoverish and harm recipients across the globe Despite declares of how much good the agency was doing it was in the past few days discovered that an influential contracting officer at USAID named Roderick Watson was able to carry out a massive long-term bribery scheme dating all the way back to Watson pleaded guilty to bribery of a general official according to a DOJ press release TOP DEM DEMANDS ANSWERS FROM SOCIAL PRECAUTION CLAIMING WAIT TIMES SPIKED DURING DOGE CUTSAccording to the DOJ Watson sold his influence starting in with contractors Walter Barnes owner of Vistant and Darryl Britt owner of Apprio funneling payoffs through subcontractor Paul Young to hide their tracks A DOJ press release noted that Britt and Barnes regularly funneled bribes to Watson including cash laptops thousands of dollars in tickets to a suite at an NBA battle a country club wedding downpayments on two residential mortgages cellular phones and jobs for relatives The bribes were also often concealed through electronic bank transfers falsely listing Watson on payroll incorporated shell companies and false invoices The report explained that Watson is alleged to have received bribes valued at more than approximately million as part of the scheme Vistant was awarded in November as part of a joint venture a contract worth up to million with one of the focuses of that contract being to address a variety of issues affecting the root causes of irregular migration from Central America to the United States an issue that President Joe Biden tasked then-Vice President Kamala Harris with during his presidency FOR SALE DOGE MOVES TO SELL OFF ALMOST HALF A BILLION IN FEDERAL REAL ESTATE RELOCATE CABINET AGENCY HQSSeveral days later that contract was canceled after USAID published a notice that stated Vistant was excluded from governing body contracting due to evidence of conduct of a lack of business honesty or integrity The joint venture then successfully sued the administration over being put on that exclusion list and was re-awarded the contract and given a payment in August In her letter Loeffler stated the USAID disgrace represents a collapse in the very safeguards that are supposed to protect American taxpayer dollars and ensure fair access for legitimate small businesses She slammed the Biden administration for awarding the million contract to Vistant despite the business being labeled by USAID as lacking honesty and integrity The fact that a federal official was able to act as the linchpin of a persistent large-scale fraud operation speaks to a failure in internal controls and a breakdown in the contracting ecosystem that demands immediate correction disclosed Loeffler MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE LAUNCHES PROBE INTO PLANNED PARENTHOOD'S USE OF TAXPAYER FUNDSShe revealed that SBA plays a critical role in federal contracting and will no longer stand by while abuses are perpetrated at the expense of taxpayers and deserving small businesses Loeffler disclosed the agency s audit will begin with high-dollar and limited competition contracts within SBA s a business maturation activity The findings will be referred to the U S Office of Inspector General OIG and the DOJ Any functionaries or businesses exposed in violation of the SBA s ethical standards or who have committed criminal misconduct will be referred to the appropriate bureaucrats and SBA will assist the DOJ in recovering misappropriated funds Loeffler mentioned We will not allow inhabitants trust to be quietly eroded by backdoor deals and unchecked discretion reported Loeffler We owe it to America s small businesses to get this right she went on Your office has the authority and now the mandate to act decisively