'USAID funded Trump impeachment': When Shellenberger 'exposed' Deep State at US hearing |2025 REWIND

US Government Funding of Censorship & Regime Change Activities

Key Concepts:

• USAID: United States Agency for International Development – implicated in funding organizations involved in information control and potentially the Trump impeachment.
• OCCP: Organization funded by USAID, central to evidence in the 2019 whistleblower report leading to Trump’s impeachment, also linked to the Russia Gate hoax.
• Track F Grants (NSF): National Science Foundation grants specifically allocated for the development of censorship tools, including AI-driven filtering systems.
• CISA: Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (within DHS) – accused of violating free speech through the Election Integrity Partnership.
• Election Integrity Partnership (EIP): CISA-sponsored project involving Stanford and other organizations, focused on content moderation and removal, raising First Amendment concerns.
• DHS: Department of Homeland Security – implicated in weaponizing agencies for potentially treasonous activities.
• DARPA/DoD: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency/Department of Defense – source of funding and projects recycled into NSF Track F grants.
• Mis-, Dis-, Malinformation: Terms flagged as “Orwellian” and targeted for defunding.

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USAID Funding & the Trump Impeachment

The discussion began with tracing the origins of the evidence used in the 2019 whistleblower report that led to President Trump’s impeachment. Mr. Shelonburgger explained that a key piece of evidence originated from the OCCP, an organization funded and controlled by USAID. This organization was not only central to the impeachment proceedings but was also reportedly involved in the creation of information used in the “Russia Gate” hoax. He characterized USAID as having a “much larger fund of money and a much broader strategy for information control” encompassing both censorship and attempts to control investigative journalism globally. He expressed approval of the shutdown of the OCCP under the Doge administration, suggesting potential for future re-funding only if valuable functions are identified. The core argument is that USAID’s activities extend beyond development aid and into the realm of influencing political narratives, potentially illegally.

Borderline Treason: Weaponizing Government Agencies

A central theme raised was the potential for treasonous activity when government agencies tasked with protecting the country are instead used to undermine it. The speaker asserted that attempting regime change, weaponizing agencies like DHS, FBI, and CISA, constitutes treason, particularly when these tactics, previously employed abroad, are directed against the American people and their representatives. This concern stems from the perception that these agencies are being used for domestic political manipulation.

NSF Track F Grants: Subsidizing Censorship

Mr. Shelonburgger detailed the National Science Foundation’s Track F grants, describing them as designed to “create censorship tools” that would act as “middleware” – systems like NewsGuard and the Global Disinformation Index – to filter information based on centralized authority’s definition of “truth.” He characterized the program as “horrifying” and advocated for its complete elimination, alongside a thorough investigation into its origins. He emphasized that taxpayers were directly funding the development of these censorship tools, which were intended for use by social media companies (Facebook, X, Microsoft) and others. He further noted that many of these NSF grants were derived from older projects originating from DARPA and the Department of Defense.

A relatable analogy was used: “when I coached T-ball, the kids shared helmets and so occasionally there would be an outbreak of lice and we'd comfort the parents by saying it's not it's not a sin to get lice, it's a sin to keep lice.” This was used to illustrate the need to not only stop funding these programs but to actively dismantle them. He announced plans to reintroduce a bill to eliminate Track F grants and urged the White House and Doge administration to defund projects labeled with terms like “mis-, disc-, or malinformation,” deeming them “Orwellian.”

CISA & the Election Integrity Partnership: First Amendment Violations

The discussion then turned to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Mr. Taibbe explained that CISA’s “Election Integrity Partnership” (EIP), run by Stanford University and involving several other partners (Center for an Informed Public, University of Washington, Graphika, Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Labs), was essentially a content moderation and removal operation funded by American taxpayers. Evidence from the “Twitter Files” and Chairman Jordan’s investigations revealed that the EIP project was initiated “at the behest of DHS,” effectively making it a CISA-sponsored project. This is presented as a clear example of taxpayers unknowingly funding the violation of their First Amendment rights.

The Broader Implications & Call to Action

Mr. Shelonburgger reiterated the severity of the situation, suggesting a “death penalty” for organizations like CISA that engage in First Amendment violations, while acknowledging the importance of cybersecurity itself. He emphasized the need to prevent these activities from being “re-fed” in the upcoming omnibus bill. The conversation concluded with the introduction of a Newsmax article ("Shelonburgger USAID paid for Trump impeachment effort") into the record, dated February 6, 2025.

Notable Quotes:

• “If you're trying to do regime change, illegal if you're weaponizing DHS, FBI, uh, SISA, that's that's treasonous regime change activities.” – Mr. Shelonburgger
• “All of TrackF in my view should be eliminated.” – Mr. Shelonburgger
• “You need to go after these track F grants and defund anything that's says miss, disc, or malinformation. Those are all in my opinion Orwellian terms.” – Mr. Shelonburgger

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Conclusion:

The discussion paints a concerning picture of US government agencies, particularly USAID, NSF, and CISA, engaging in activities that potentially undermine democratic processes and violate First Amendment rights. The core argument is that taxpayer money is being used to fund censorship tools and potentially illegal regime change efforts, both domestically and abroad. The speakers advocate for the defunding and dismantling of these programs, alongside investigations into their origins and motivations, and a strong stance against the weaponization of government agencies. The overall takeaway is a call for greater transparency and accountability within these agencies to protect fundamental freedoms and prevent further abuse of power.