Dan Stubbs
FORGET ---- HELL
- Banned
- #1
The following was discovered and reported by Judicial Watch this week.
Obama Administration Funded Sorosâ Left-Wing Activities in Albania
Last week, I reported to you on our efforts to expose the Obama administrationâs funding of George Sorosâ left-wing political activities in Romania and Colombia. I also noted that we were pursuing his actions in Albania.
This week Iâm pleased to say that we have results. We have obtained 32 pages of records showing that the Obama administration sent U.S. taxpayersâ funds to a Soros-backed group that used the money to fund left-wing political activities in Albania. That included working with the countryâs socialist government to push for highly controversial judicial âreform.â The records also detail how the Soros operation helped the State Department review grant applications from other groups for taxpayer funding.
We obtained the records in our May 26, 2017, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) after both the State Department and USAID failed to respond to our March 31, 2017, FOIA requests (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (No. 1:17-cv-01012)). We agreed to dismiss the lawsuit after we finally received the documents and payment of attorneysâ fees.
The new documents show USAID funds were funneled through that agencyâs Civil Society Project to back Sorosâ left-wing Open Society Foundations in Albania, particularly the Soros operation efforts to give the socialist government greater control of the judiciary. USAID reportedly gave $9 million in 2016 to the âJustice for Allâ campaign, which is overseen by Sorosâ âEast West Management Institute.â
In March 2017 a group of six U.S. Senators led by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) sent a letter to then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson asking that he investigate charges that the U.S. government was using taxpayer funds to assist Soros in Albania. The letter said: âFoundation Open Society-Albania and its experts, with funding from USAID, have created the controversial Strategy Document for Albanian Judicial Reform. Some leaders believe that these âreformsâ are ultimately aimed to give the Prime Minister and left-of-center government full control over the judiciary.â In the Albanian parliament, opposition leaders have labeled the Strategy âa Soros-sponsored reform.â
The new records we released include an April 2016 memo from the U.S. Embassy in Tirana that reveals that the embassy âsponsoredâ a survey along with Sorosâ Open Society Foundation to measure Albanian citizensâ âknowledge, support, and expectations on justice reform.â The Soros group survey reported that â91% of respondents either âfully supportâ or âsomewhat supportâ the need for judicial reform.â The poll did not specify the type of reform the Soros group was seeking.
Also, records dated February 2017 show that the State Department used taxpayer funds to co-sponsor a second poll with the Open Society Foundation on judicial reforms that would essentially solidify the leftâs control of the Albanian government. The report notes that the U.S. Embassyâs Public Affairs Section and the Open Society Foundation âeach provided funding to a local organization to conduct a public opinion poll on attitudes towards the Judicial Reform effort.â
The records also reveal that the State Department gave the Soros organization direct input for its own program funding reviews in Albania. The February 10, 2017, report on âEngagement with the Open Society Foundation for Albaniaâ notes that âAs one of the major assistance providers in Albania, representatives from the Open Society Foundation are frequently asked to participate in technical reviews of application [sic] that we receive for funding.â
U.S. Ambassador to Albania Donald Lu, a holdover from the Obama administration, has been closely linked to Soros and the socialist government in Albania. In May 2017, Lu helped undermine Albanian opposition party plans to protest the upcoming parliamentary election by declaring that the U.S. would recognize the election results even if opposition parties refused to participate. Lu has been described in the U.S. press as âa driving force behind Albaniaâs judicial reforms.â
The Obama administration quietly spent at least $9 million in U.S. taxpayersâ dollars in direct collusion with left-wing billionaire George Sorosâ backing of a socialist government in Albania. It is particularly outrageous that the State Department allowed the Soros operation to help direct taxpayer funds to other groups. George Soros is a billionaire, and he shouldnât be receiving taxpayer support to advance his radical left agenda to undermine freedom here at home and abroad.
We have more Soros-related lawsuits pending, so I expect we will have more to report to you on the scandal in the coming months.
Obama Administration Funded Sorosâ Left-Wing Activities in Albania
Last week, I reported to you on our efforts to expose the Obama administrationâs funding of George Sorosâ left-wing political activities in Romania and Colombia. I also noted that we were pursuing his actions in Albania.
This week Iâm pleased to say that we have results. We have obtained 32 pages of records showing that the Obama administration sent U.S. taxpayersâ funds to a Soros-backed group that used the money to fund left-wing political activities in Albania. That included working with the countryâs socialist government to push for highly controversial judicial âreform.â The records also detail how the Soros operation helped the State Department review grant applications from other groups for taxpayer funding.
We obtained the records in our May 26, 2017, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) after both the State Department and USAID failed to respond to our March 31, 2017, FOIA requests (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (No. 1:17-cv-01012)). We agreed to dismiss the lawsuit after we finally received the documents and payment of attorneysâ fees.
The new documents show USAID funds were funneled through that agencyâs Civil Society Project to back Sorosâ left-wing Open Society Foundations in Albania, particularly the Soros operation efforts to give the socialist government greater control of the judiciary. USAID reportedly gave $9 million in 2016 to the âJustice for Allâ campaign, which is overseen by Sorosâ âEast West Management Institute.â
In March 2017 a group of six U.S. Senators led by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) sent a letter to then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson asking that he investigate charges that the U.S. government was using taxpayer funds to assist Soros in Albania. The letter said: âFoundation Open Society-Albania and its experts, with funding from USAID, have created the controversial Strategy Document for Albanian Judicial Reform. Some leaders believe that these âreformsâ are ultimately aimed to give the Prime Minister and left-of-center government full control over the judiciary.â In the Albanian parliament, opposition leaders have labeled the Strategy âa Soros-sponsored reform.â
The new records we released include an April 2016 memo from the U.S. Embassy in Tirana that reveals that the embassy âsponsoredâ a survey along with Sorosâ Open Society Foundation to measure Albanian citizensâ âknowledge, support, and expectations on justice reform.â The Soros group survey reported that â91% of respondents either âfully supportâ or âsomewhat supportâ the need for judicial reform.â The poll did not specify the type of reform the Soros group was seeking.
Also, records dated February 2017 show that the State Department used taxpayer funds to co-sponsor a second poll with the Open Society Foundation on judicial reforms that would essentially solidify the leftâs control of the Albanian government. The report notes that the U.S. Embassyâs Public Affairs Section and the Open Society Foundation âeach provided funding to a local organization to conduct a public opinion poll on attitudes towards the Judicial Reform effort.â
The records also reveal that the State Department gave the Soros organization direct input for its own program funding reviews in Albania. The February 10, 2017, report on âEngagement with the Open Society Foundation for Albaniaâ notes that âAs one of the major assistance providers in Albania, representatives from the Open Society Foundation are frequently asked to participate in technical reviews of application [sic] that we receive for funding.â
U.S. Ambassador to Albania Donald Lu, a holdover from the Obama administration, has been closely linked to Soros and the socialist government in Albania. In May 2017, Lu helped undermine Albanian opposition party plans to protest the upcoming parliamentary election by declaring that the U.S. would recognize the election results even if opposition parties refused to participate. Lu has been described in the U.S. press as âa driving force behind Albaniaâs judicial reforms.â
The Obama administration quietly spent at least $9 million in U.S. taxpayersâ dollars in direct collusion with left-wing billionaire George Sorosâ backing of a socialist government in Albania. It is particularly outrageous that the State Department allowed the Soros operation to help direct taxpayer funds to other groups. George Soros is a billionaire, and he shouldnât be receiving taxpayer support to advance his radical left agenda to undermine freedom here at home and abroad.
We have more Soros-related lawsuits pending, so I expect we will have more to report to you on the scandal in the coming months.