Political news site Politico was compelled to release a statement on Thursday debunking a new conspiracy theory against them that has circulated with a boost from President Donald Trump.
Amid widespread reporting and criticism of the Trump administration's efforts, driven by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and tech billionaire Elon Musk, to dismantle the U.S. Agency for Internal Development, or USAID, Trump and his supporters have pushed a claim that Politico is funded by the agency — and that the money is being laundered through subscriptions to the organization's premium tier content.
“LOOKS LIKE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS HAVE BEEN STOLLEN (sic) AT USAID, AND OTHER AGENCIES, MUCH OF IT GOING TO THE FAKE NEWS MEDIA AS A ‘PAYOFF’ FOR CREATING GOOD STORIES ABOUT THE DEMOCRATS,” he posted to Truth Social.
This is nonsense, Politico wrote in its response.
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"POLITICO has been the subject of debate on X this week. Some of it has been misinformed, and some of it has been flat-out false. Let’s set the record straight," said the statement. "POLITICO is a privately owned company. We have never received any government funding — no subsidies, no grants, no handouts. Not one dime, ever, in 18 years."
"POLITICO Pro is different," the statement continued. "It is a professional subscription service used by companies, organizations, and, yes, some government agencies. They subscribe because it makes them better at their jobs — helping them track policy, legislation, and regulations in real-time with news, intelligence, and a suite of data products. At its core, POLITICO Pro is about transparency and accountability: Shining a light on the work of the agencies, regulators, and policymakers throughout our vast federal government."
Most of those subscriptions are held by private sector firms, noted the statement — and as for the small fraction held by the federal government, "through standard public procurement processes — just like any other tool they buy to work smarter and be more efficient. This is not funding. It is a transaction — just as the government buys research, equipment, software, and industry reports."
"We stand by our work, our values, and our commitment to transparency, accountability, and efficiency — the same principles that drive great journalism and great business," the statement concluded.