RASC News Agency: A bombshell report by the U.S. Office of Government Efficiency, under the leadership of Elon Musk, has exposed massive financial mismanagement within the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), revealing that over the past decade, $13 million in public funds were misappropriated for personal expenses. One of the recipients of these questionable payments is Mohammad Qasim Halimi, Afghanistan’s former Minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs and a former Taliban official, who reportedly received $132,000 from the institute. The report, published on Tuesday, April 1, via X (formerly Twitter), did not disclose the purpose of the payment or how Halimi utilized the funds. USIP, which annually receives approximately $55 million in congressional funding, has come under intense scrutiny for allegedly spending these funds without proper oversight during the previous U.S. administration.
The Office of Government Efficiency revealed that USIP funneled $13 million into private accounts, with substantial amounts allegedly used for personal luxuries and unauthorized travel. Among those benefiting from these payments was Mohammad Qasim Halimi, who previously served as Chief of Protocol for the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs during their first regime, receiving a direct transfer of $132,000. Additionally, the report highlights that over $2.23 million was quietly funneled into offshore accounts, with these transactions only being uncovered after deleted records were successfully recovered.
The controversy deepened when, following Donald Trump’s return to the presidency, his administration suspended all U.S. foreign aid programs, including USAID projects, for 90 days, leading to the abrupt cancellation of numerous international development and humanitarian initiatives. These revelations have sparked serious concerns over financial transparency and accountability within Washington’s foreign aid operations, fueling growing calls for congressional investigations into the handling of U.S. taxpayer funds by institutions like USIP.
