Canadian Tories funneled $8M in tax money to US Republican Party's NGO

Cory Doctorow 2:40 pm Fri Oct 9, 2015

Under the Stephen Harper government, $8M was given to the John McCain-chaired International Republican Institute, a non-governmental organization started by the US Republican party to advocate for right-wing policies abroad.

The money came out of the tax-funded Canadian International Development Agency, whose work is supposed to support literacy, hygiene, access to medicine and water, and other core development goals.

IRI's primary funder is USAID, a US soft diplomacy institution that funds overseas development in countries of strategic importance to the USA. IRI has been implicated in supporting coup d'etats in Central America and the Caribbean.

The Canadian tax dollars that went to the IRI were earmarked for "Strengthening Multiparty Democracy" in Ukraine.

International Republican Institute – Development

(Image: Republican Elephant & Democratic Donkey – Icons , Donkeyhotey, CC-BY; Stephen Harper Head, public domain)

Trump administration gave a $700M bailout to a $70M truck company after it allegedly defrauded the Pentagon

The Washington Post reports: The Treasury Department announced Wednesday that it will loan $700 million to a trucking firm that ships military equipment, in exchange for having U.S. taxpayers acquire… READ THE REST
U.S. appeals court rejects Trump's attempt to escape 'emoluments' lawsuit over D.C. Trump Hotel

Bad legal news for Orange President Kleptocrat today. He's gonna be in a mood. READ THE REST
Asked about dropping Mike Flynn criminal charges, A.G. Barr gives the worst answer yet

Asked about the Justice Department's intent to drop all criminal charges against impeached President Trump's first national security advisor, Mike Flynn, Trump's Attorney General Bill Barr says nothing matters, and… READ THE REST
Short Post, just one paragraph

Dessert cheesecake wafer bear claw fruitcake. Fruitcake chupa chups donut candy canes marzipan. Apple pie sweet roll tart chocolate cake macaroon marshmallow carrot cake gummi bears sweet. Pastry sugar plum… READ THE REST
Save 50% on a 1-year subscription to Dashlane's premium password manager

We all know vital information about ourselves and our private digital accounts can be compromised by cybercriminals. However, many would be frightened to know just how compromised they and their… READ THE REST
The Bite Helper removes the itch of a mosquito bite in seconds

While mosquitoes have certainly earned their title as the deadliest animal on earth, their impact on most of our lives is usually a lot less consequential. But even though they… READ THE REST