Podcast Summary: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: Best Of Buck Brief – Why Was Biden's USAID Funding Terrorists?
Date: November 25, 2025
Guest: Mike Benz (Executive Director, Foundation for Freedom Online)
Host: Buck Sexton

Episode Overview

In this special segment, Buck Sexton interviews Mike Benz to tackle alarming recent news about the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The discussion explores claims about USAID destroying classified documents, its history of covert activity and alleged funding for terrorist organizations, and broader allegations of misuse of government funds for political, union, and educational manipulation worldwide. The episode shines a spotlight on what Benz believes to be USAID’s role as an unaccountable extension of U.S. statecraft, including material support for groups and causes not widely understood by the American public.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. USAID's Sudden Document Destruction Operation

Timestamp: 03:47–08:34

• Flurry of Destruction:
  • Mike Benz highlights an "all-day group event" at USAID to shred and burn all remaining documents in classified safes and personnel records.
  • The official explanation is that document destruction is a normal part of agency closure, but the language of the orders and the urgency raised suspicions.
• Concerns about Digital Duplicates:
  • Benz voices mistrust that digital copies will suffice, referencing cases from the FBI and other agencies where digital records were incomplete or corrupted:

    "If you don't have the paper records, you don’t necessarily have a faithful duplicate." – Mike Benz (07:45)

• Potential to Destroy Unique Evidence:
  • Benz warns that USAID may have created classified documents under Samantha Power, which might not be duplicated elsewhere. Lack of transparency in selecting which records to burn could hide significant wrongdoing.
• Parallel Cases:
  • He mentions past examples (e.g., FBI’s handling of Whitey Bulger files, Operation Crossfire Hurricane) that raise red flags about relying on digital archiving.

2. USAID’s True Role: More Than Humanitarian Aid

Timestamp: 09:50–13:07

• Public Perception vs. Reality:
  • Benz argues that USAID is publicly known for humanitarian assistance but actually functions as an intelligence and influence apparatus without oversight:

    "There’s really a USAID Truman Show... virtually every function in modern society... are all on USAID payroll around the world. And even here at home, which should never be allowed." – Mike Benz (10:53)

• Domestic Overreach:
  • Beyond foreign operations, Benz claims USAID funds have even been used domestically via foundations and media companies, indirectly targeting political opponents.

3. Material Support for Terrorist Groups

Timestamp: 13:07–15:02

• Direct Funding:
  • Benz shares that Congress heard recent testimony confirming USAID funds sometimes flow to designated terrorist groups when intelligence agencies want plausible deniability or cannot get presidential sign-off.

    "There is a Middle East monitor and other reporting outlets have also disclosed hundreds of millions of dollars. I believe it’s in the billions." – Mike Benz (13:22)

• Bypassing Legal Restrictions:
  • Contractors (unlike grantees) receive USAID funds without having to comply with anti-terrorism finance laws, enabling indirect funding for proxy fighters.

    "Contractors can be used to completely end run the sort of money laundering obligations that banks are subject to." – Mike Benz (13:56)

• Specific Example — Syria:
  • Refers to a Syrian rebel leader, now de facto ruler post-coup, receiving both a U.S. State Department bounty and, later, assistance from USAID, culminating in allegations of ethnic violence.

4. Manipulating Foreign and Domestic Politics

Timestamp: 15:13–18:54

• Unions as Policy Tools:
  • Benz describes use of union funding by USAID, State, and the Department of Labor to foment street protests—so-called "renta-riot" tactics, which have featured heavily in color revolutions:

    "AFL CIO... used to be known as the AFL CIA... [because] of partnerships with the CIA’s international... fomenting street revolution protests abroad." – Mike Benz (16:31)

• Attack on Political Opponents:
  • Claims unions receiving U.S. taxpayer money have been used to back politicians like Lula in Brazil, and to organize protests targeting figures such as Elon Musk and U.S. conservatives domestically.
• Accountability Concerns:
  • Questions whether the U.S. public should be funding groups that protest domestic entities or act in ways contrary to taxpayer interests.

5. The Corrupt Nexus in Higher Education

Timestamp: 19:07–24:32

• Department of Education Shake-Up:
  • Benz criticizes U.S. education bureaucracies for stifling innovation and tying universities to government and intelligence community agendas.
• Media and Endowments:
  • Exposes the awarding of lucrative government contracts to media companies like Reuters, suggesting unseemly partnerships and possible hit pieces against figures like Elon Musk.
• Universities’ Deep State Connection:
  • Historically, area studies and international development programs at top universities (Columbia, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania) were established with CIA and State Department collaboration, directly benefiting university endowments through privatization programs such as those in post-Soviet Russia.

    "There needs to be a full review not just of Department of Education funding or USAID funding, but really the role of these endowments being hitched to the Star of the Blob and profiting themselves, pocketing it for themselves." – Mike Benz (23:51)

• “The Blob” and Endowments:
  • Calls for a systemic review of how public funds are funneled into elite academic endowments to advance establishment agendas without benefit to students.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Document Destruction:
  "It was a very unusual email... to shred and burn all the remaining documents... the language in the email was pretty extreme. It was a sort of fire sale." – Mike Benz (04:21)
• On Digital Duplicates and Lost Files:
  "Digital duplicates can... have flaws. We saw this with the FBI... It’s quite possible something like that could happen in this case as well." – Mike Benz (07:34)
• On USAID and Terrorism:
  "If the CIA wants to support those groups... and the President doesn’t want to... they can simply launder it through USAID." – Mike Benz (13:30)
• On Union Funding:
  "I have no problem. I'm not pro or anti union. But when you're subsidized by US taxpayer dollars and we're paying to be protested against, that's a horse of a different color." – Mike Benz (18:38)
• On University Profiteering:
  "These are powerhouse businesses, not really 501c3s. They have $50 billion in the Harvard endowment and I think much of that is ill-gotten gains from partnerships with the CIA, State Department, [and] Defense Department." – Mike Benz (23:31)

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | Topic | |------------|----------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:47 | Interview starts | Why is USAID burning documents? | | 04:21–08:34| Benz details document destruction | Reasons, concerns, and historical parallels | | 09:50–13:07| USAID as an intelligence front | Domestic and global influence operations | | 13:07–15:02| Material support for terror organizations | Bypassing oversight, specific examples | | 15:13–18:54| Unions and funding for political interference| “Rent-a-riot,” international examples | | 19:07–24:32| U.S. education and “The Blob” | Corruption, endowment profiteering, media manipulation |

Episode Tone

• Language: Direct, probing, conspiratorial in tone
• Speaker Style: Mike Benz is detailed, animated, and keen on backing claims with examples. Buck Sexton guides the conversation and highlights the implications for U.S. governance and accountability.

Conclusion

This episode provides an in-depth, critical perspective on USAID and related government agencies’ alleged use of taxpayer funds for operations well beyond humanitarian aid—including clandestine support of foreign factions, interference in domestic politics, and profiteering by large educational and media institutions. The conversation urges listeners to re-examine government transparency and the hidden levers of U.S. power at home and abroad.