Musk, USAID, and a Crazy Conspiracy Theory

Recently NBC and The Washington Post have reported that Elon Musk’s hatred of USAID and his decision to feed into a wood chipper (claiming authority that Trump let alone Musk doesn’t have) is based on an insane conspiracy theory spread by an conspiracy theorist called MIke Benz. According to the Post, when Musk tweeted that USAID was a criminal organization, viper’s nest run by extreme left marxists who hate the united states, which he had “fed into a wood chipper” he was adding comments to retweets of Benz’s tweets. The case against USAID has nothing to do with reality – it is based on the idea that USAID is a front for the CIA (which is an extremely leftist orgainization according to Benz).

NBC reports

“Over the next two years, he [Benz] posted waves of tweets and dozens of hours of video presentations marked with highlighted texts and red notes, scribbles, circles and arrows, flicking at a sprawling narrative of USAID as a covert operations division of the CIA in which staff members sought to enrich themselves, spread leftist ideology at home and abroad and harm Trump. “

and

“Benz also cites unspecified “source docs” as substantiation that USAID was censoring social media. From former President Barack Obama to the Bush family, “they’re all in on it,” he told a Newsmax host Tuesday. “

“Few seemed to question Benz’s qualifications, and fewer still seemed to be aware of his identity as a former alt-right vlogger, a self-described white identitarian who posted videos under the alias Frame Game alleging a mass censorship conspiracy against white people, with links to Jewish organizations, the U.S. government and social media companies.  “

The Post reports

“Musk’s intense focus appears to have begun only late last year, when he began publicly criticizing the agency after conservative activist Mike Benz appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast to rail against it. According to a Washington Post analysis, Musk did not mention USAID on X until Dec. 10, when he began sharing commentary from Benz’s appearance on Rogan’s show the week before.

“Your brain is being tricked when you see the phrase ‘USAID.’ It’s not an aid organization,” Benz told Rogan on Dec. 3. Instead, Benz asserted, it is a front for the CIA.”

In a way, I think this is good news. By themselves Musk’s comments on the retweets showed he was out of touch with reality. Musk blindly following a white identitarian with a history of crazy conspiracy theories *might* convince Republicans that going along with him is as dangerous as standing up to him. Certainly it provides support to arguments against Musk and his actionss which threaten the rule of law.

I also dare to hope that an effort focused on eliminating USAID actions which never took place might leave room to accept the things it actually does. It is true that the publicly announced exceptions to the aid freeze for lifesaving work have not been followed by the actual flow of actual money notes the New York Times

“Even when organizations have received approvals to continue, no money has flowed. One large organization received less than 5 percent of its expected budget for the period, but others have received nothing.

“I obviously welcome that the secretary approved a waiver and put a post on the internet, but we cannot pay our bills with the post,” a senior official at a large organization said of Mr. Rubio.”

But it’s still early (not too early for permanent damage but early enough to save some of the programs that USAID actually funds).

I think it is clear that one or more of Musk’s 20 something aids has been unfortunate enough to be told to find proof of USAIDS missappropriation of funds for subversive purposes. It explains some crazy claims I have read (no links sorry — just memory). There is the crazy interpretation that USAID sends only 10% of the money it spends directly overseas. This is because they send money to US based contractors such as Catholic Relief Services (I imagine Benz asserting that it is an atheist organization whose princioal aim is to fight Christianity). Contracting out is one of the ways to keep the US federal government payroll down. Also to purchase goods (such as food) which it sends overseas. Many angry farmers will point this out.

There is also the complaint that the money goes into a web of contractors and subcontractors ( I recall the claim that defence contracting is nothing in comparison). This now sounds like a complaint by someone who can’t find evidence of subversion.

Finally it explains the mysterious claim that subscribing to Politico Pro and the New York Times is subversive.

Some poor kid (or kids) has been instructed to find proof of crazy, false, paranoid assertions,

If you want to hear them, here is a podcast of Benz

I have tweeted (I only tweet attacks on Musk and Trump) that the Trump presidency has been performed twice on the stage of history, the first time as farce and the second time as tragedy, but the USAID tragedy would also be farcical if it didn’t cause human deaths.