Written by James Walker.

Politico has found itself in hot water after it couldn’t pay its employees on time, and the explanation it provided only raised more questions than it answered. The company sent an email to workers blaming the issue on a “glitch” in its vendor systems. The timing of this glitch has fueled suspicions about the real cause, with some wondering if the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) had been funding Politico—and if that funding had suddenly disappeared when the Trump administration took control.

The question many are asking: Did Politico lose its government funding, and if so, why wasn’t it disclosed? Critics immediately jumped on the news, suggesting that the failure to pay workers was connected to the shutdown of USAID under President Trump’s leadership. The question here isn’t just about a missed paycheck, but about whether the publication has been receiving government funds that it didn’t tell its readers about.

The Blame Game and Missing Details

Politico’s official explanation for the delayed payments was a technical glitch. According to the email sent to employees, the company was working with vendors and banks to get to the bottom of the issue and promised to resolve it quickly. While it’s possible that a system error could have caused the problem, the timing couldn’t be more suspicious.

For one, Politico had been publishing stories about USAID, and its lack of disclosure about possible government payments has raised eyebrows. It’s one thing to miss a paycheck due to a system malfunction, but when that glitch happens just as a major shift in government funding is happening, the situation starts to look like more than just a technical error.

USAID, Corruption, and the Politico Connection

One of the most interesting parts of this story involves USAID itself. Under President Trump, USAID came under heavy scrutiny for alleged corruption and inefficiency. Elon Musk, tasked with reducing government waste, famously referred to USAID as a “ball of worms,” implying that the agency was so tangled with problems that it couldn’t be fixed. His comments raised serious concerns about how taxpayer money was being spent and whether agencies like USAID were involved in shady dealings with media organizations like Politico.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that government subscriptions to outlets like Politico were essentially subsidized by taxpayer money, a practice the Trump administration had been trying to end. The implication here is clear: If Politico was receiving money from USAID to fund its operations, it would not only be a scandal for the company, but a massive one for the entire media landscape.

The Bigger Question: What’s Really Going On?

The email Politico sent to its employees didn’t provide much clarity, and the timing of the glitch only makes the situation more suspicious. Social media is buzzing with speculation that Politico may have been receiving money from the government through USAID and that it failed to disclose these payments. If this is true, it could lead to some serious fallout for both Politico and the U.S. government.

While it’s impossible to say for certain whether the glitch was indeed caused by the loss of funding, the lack of transparency raises some serious red flags. If Politico was accepting taxpayer money without telling the public, it’s not just an issue of finances—it’s about trust. Media outlets are supposed to be independent, but when they start relying on government funding, that independence could be compromised. It could be just the tip of the iceberg in a larger story about the media’s ties to government agencies and how those relationships influence the stories they report.

Our Take

From a conservative standpoint, this situation highlights a larger issue with government funding for the media. If it turns out that Politico was receiving taxpayer money, the public deserves to know. The idea that media organizations are subsidized by government agencies like USAID only raises questions about whether they are truly reporting independently or if they are simply acting as mouthpieces for the government. The timing of this whole situation, combined with the lack of transparency, suggests that there’s more to the story than Politico is letting on.

The implications here are huge. If Politico has been taking government money without disclosing it, it’s a direct violation of the trust readers place in the media. And if other outlets are doing the same, we could be looking at a much larger problem. For now, though, the situation serves as a reminder of the dangers of government overreach and the need for greater accountability in both the media and the agencies that fund it.