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Judicial Watch: Obama USAID Used U.S. Taxpayers\u2019 Funds to Back Soros Group\u2019s Effort to Give Albania\u2019s Socialist Government \u2018Full Control Over Judiciary\u2019<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n (Washington, DC) \u2014\u00a0Judicial Watch obtained\u00a032 pages<\/a>\u00a0of records showing the Obama administration sent U.S. taxpayers\u2019 funds to a group backed by billionaire George Soros, which used the money to fund left-wing political activities in Albania, including working with the country\u2019s socialist government to push for highly controversial judicial \u201creform.\u201d The records also detail how the Soros operation helped the State Department review grant applications from other groups for taxpayer funding.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The records were obtained in a May 26, 2017, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)\u00a0lawsuit<\/a>against the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID<\/a>) after both the State Department and USAID failed to respond to March 31, 2017, FOIA requests (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development<\/em><\/a>\u00a0(No. 1:17-cv-01012)). Judicial Watch agreed to dismiss the lawsuit after it received the documents and payment of attorneys\u2019 fees.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The new documents show USAID funds were funneled through that agency\u2019s Civil Society Project to back Soros\u2019s left-wing\u00a0Open Society Foundations<\/a>\u00a0in Albania, particularly the Soros operation efforts to give the socialist government greater control of the judiciary. USAID\u00a0reportedly<\/a>\u00a0gave $9 million in 2016 to the \u201cJustice for All\u201d campaign, which is overseen by Soros\u2019s \u201cEast West Management Institute.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In March 2017, a group of six U.S. Senators led by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) sent a\u00a0letter<\/a>\u00a0to then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson asking that he investigate charges that the U.S. government was using taxpayer funds to assist Soros in Albania. The letter said, \u201cFoundation Open society-Albania and its experts, with funding from USAID, have created the controversial Strategy Document for Albanian Judicial Reform. Some leaders believe that these \u2018reforms\u2019 are ultimately aimed to give the Prime Minister and left-of-center government full control over the judiciary.\u201d In the Albanian parliament,\u00a0opposition leaders<\/a>\u00a0have labeled the Strategy \u201ca Soros-sponsored reform.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The new records released by Judicial Watch include an April 2016\u00a0memo<\/a>\u00a0from the U.S. Embassy in Tirana that reveals that the embassy \u201csponsored\u201d a survey along with Soros\u2019s Open Society Foundation to measure Albanian citizens\u2019 \u201cknowledge, support, and expectations on justice reform.\u201d The Soros group survey reported that \u201c91% of respondents either \u2018fully support\u2019 or \u2018somewhat support\u2019 the need for judicial reform.\u201d The poll did not specify the type of reform the Soros group was seeking.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Also, records dated February 2017 show that the State Department used taxpayer funds to co-sponsor a\u00a0second poll<\/a>\u00a0with the Open Society Foundation on judicial reforms that would essentially solidify the left\u2019s control of the Albanian government. The report notes that the U.S. Embassy\u2019s Public Affairs Section and the Open Society Foundation \u201ceach provided funding to a local organization to conduct a public opinion poll on attitudes towards the Judicial Reform effort.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The records also reveal that the State Department gave the Soros organization direct input for its own program funding reviews in Albania. The February 10, 2017,\u00a0report<\/a>\u00a0on \u201cEngagement with the Open Society Foundation for Albania\u201d notes that \u201cAs one of the major assistance providers in Albania, representatives from the Open Society Foundation are frequently asked to participate in technical reviews of application [sic] that we receive for funding.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The U.S. Ambassador to Albania\u00a0Donald Lu<\/a>, a holdover from the Obama administration, has been\u00a0closely linked<\/a>\u00a0to Soros and the socialist government in Albania. In May 2017, Lu helped undermine Albanian opposition party plans to protest the upcoming parliamentary election by declaring that the U.S. would recognize the election results even if opposition parties refused to participate. Lu has been described in the U.S.\u00a0press<\/a>\u00a0as \u201ca driving force behind\u00a0Albania\u2019s judicial reforms.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe Obama administration quietly spent at least $9 million in U.S. taxpayers\u2019 dollars in direct collusion with left-wing billionaire George Soros\u2019 backing of a socialist government in Albania. It is particularly outrageous that the State Department allowed the Soros operation to help direct taxpayer funds to other groups,\u201d Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said. \u201cGeorge Soros is a billionaire and he shouldn\u2019t be receiving taxpayer support to advance his radical left agenda to undermine freedom here at home and abroad.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n