Judicial Watch has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), seeking records related to waste, fraud, and abuse involving aid money sent to Ukraine.
The lawsuit, Judicial Watch Inc. v. U.S. Agency for International Development (No. 1:25-cv-00508), comes after USAID failed to respond to FOIA requests, citing “unusual circumstances.”
Judicial Watch is requesting records from USAID’s then-Administrator Samantha Power and others regarding various concerns, including:
- Allegations of sexual exploitation, abuse, or trafficking involving Ukrainian war refugees receiving USAID assistance.
- Reports from third-party monitoring contractors or NGOs on potential fraud related to USAID aid to Ukraine.
- Allegations of fraud within the Direct Cash Assistance Program, including transactions conducted in Russian rubles.
- USAID-branded commodities appearing for sale in open markets or outside designated response activities in Ukraine.
USAID’s Inspector General (IG) has previously warned of conflicts of interest within the agency’s Ukraine response. A December 2023 fraud alert highlighted several instances of misconduct, including:
- Missing Conflict of Interest Policy: A USAID-funded organization found that an employee responsible for verifying beneficiary eligibility was also registered as a program recipient.
- Undisclosed Relationships in Procurement: A procurement official failed to disclose a personal relationship with a bidder, resulting in disqualification and retraining.
- Employment Conflicts: A USAID awardee discovered that an employee responsible for quality control was simultaneously working for the subawardee being audited.
On January 20, President Trump ordered a 90-day pause on U.S. foreign development assistance to reassess its efficiency and alignment with American foreign policy. In a January 2025 exit memo, USAID stated it had sent nearly $35 billion to Ukraine since Russia’s February 2022 invasion.
