Thread by @LarryTaunton

***USAID - CAIRO 1/14***

Today I paid an unexpected visit to the USAID headquarters in Cairo.

The last few years I have shown you how USAID organized, financed, & ran the invasion across our southern border.

Today I visited their fortress-like offices in Egypt….

2/14

Approaching the gate manned by Egyptian guards, we bluffed our way in and drove through the su*cide b*m8er barriers. This was aided, no doubt, by the fact that we were in a Mercedes (the diplomatic car of choice) and I look unmistakably American.

3/14

My driver waited in the car while I walked the perimeter looking for the entrance.

There is no USAID signage of any kind on this citadel of corrupt bureaucracy….

**sound on**

4/14

I finally found the inconspicuous entrance. A sentry stood aside as I walked right past him as if I were Pharaoh.

Again, being obviously an American when he was Egyptian was to my advantage. This massive bastide is, after all, owned by my government, not his….

5/14

(NOTE: They wisely racial profile in the Middle East and Africa, and I didn’t fit the profile of a t3rr0rist—because I’m not. And not until now did they need defenses from someone like me, a threat of an altogether different sort.)

Once inside, the 💩, as they say, hit…

6/14

…the fan. It went something like this:

“Do you have an appointment?”

The question came from the 4th guard, also Egyptian. I’d managed to get by the first 3.

“No.”

“Your ID, please.” I gave him my license, not my passport. He barely glanced at it and I quickly took…

7/14

…it back.

“What is your business?”

“I am looking for the USAID office and it appears I’ve found it. I hear they are shutting them down.”

Nervous looks from the guard to the two Muslim secretaries and they back to him.

“Is this office shut down?” I asked.

Young, he…

8/14

…appeared confused about protocol when faced with such a man who has rolled into this heavily armed office & asked such cheeky questions.

“Yes, it is,” he said uncertainly. A number of employees clearly known to the two secretaries and the guard came & went. He was…

9/14

…lying.

“What is your purpose here?”

“I’m a writer investigating USAID operations, and thought I would visit here & talk to those in charge.”

Nervous, he said quietly: “I should not talk to you.”

“I understand. You could lose your job, right?”

His face indicated…

10/14

…the affirmative.

“I must call my supervisor,” he said. I could feel this was going sideways.

Sitting down at the request of one of the secretaries, I then snapped this pic.

“My supervisor would like your ID.”

“I already showed you my ID.”

“I need to write down…

11/14

…your name.”

“I’ll give him mine if he’ll give me his.”

Little did I know that at that moment security had been called and were trying to detain my driver.

Exiting the building, I got into the car and we waited for nothing. As we sped away, the guard inside had…

12/14

…exited the building and was reprimanding the guard at the door for letting me in.

Now, why all the drama? USAID is supposedly benevolence, as the sign reads, “FROM THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.”

But it operates with a secrecy akin to a criminal enterprise. And, well, it is…

13/14

…a criminal enterprise. Furthermore, it was clearly in operation.

Transparency would’ve looked something like this: “Yeah, sadly, Trump has shut up down. So we are in the process of closing this office.”

Instead I got nervousness, stonewalling, & DEFCON 1.

A USAID…

14/14

…employee working here told us that he doesn’t really know what they do in there beyond doling out US money to various parties and initiatives.

We were supposed to get new laptops, but that was canceled when Trump was inaugurated,” he whined.

THE END (for now)