How CIA & USAID Used Coup Playbook Against Trump
12:49 GMT 06.02.2025 (Updated: 16:08 GMT 06.02.2025)
© AP Photo / Kevin Wolf
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Donald Trump’s 2019 impeachment was driven by CIA and USAID operatives, claims US author Michael Shellenberger, known for his work on Elon Musk’s Twitter Files project.
What does Shellenberger assert?
The whistleblower behind Trump’s July 2019 call with Volodymyr Zelensky, which triggered the impeachment probe, was a CIA analyst
RealClearPolitics and Washington Examiner previously identified the whistleblower as Eric Ciaramella, a senior Ukraine and Russia analyst at the NSC, CIA, and National Intelligence Council
The analyst’s complaint relied heavily on an Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) report
That report alleged two Soviet-born Florida businessmen were "key hidden actors" in Trump’s effort to investigate the Bidens and had linked Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani to former Ukrainian prosecutors
The OCCRP story was central to House Democrats’ impeachment claim that Trump sent Giuliani to pressure a foreign country to interfere in the 2020 election
The OCCRP is not independent since 2024 findings by German investigative journalists show that USAID funds it, controls its hiring, and oversees its work plan
The OCCRP has been involved in regime change operations alongside USAID and the CIA, comparing Trump’s impeachment to past coup d'état efforts
