Trump Official Destroying USAID Secretly Met With Christian Nationalists Abroad in Defiance of U.S. Policy

Peter Marocco was a senior political appointee tasked with promoting stability in areas with armed conflict.

On a 2018 visit to the Balkans , he secretly met with Bosnian Serb separatist leaders.

The meeting provided legitimacy to far-right politicians pushing for a Christian state and undermined U.S. foreign policy.

After the State Department , he was sent to a senior post at USAID where he attempted to delay or halt dozens of programs.

Much of USAID ’s work has not resumed, according to interviews with dozens of government employees and nongovernmental organizations.

Marocco and the State Department did not respond to a detailed list of questions about the meeting or his views.

He was next seen inside the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021 , insurrection.

Dozens of employees and organizations have filed lawsuits, seeking to reverse his most consequential changes.

Judges have at least temporarily reined in the broad use of administrative leave for thousands of employees across the agency.

Marocco has defended his sweeping takedown as a necessary measure to root out government waste.