The second Trump era has begun. It’s been total chaos so far.
And now a top U.S. lawyer went on Fox News to make an eyebrow-raising Trump announcement.
Legal Professor & Expert Jonathan Turley Says Washington, D.C. Is In Panic Mode Over Trump
George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley recently appeared on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle to discuss the significant shifts in President Donald Trump’s strategy during his second term. Turley described Trump’s proactive approach as one that has left Washington, D.C., in a state of heightened anticipation and anxiety.
“What’s different about this term, as opposed to the one that you and I helped cover the first time Trump was elected, is that Trump is wasting no time,” Turley remarked. He noted that the flurry of executive orders and rapid policy changes have created a sense of urgency in the capital. “I mean, I got to tell you, the entire city is on edge. Just the pace of these changes, the flurry of executive orders, has everyone reeling. And there’s a reason for that. He knows that in the final two years of a second-term presidency, everything slows down.”
Turley elaborated on Trump’s strategy to tackle legal challenges head-on rather than avoiding them. This approach includes leveraging executive actions to reshape federal operations and streamline government functions. One example is the controversial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), spearheaded by Elon Musk. DOGE has already taken steps to reduce diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs across federal agencies, terminated leases for underutilized federal properties, and initiated plans to consolidate overlapping agencies. Additionally, there are efforts underway to integrate the U.S. Agency for International Development into the State Department, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio assuming temporary leadership of the agency.
Turley also commented on how Democrats are likely to respond to Trump’s aggressive restructuring initiatives. He predicted continued “forum shopping” in judicial circuits perceived as more favorable for challenging Trump’s policies. “I think it will continue,” Turley said when asked about Democratic opposition. “The fact is that the president’s had a rough going with a lot of judges who were not particularly sympathetic when he was a candidate. But, ultimately, these cases have to go before the Supreme Court. We have a system of appeal.”
Turley drew parallels between Trump’s current strategy and Elon Musk’s controversial restructuring of Twitter (now X) after acquiring it in 2022. Musk drastically reduced Twitter’s workforce by approximately 80%, arguing that it was necessary for efficiency — a model that Turley believes Trump is emulating in his government overhaul efforts. “What you’re witnessing is a well-thought-out plan,” Turley explained. “The fact is if you throw a badger into a crowded car, I guarantee you people are going to get out. Elon Musk is that badger.”
The professor also noted that Trump appears prepared for resistance from within federal agencies, which he perceives as part of his real plan to reshape the government into a smaller and more efficient entity. “Trump in his first term felt that he was stymied for a very long time by agencies resisting changes,” Turley said. “He’s structured the second term to avoid that and this is clearly part of his plan to defibrillate the federal government.”
Despite criticism from some quarters — including federal employees who have labeled Trump’s buyout offers as “insulting” and “dangerous” — Turley believes these measures align with Trump’s campaign pledge to downsize government operations.
USAID Rife With Corruption, Gutted By Trump Administration
In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, former U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) official Mark Moyar revealed troubling details about alleged corruption and mismanagement within the agency during the Trump administration. Moyar, who served at USAID from 2018 to 2019, claims that staffers were actively working against President Donald Trump’s policy agenda, with significant amounts of taxpayer money being spent on controversial Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and LGBTQ advocacy initiatives abroad.
According to Moyar, many of the agency’s employees had strong ties to the Obama administration, and a large portion of them had supported Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election. Moyar said that while some employees followed instructions, there was a strong resistance element within the agency. One particularly troubling example he shared occurred during a meeting about aid to Syria, where employees discussed how to “hide” the aid from the White House in order to prevent President Trump from canceling it. Moyar, who was present at the meeting, was alarmed when the conversation revealed the extent to which staffers were working against the president’s directives.
This act of defiance against the president’s policies was only one of several examples of alleged corruption within USAID. Moyar went on to describe how he eventually resigned from his position in July 2019 after his security clearance was suspended due to a dispute over his book, Oppose Any Foe: The Rise of America’s Special Operations Forces. The suspension came before the Department of Defense completed its prepublication review of the book, and Moyar believes it was part of an effort to retaliate against him for exposing waste, fraud, and abuse within the agency.
While USAID never officially terminated his employment, Moyar believes he was effectively “fired” without due process, citing the suspension of his security clearance as a form of retaliation. He also claimed that his reports of misconduct went largely ignored, with the agency instead shielding those engaged in corruption. Moyar recalled a specific instance involving an office director who was using his position to assist a company he was personally involved in. Despite previous reports about the conflict of interest, no action was taken against the individual. Instead, Moyar claimed the agency helped the director find a position at another federal agency, the Department of Defense.
BREAKING: Secretary of State Marco Rubio just deemed that only 294 USAID staffers are necessary out of 14,000.
The entire agency will be imminently reduced from 14,000 to 294 employees.
This has to be the biggest mass firing yet. pic.twitter.com/5Hf8op7VPb
— George (@BehizyTweets) February 6, 2025
Moyar emphasized that this was not an isolated incident, but part of a disturbing pattern at USAID where those who report corruption are punished, while those engaged in misconduct continue to thrive within the organization. He also mentioned that despite efforts to uncover these issues, the Department of Justice has been fighting his legal battle to obtain records regarding his case, further cementing his belief that the agency’s culture of corruption is deeply entrenched.
In addition to financial mismanagement, Moyar criticized the agency’s focus on DEI and LGBTQ advocacy programs abroad. He described these initiatives as part of a “radical” ideology that not only wasted taxpayer dollars but also hurt U.S. relations with other countries. According to Moyar, many foreign nations view DEI initiatives as a “crazy” imposition of Western values that do not align with their cultural norms. He further pointed out that efforts to promote a “radical LGBTQ agenda” overseas have often faced backlash in various regions.
As the Trump administration moved forward with reforms to shut down USAID, with support from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by billionaire Elon Musk, Moyar believes that the full extent of the agency’s corruption and wasteful spending will soon be uncovered. According to Moyar, uncovering the full scope of DEI-related expenditures at USAID will be a significant challenge, as much of the spending has been “disguised or rebranded.” He stressed that while a “huge amount” of taxpayer money has already been traced to these initiatives, the actual figure is likely much higher.
Moyar also believes that the Inspector General, responsible for overseeing the agency’s operations, has been largely ineffective in addressing these issues. He predicts that in the coming weeks and months, more horror stories about the misuse of taxpayer funds by USAID will emerge, providing further evidence of widespread corruption within the agency.
USAID, established in the early 1960s, was created to provide humanitarian aid to impoverished and underdeveloped regions around the world. However, under the Trump administration, critics, including Moyar, argue that much of the agency’s spending has been driven by a liberal agenda, promoting DEI and LGBTQ rights abroad at the expense of the American taxpayer. The allegations of corruption and mismanagement highlighted by Moyar paint a troubling picture of an agency that has strayed far from its original mission and into the realm of political activism.
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
