Did Politico, accused of corruption by Trump, receive funding from the US government? How did the news organization respond to the allegations?
The US news site Politico has denied allegations that it received funding from the government. The organization stated that the money received was 'in exchange for subscription services.'
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US President Donald Trump claimed that the news organization Politico was funded by the Democrats to spread propaganda during the term of former President Joe Biden. Politico issued a statement regarding the allegations, noting that it did not receive funding from the government. The statement emphasized that the 8 million dollar payment from the government to Politico, which Trump disclosed, was a 'subscription fee.'
Executives of the news portal Politico, which was among the media organizations alleged to have received government funding during the Joe Biden administration, refuted the claims made by Trump and Elon Musk, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the new administration, in a written statement.
The statement, signed by Politico CEO Goli Sheikholeslami and Editor-in-Chief John F. Harris, included the following:
'For 18 years, we have not received a single penny from any government under the name of aid, grant, or support.'
The statement noted that Politico, which serves millions of people worldwide, generates its revenue from advertising and sponsorships. It was stated that the news site has a unit called PoliticoPro that provides professional subscription services, and that fees are collected from certain companies, organizations, and government agencies in exchange for this service.
Emphasizing that the 8 million dollar payment was neither secret nor illegal, the statement provided the following information regarding the subscription service offered to the US government:
'Government agencies that subscribe do so through standard public procurement processes, just like other tools they purchase to work smarter and be more efficient. This is not funding; it is a transaction.'
ELON MUSK'S POLITICO ALLEGATIONS
The allegations regarding Politico were first brought to the agenda by Musk on the X platform. Debates began in the country after Musk claimed that the Democratic Joe Biden administration provided funding to certain media organizations.
Musk, who brought to light a post showing that the news portal Politico had received payments of 8.1 million dollars from various federal agencies in the recent period, also reacted to payments stated to have been made to the Associated Press (AP) news agency and the New York Times (NYT) newspaper in a similar manner.
Musk commented on the payment made to AP as a 'waste of taxpayer money.' Continuing his posts on his X account, the tech billionaire also brought up the payment made to the NYT, writing, 'The NYT is a government-funded newspaper.'