President Donald Trump’s appointee to lead the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) repeatedly refused to answer House Democrats’ questions about whether he was inside the Capitol during the January 6 attack, The Bulwark reported Thursday.
The issue arose during a closed-door hearing, where Pete Marocco faced intense questioning not only about his potential presence at the riot but also about his role in dismantling foreign aid programs. During the session, Marocco further expressed grievances that USAID had promoted LGBTQ rights and echoed Russian-aligned narratives that the agency had funded democracy movements in Eastern Europe that led to the ousting of pro-Russian leaders.
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“The most tense exchange, according to two people familiar with it, was when Democrats pressed Marocco on whether he had entered the Capitol during the riots on January 6th,” wrote The Bulwark’s Joe Perticone. “Marocco was allegedly photographed inside the building and has never explicitly denied being there (though he’s never been charged with any crimes, either).
He did not directly answer questions about his whereabouts that day, saying he had only come to discuss the issue of USAID.” On his first day back in office, Trump issued sweeping pardons for nearly everyone charged with crimes for storming the Capitol in an effort to block the certification of former President Joe Biden’s electoral victory.
The Justice Department has since argued that these pardons may even apply to some unrelated charges, such as illegal gun possession. Marocco has been a controversial figure within the administration, overseeing what critics describe as the near-total shutdown of USAID. His efforts to freeze foreign aid have been repeatedly challenged in court, yet he has continued to block funding despite legal setbacks.
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This week, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration cannot withhold USAID payments for completed work by federal contractors. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined liberal justices in the decision, delivering a legal blow to Marocco’s attempts to keep the funds frozen.
With tensions rising over USAID’s fate and lingering questions about Marocco’s potential involvement in the Capitol riot, scrutiny over his leadership and past actions is expected to intensify in the coming weeks.
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