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US Embassy Says 'Disappointing' That BJP Would Accuse State Department of 'Destabilising' India

The BJP had posted on X that “50% of OCCRP’s funding comes directly from the U.S. State Department”.
US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on September 8, 2023. Photo: PIB
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New Delhi: The US embassy on Saturday (December 7) dismissed as “disappointing” the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) accusation that the US State Department manipulated media reports against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asserting that it only supports independent media through capacity-building training for journalists and does not influence the editorial decisions of independent media organisations.

Through a series of posts from its official account on X on December 5, the BJP had alleged that US state department was behind the targeted attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling party and attempts to “destabilise India”.

It cited the report of the French investigative media outlet, Mediapart that claimed that OCCRP had received substantial funds from the US State Department’s USAID.

Earlier on Thursday (December 5), BJP members of parliament had used the Mediapart report to attack Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha and alleged that he was colluding with OCCRP and US billionaire George Soros in, which was echoed in the social media posts.

The BJP were accusing the opposition of amplifying investigative reports against Adani group and Israeli spyware Pegasus, but Mediapart article had only alleged that US government “funds investigations focussing on Russia and Venezuela”.

‘Disappointing that ruling party in India would make such allegations’

“It’s disappointing that the ruling party in India would make these kinds of accusations,” said an US embassy spokesperson on Saturday (December 7).

The spokesperson noted that the US government “works with independent organisations on programming that supports professional development and capacity building training for journalists”.

“This programming does not influence the editorial decisions or direction of these organisations,” he said.

Th US embassy noted that the United States has “long been a champion of media freedom around the world”.

“A free and independent press is an essential component of any democracy, enabling informed and constructive debate and holding those in power accountable”.

The BJP had posted on X that “50% of OCCRP’s funding comes directly from the U.S. State Department”. It stated that “OCCRP has served as a media tool for carrying out a Deep State agenda,” adding that the “Deep State had a clear objective to destabilise India by targeting Prime Minister Modi”.

There has been no reaction from the Ministry of external affairs, till now.

Last week, the MEA had reacted to a remark made by Congress President Rahul Gandhi comparing Modi to the US President Joe Biden’s fading memory. It had led to a sharp MEA response noting that India “shares a multifaceted partnership with the United States and this partnership has been built over years of perseverance, togetherness, mutual respect and commitment by both sides”.

“We see such reports or remarks as unfortunate, and they are not in keeping with warm and friendly ties with the United States and do not represent the position of the Government of India,” said the MEA spokesperson on Nov 29.

BJP had dismissed reports on Rafale done by same French media group it cites now 

Incidentally, French media group Mediapart’s name became known in India due to its series of exclusive investigative reports over alleged crony corruption in the sale of 36 Rafale jet fighter ‘scam’ to India, since 2018. The Indian government and the BJP had then dismissed the reports.

Its last report on the Rafale issue was in December 2023, when it investigated that India was stalling a probe by French judges in the corruption allegations.

“It is now an established fact: the Indian government of ultra-nationalist prime minister Narendra Modi is keen to bury at all costs the corruption case concerning the sale of 36 Dassault-built Rafale fighter jets to India,” wrote Mediapart in the report dated December 14, 2023.

In its latest investigation, Mediapart stated that its report relied primarily on public documents and filmed interviews given to German broadcaster NDR by OCCRP founder Drew Sullivan and several senior US civil servants. NDR later recused itself from publishing the investigation.

The report observed that the OCCRP had “accepted several US government donations that it is obliged to spend on investigations into certain countries that Washington considers to be a priority matter.”

Listing these donations and their specific aims, the Mediapart article detailed that between 2015 and 2019, the State Department donated $2.2 million for a mission called “Balancing the Russian Media Sphere.” Another $1.7 million was provided between 2019 and 2023 to OCCRP for “Strengthening Investigative Journalism in Eurasia,” a region that includes Russia, China, and Central Asia.

“In 2021 and 2022, the OCCRP led an investigation by international media called Russian Asset Tracker, which created the world’s largest non-governmental database of assets held globally by Russian oligarchs and political figures,” noted Mediapart.

Mediapart’s report does not reference any US State Department grants targeting India 

Additionally, the US Department of State granted $173,324 to OCCRP for a mission focused on “uncovering and combating Venezuelan corruption.” In 2013, the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs allocated $200,156 to OCCRP for “Project Mexico,” targeting drug cartels in Mexico.

In 2022, the INL donated $1 million to OCCRP for a two-year project aimed at “strengthening the capacity of journalists in Malta and Cyprus” to “expose crime and corruption and accelerate the impact of investigative journalism” in these tax havens, which have notably attracted Russian oligarchs. This programme was renewed in September 2024 with a further grant of $1.3 million.

During this time, OCCRP also participated in the “Cyprus Confidential” investigation, focusing on the country’s financial services and potential for sanctions evasion. Coordinated by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), the investigation led to the Cypriot president announcing official probes into alleged violations of international sanctions against Russia on 14 November 2023. Three weeks later, a team of more than 20 FBI and FinCEN agents arrived in Nicosia to assist with the investigations.

Sullivan was quoted in the report as saying that donations do not “influence our agenda,” explaining that funding is sought only for projects the organisation is already interested in investigating, provided no specific subjects are imposed. “Every grant ultimately needs to meet the mission of the donor and the mission, standards and ethics of the journalism organization,” said Sullivan. “When those align, we bid on the grant.”

Mediapart’s investigation does not reference any US State Department grants targeting India in any OCCRP report.

OCCRP refutes allegations, terms report as ‘simply wrong’

In response, OCCRP published a statement on its website calling the article “simply wrong.” “OCCRP has no limits on its journalism and no donor influences our reporting,” it said.

The organisation further claimed that one of the article’s authors was a “disgruntled former member of our network,” a claim Mediapart dismissed as diversionary. OCCRP stated that the article “was unable to cite a single instance of inaccuracy or influence in our work and relied instead on insinuation and implication.”

“As a donor-funded media organisation, OCCRP has built into its editorial process a number of safeguards to ensure that we maintain independence and that our journalists and member centers around the world can pursue stories they think are important and worth telling,” it said.

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