Legal Scandal Erupts as The American Bar Association’s Ties to USAID Get Exposed [WATCH]

The American Bar Association (ABA) has received over $40 million in taxpayer-funded grants from USAID and the U.S. State Department since the early 1990s, using that money to influence foreign legal systems, according to Mike Benz, Executive Director of the Foundation for Freedom Online.

In a recent video segment, Benz outlined what he described as a sprawling international effort by the ABA to shape judicial systems under the banner of “rule of law” programs—efforts he says function as a legal arm of globalist policy and corporate interest abroad.

“The American Bar Association said it would make a blistering statement about DOGE dismantling their slush fund known as USAID,” Benz said.

“The ABA has received so many taxpayer-funded grants from USAID and the State Department, I can’t even list them all.”

Trump’s Sovereign Wealth Fund: What Could It Mean For Your Money?

Benz went on to itemize the grants: “Look at these grants—$10 million from USAID, $4 million from USAID, $4 million from USAID, $5 million from USAID, $22 million from USAID, and $17 million from the State Department. The American Bar Association has gotten $40 million in just these grants alone.”

Benz described the ABA as a global legal influencer, using its funding to mold court systems in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

He traced this mission back to the early 1990s following political shifts in Eastern Europe, which created openings for foreign entities to rewrite legal codes in post-Soviet states.

This Could Be the Most Important Video Gun Owners Watch All Year

“The American Bar Association is a leader in controlling court systems around the world,” Benz said.

“Its international development efforts have grown exponentially since the early 1990s when the political transition in Eastern Europe created significant opportunities for changing their laws.”

He cited a 2006 ABA symposium attended by top officials including then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Senator Hillary Clinton, and Senator Lindsey Graham, which he said was emblematic of the association’s broader strategy to shape legal institutions in other countries.

“Today, the American Bar Association’s International Rule of Law Symposium brought together 400 distinguished leaders to stimulate dialogue about controlling these laws in foreign countries,” Benz said.

“This is in 2006, 20 years ago. They had the current head of the State Department, the then-current head of USAID, as well as Hillary Clinton and Lindsey Graham as the keynote speakers for controlling the laws of every country on Earth—oh, I’m sorry, every country in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America.”

Benz highlighted key figures at the event, including U.S. Supreme Court Justices Anthony Kennedy, Sandra Day O’Connor, and Stephen Breyer, who discussed global judiciary models and principles of democracy.

“So independent that taxpayers need to pay the American Bar Association tens of millions of dollars to tell judges and courts what to do,” Benz added.

He went on to suggest ABA-linked legal influence was involved in controversial judicial rulings and political destabilization abroad.

“The Minister of Justice in Romania? Oh, you mean like the Romanian court that just nullified Caitlin George’s victory for no reason? They said some Russians promoted him on TikTok, so they nullified the entire election.”

Benz tied the ABA’s initiatives to other global institutions, noting ties to corporate and nonprofit stakeholders.

“We have the chairman of the Center for International Private Enterprise—that is the Chamber of Commerce wing of the CIA,” Benz said.

“That’s the Chamber of Commerce branch of the CIA spin-off known as NED [National Endowment for Democracy] and the State Department examining the rule of law.”

He also named multinational corporations involved in the ABA’s global influence projects.

“This is how you have the multinational corporations in on this, like Microsoft,” he said.

Benz also cited former ABA Executive Director Robert Stein, who in 2009 authored a symposium titled Rule of Law: What Does It Mean? “Straight from the horse’s mouth,” Benz said.

“An enormous amount of technical legal assistance work. Technical meaning—we’re technically writing your laws. We’re drafting your constitutions. We’re drafting your legislative bills.”

Summing up the program’s objective, Benz said, “Let me write your country’s laws for you, Mr. Sovereign Country. This work has been described collectively as ‘rule of law programs.’ Okay, ding, ding, ding.”

🚨🇺🇸MIKE BENZ: THE BAR ASSOCATION TOOK $40 MILLION IN GRANTS AND IS SHAPING FOREIGN COURTS

“Look at these grants. $10 million from USAID, $4 million from USAID, $4 million from USAID, $5 million from USAID.

$22 million from USAID and $17 million from the State Department.… https://t.co/GoSKjpNxbX pic.twitter.com/Q2YgFwcZ99

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) April 15, 2025

According to Benz, these initiatives are framed as foreign aid or democracy promotion but serve to standardize legal systems worldwide in a way that benefits U.S. government interests, global NGOs, and corporate partners.

Connect with Vetted Off-Duty Cops to Instantly Fulfill Your Security Needs