Well, it looks like another taxpayer-funded slush fund for the left-wing media just got shut down. And this time, it’s Politico that’s losing out on millions.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the gravy train is over, and Politico will no longer be raking in millions of taxpayer dollars under the flimsy excuse of “premium subscriptions.” Apparently, the federal government had been using your money to buy Politico Pro—their expensive, insider-access subscription service that costs an eye-watering $10,000 a year per subscription. But don’t worry, it was all in the name of “informing the government” or something.
Leavitt didn’t hold back, pointing out that more than $8 million of taxpayer money went straight into Politico’s pockets, all while the outlet spent years acting as an unofficial arm of the Democratic Party. But those days are over. The Department of Government Ethics (DOGE) is now actively canceling these outrageous payments. And in case anyone was wondering, yes—Politico does have a seat in the White House press room, meaning they were getting paid to ask loaded questions, spin narratives, and push whatever messaging the left wanted amplified that day.
.@PressSec: “I can confirm that the more than $8 million taxpayer dollars that have gone to essentially subsidizing subscriptions to Politico on the American taxpayers’ dime will no longer be happening.” pic.twitter.com/9uA1imuKtt
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 5, 2025
Now, let’s be clear: Politico wasn’t receiving direct government grants (not that they wouldn’t have happily taken them). Instead, federal agencies were buying up these overpriced subscriptions like they were candy, conveniently funneling cash straight into Politico’s hands. And when you actually stop to think about it, what exactly were these agencies getting in return? A steady stream of articles bashing conservatives, pushing Democratic narratives, and covering up for Joe Biden and his failed administration. Sounds like a great use of taxpayer money, right?
This is the biggest scandal in news media history:
No employee at Politico got paid yesterday. First time ever the company missed a pay period. This is a crisis.
Now we learn Politico — a “news company” — which spent the last 10 years trying to destroy the MAGA Movement was… pic.twitter.com/DwHqEp6gjp
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 5, 2025
And if you think this is some kind of accident or oversight, think again. Politico was founded by two former Washington Post columnists, John F. Harris and Jim VandeHei, the latter of whom also co-founded Axios—another left-wing talking points factory disguised as journalism. Funny how these media outlets, which claim to be independent and objective, just happen to be run by the same network of Democratic operatives. Oh, and in case you forgot, Politico was also the outlet that gleefully published the leaked Supreme Court draft overturning Roe v. Wade, which led to months of hysteria and even threats against conservative justices. But sure, totally trustworthy.
As Becket Adams pointed out last year, Politico and Axios basically exist to churn out Democratic National Committee press releases disguised as news. During the Democratic National Convention, Politico’s coverage read more like a fan magazine for teenage groupies than actual journalism. But what else would you expect? When your business model involves catering exclusively to the left, it’s no surprise that your “reporting” looks more like campaign propaganda.
The US Government gave the New York Times tens of millions of dollars over just the past 5 years despite paying relatively little money to the NYT in the years preceding 2021. For instance, in August 2024, the US government awarded $4.1 million to the NYT.
The bulk of the funds… pic.twitter.com/XWvv3CplI8
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) February 5, 2025
And here’s the real kicker: there are over 237 different federal purchases of Politico Pro subscriptions scattered across various agencies. So this wasn’t just a few bureaucrats getting their hands on a pricey news feed—it was a systemic effort to pump money into a media organization that just so happens to be one of the Biden administration’s loudest cheerleaders.
And it’s not just Politico. The open-source research that uncovered this mess is starting to reveal other media outlets that were also getting their piece of the pie. Stay tuned—something tells me this is just the beginning.
