OCCRP has recently become the target of a conspiracy theory suggesting that we worked with one of our donors, USAID, to undermine President Donald Trump during his first administration.
This is simply untrue, and it’s not how OCCRP operates.
Here are the facts: One of our stories was cited in a 2019 whistleblower complaint filed against President Donald Trump. The complaint then sparked his first impeachment. That story, like all stories we do, was reported without our donors’ knowledge or input. OCCRP had no contact with the whistleblower, and was unaware of the complaint until after it was reported by U.S. domestic media. No one has disputed the accuracy of any facts in OCCRP’s story, including the people we wrote about. Meanwhile, those promoting conspiracy theories about our reporting have offered no proof of their allegations.
OCCRP is apolitical. We are funded by many different donors, including members of the public, private institutions, and the development agencies of a number of democratic countries.
Our main mission is to inform the public by exposing corruption and other forms of wrongdoing, and our stories have helped return more than $11 billion to public coffers through seizures and fines. Our reporting has inspired reforms and empowered citizens to demand accountability for corruption. OCCRP has brought in at least ten times more money to the U.S. government than it has received in grants.
We’re proud to expose truths that empower people to decide their own futures, but we do not advocate for any specific political outcome or government — not in the U.S. and not anywhere.
