The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – yes, the agency that is supposed to ensure that the air and water are clean – has been captured with what appears to be one of the most bravest and elevated left-wing political payments of the century, at least outside.

In the Trump EPA’s letter to the agency inspector’s office, Biden-era bureaucrats used private Citibank bank accounts to throw away $2 billion from taxpayers. (Related: David Blackmon: Can Lee Zeldin pull back $20 billion with EPA Goldbar?)

The $20 billion was ostensibly for “Green Bank” to fund all sorts of amazing “climate justice” and green energy projects, but instead led billions to groups deeply tied to the Democrat machinery.

For example, one current and former chairman of a pass-through called the Green Capital Union (CGC), is both a Democrat donor, each cutting a considerable check for Kamala Harris’ 2024 unfortunate run. The CGC was on track to win $5 billion from Biden’s EPA.

In another case, $2 billion was awarded to a leftist consortium tied to the Stacey Abrams voter mobilization group. In a letter to IG, Trump’s EPA said the previous administration itself determined that these groups “lacking basic financial capabilities,” but they designated cash anyway.

So here we have billions of taxpayer funds directed at Democrat insiders and donors – Paging Doge! It’s no wonder that bureaucrats narrowed this money down to seemingly unruly Citibank accounts on the day the Biden administration fell apart.

Reportedly, there was one former EPA employee of the Biden EPA. I got caught up in the tape I’m happy to compare it to “throwing a gold stick from the Titanic.”

To sum it up, this appears to be the political payments of the left of the century. It is rarely ranked as political patronage.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI are currently asking career EPA officials harsh questions about these “gold bars,” but it is unclear whether the Trump EPA will be able to pull back any of the funds.

Accountability will be a victory not only for taxpayers, but also for good journalism after four years of virtually none.

It is important to remember that for the tireless efforts of one journalist, we are only talking about this Biden EPA scandal. Long before the EPA inspector general, the DOJ, the FBI and even the government’s efficiency were warned of this political payment, a reporter named Nick Pope had fallen into the incident.

When the Biden EPA announced in November 2023 that it would distribute billions to so-called “Green Bank” under the names of “climate justice” and other high causes, Pope thought this might be the perfect cover for Democrats to enrich taxpayers’ costs.

There was no leaning forward, the Pope dug, and soon he saw the smoke. A huge, swirling cloud of smoke. His first article, published in the same month, laid out the detailed way that “Green Bank,” the Biden EPA fundraising finalist, “everyone has allied with the Democrats or has many individuals on the board that worked for the Democratic administration.”

However, this was not a one-off. The Pope continued when the EPA announced that it would hand over billions to the very group he exposed as essentially a Democrat pass-through.

Government watchdog groups were on alert. Congress ultimately got involved and asked the Biden EPA for an answer on how this might happen. Pope’s colleague, Adam Pack, left his own mark and first reported on the billions who went to the liberal consortium belonging to Abrams’ voting efforts.

Even after the FBI was involved, the Pope didn’t rest, pushing for yet another intense investigation, with the head of a group that is set to win billions with the Biden Bucks saying “has made hundreds of thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates and organizations in recent dollars.”

If Trump can actually hold back these “gold sticks,” thank Nick Pope. Heck, I’ll thank him anyway, even if I didn’t get the money back. Even if the ultimate outcome is not what we wanted, good journalism should be rewarded.

What’s more, they won’t hand out Pulitzers to expose democratic corruption, do they do now?

While trust in the media and legacy press continue to be liberal bootlicking, it is even more important to support talented journalists like Pope and the other Daily Coller News Foundation teams.

Mike Bastasch is editor-in-chief of the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The opinions and opinions expressed in this commentary are the views of the authors and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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