by James Judge at StoneZone
For years, I have avoided the term “deep state” because it sounded conspiratorial. As a former military journalist, I believed that using words like that triggered an immediate loss of credibility among certain audiences, so I purposely avoided it. However, after interviewing dozens of Guatemalan government officials last week, I’ve concluded the deep state is real and actively undermining President Trump’s interests and those of most Americans.
What I ultimately learned during my time in Guatemala is that Biden-era State Department holdovers at the U.S. embassy in Guatemala are facilitating a cartel money-laundering scheme to fund discontinued USAID programs, according to senior Guatemalan leaders. These same officials also said the American embassy fabricates charges against political enemies, leaks stories to the media, harasses, follows, and even attacks individuals to manipulate elections and secure desired outcomes.
This story may invite skepticism, and rightfully so—I’m a skeptic myself—but after lengthy closed-door meetings with over a dozen senior leaders from Guatemala’s executive, legislative, and judicial branches, their consistent accounts corroborate a clear and disturbing picture.
Representatives in Congress, Constitutional Court magistrates, and Attorney General’s office officials provided hours of testimony corroborating accounts that Guatemala’s government was coerced into borrowing over $1 billion in its new budget to fund NGOs previously supported by USAID.
Intimidation tactics included the U.S. embassy revoking visas for Guatemalan congressmen and their families,…
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