The Daily Caller reported Monday that during John Kerry’s time as Secretary of State, the State Department has funneled millions of dollars to his daughter’s nonprofit organization. The news publication gained access to documents that disclose that at least $9 million dollars have been funneled through the Peace Corps to Seed Global Health, a group started and run by Kerry’s daughter Dr. Vanessa Kerry.
According to The Daily Caller, “The Department of State funded a Peace Corps program created by Dr. Vanessa Kerry and officials from both agencies, records show. The Peace Corps then awarded the money without competition to a nonprofit Kerry created for the program.”
The report details that Dr. Kerry’s group was first awarded a 3 year contract worth $2 million without competition in 2012, followed by another competition-free four year extension worth $6.4 million dollars in 2015. In addition, a modification to the first award allowed just under another $1 million dollars to be sent to the organization.
The Peace Corps program called “Global Health Service Partnership” or GHSP is described on the Seed Global Health website as “a public-private collaboration between Seed Global Health, the Peace Corps, and the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR),” and is “is committed to helping increase clinical care capacity and strengthen health systems in resource-limited settings by cultivating the next generation of local doctors and nurses.”
According to internal State Department memos obtained by the Daily Caller, Secretary Kerry and his cohorts colluded to make sure Dr. Kerry’s program got the contract.
A memo from September 16, 2011, a year before the first contract was awarded, stated: “Vanessa, Buck, and Sarah are meeting with Ambassador Goosby on the morning of 9/16/11 to discuss next steps for the GHSP.” It also stated, “Conversations with OGAC leadership confirm that Ambassador Goosby is very supportive of the initial proposal.”
Notes from a meeting in November of 2011 detail conversations in which government officials ensured Dr. Kerry that she would not have to compete with other entities for funding from the State Department. “The process can be fast tracked and non-competed through a specific grant mechanism,” the documents detailed.
According to the Daily Caller, Dr. Kerry first pulled a salary from the organization which she was named the only director in 2014. Dr. Kerry paid herself $140,000 for a reported 30 hours a week.
Suspicion of nefarious deals and collusion within the State Department is nothing new following the still unraveling controversy of Hillary Clinton communicating on a private server during her time as Secretary of State, and possibly using her position to obtain high dollar donations to her personal family Foundation from foreign interests who were looking to influence the U.S. Government.
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