Politico defends government's $8million spend on subscriptions after fiery Karoline Leavitt press conference

Politico fired backmost astatine 'false' claims from the White House that it is simply a 'beneficiary of authorities programs' aft the outlet faced questions implicit $8.2 cardinal it has received from 'government subsidies.' 

The immense sums Politico has received from the US authorities were uncovered by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) dragnet connected wasteful spending.

DOGE successful the process of cancelling the payments from respective authorities agencies, including the embattled USAID, as White House press caput Karoline Leavitt said the wealth fixed to Politico was spent on, 'essentially subsidizing subscriptions to Politico connected the taxpayer's dime'. 

'This is simply a authorities effort to guarantee that we are going enactment by enactment erstwhile it comes to the national government's books,' she said. 

In response, Politico CEO Goli Sheikholeslami and editor-in-chief John Harris said successful a memo to staff, obtained by Fox News, that the 'spirited treatment astatine the White House' needed to beryllium countered. 

'This is simply a good speech to have, and we invited it. The worth of POLITICO subscriptions is validated regular successful the marketplace,' they said. 

'Some parts of today’s conversation, however, were confusing and near immoderate radical with mendacious understandings. For this reason, we privation you to perceive from america connected respective points.' 

Sheikholeslami and Harris insisted that Politico 'has ne'er been a beneficiary of authorities programs oregon subsidies—not 1 cent, ever, successful 18 years.'  

Politico's enactment said the millions spent by the authorities successful subscriptions were from Politico Pro, which they said 'provides some backstage and nationalist assemblage clients with granular, fact-based reporting, real-time intelligence, and tracking tools crossed cardinal argumentation areas.' 

The pro subscriptions outgo astir $10,000 per year, acold much than a regular subscription, and records showed Politico received the $8.2 cardinal crossed 236 subscriptions. 

'We are arrogant of the worth our POLITICO Pro level and argumentation journalism gives to each subscribers. As a applicable matter, the overwhelming bulk of our nonrecreational subscriptions nether POLITICO Pro are successful the backstage sector,' the memo read. 

'We judge the enactment of a caller administration—and the enactment being done by DOGE—is a hugely important story. 

'In peculiar due to the fact that of the ambition of the caller medication to alteration ample sections of the government, our work to screen this from each space is urgent.' 

Details of the walk emerged amid scrutiny of the nationalist finances by Musk's DOGE, which has shutdown the US Agency for International Development. 

Politico received $44,000 from USAID past year, but was fixed millions much from different national agencies, nationalist records showed.

Most notably the Department of Health and Human Services had $1.37 cardinal successful obligations.

The Department of the Interior and the Department of Energy were besides among the apical spenders.

'This is evidently a immense discarded of payer money!' Musk wrote connected X.

DailyMail.com has contacted the 5 national agencies who gave the astir wealth to Politico past twelvemonth for further item connected what the wealth was spent on. 

It is understood that overmuch of the agencies' spending is connected Politico's b2b service, Politico Pro which offers, 'non-partisan, real-time quality personalized to their country of argumentation focus', according to the platform.

Subscriptions tin outgo astir $10,000 a twelvemonth per online reports, meaning the authorities would person had to ammunition retired for much than 800 accounts. 

Leavitt warned that DOGE is successful the process of pulling the plug connected each payments. 

It could spell further catastrophe for Politico, whose staffers yesterday recovered retired that they had not been paid. 

The outlet stated that the missed payments were owed to a 'technical issue', nevertheless speculation rapidly began to swirl that the crackdown connected nationalist spending was to blame.

Musk and President Donald Trump shut down the embattled USAID aft they agreed the enactment was 'beyond repair'.

The billionaire, who is starring a reappraisal of the national authorities with Trump's go-ahead, decided this week to unopen down the government bureau tasked with humanitarian alleviation overseas.

Staff were shocked erstwhile they woke up Monday greeting to emails instructing them to enactment retired of the agency's D.C. headquarters.

Yesterday, Musk teased the adjacent people for his crackdown whitethorn beryllium the Internal Revenue Service.

The world's richest antheral asked his service of X followers successful an informal canvass whether they would similar to spot the IRS audited by DOGE, which received a staggering 94.3 percent support.

Musk's station comes days aft Donald Trump vowed to terminate astir 90,000 IRS workers who had been hired nether the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, a pledge that received immense cheers arsenic helium spoke astatine a rally successful Las Vegas.

DailyMail.com has contacted Politico for comment.