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Among the people reaping benefits from Donald Trump’s second term, pedophiles and other sex offenders are certainly on the list.
I’ve written about the various moves the Trump administration has taken that have undermined the country’s ability to combat human trafficking — including child sex trafficking — and assist victims. And see Washington state for an example of the administration successfully inhibiting child sex abuse investigations.
And one might have suspected that the ongoing swirl of controversy surrounding the president’s past friendship with the late alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein would’ve caused this trend to stop. But you’d be wrong.
In light of that, Mother Jones reporter Pema Levy noted the “ironic” timing of the administration’s cuts at the State Department, which saw more than 1,300 employees forced out a week ago — including those who worked in the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, also known as the TIP Office.
Indeed, if Trump wanted to appear opposed to sex trafficking, petulantly dismissing questions about the Justice Department’s handling of Epstein’s case and gutting more anti-trafficking efforts in the same week was an ill-advised strategy. But alas.
Mother Jones and The 19th both reported that about half of the full-time employees working for the State Department’s anti-trafficking office were let go and that remaining employees were told they would be reassigned and see their pay cut.
And the moves are apparently threatening federal assessments of other countries’ anti-trafficking efforts — including a congressionally required review. According to Mother Jones:
For 25 years, the TIP Office has worked to combat human sex and labor trafficking around the world. Its remit includes producing an annual report, as required by Congress, that grades every country on the issue. Those that fail can face economic repercussions from the US, putting teeth into the government’s efforts to end trafficking. This year’s report was due on June 30, but has not been released.
The TIP Office also works with local partners around the world to strengthen civil society groups, train prosecutors, and help other countries combat trafficking. The office’s mission, including managing tens of millions of dollars for these programs, has always had bipartisan support.
Mother Jones quoted a State Department spokesperson as defending the cuts: “The world has changed. As we looked comprehensively across the Department, we saw that many of these offices had served an outdated purpose, had strayed from their original purpose, or were simply duplicative.”
Earlier this week, Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Del., asked Deputy Secretary of State Michael Rigas about the cuts during a House hearing. Rigas claimed “there was a number of redundant functions” being performed by TIP Office employees — but he didn’t offer any examples.
I'll note here that Trump officials haven’t provided a shred of evidence backing their claim that this anti-trafficking office — or any of the other such initiatives that have been gutted — is ineffective, redundant or worthy of cuts. So we’re left with a troubling trend without solid explanation.