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And what did the Biden administration do once this corruption came to light? Nothing. Worse—they doubled down.
Even after learning about the fraud, USAID under Biden still proceeded to award a jaw-dropping $800 million contract to PMCG CollaborateUp JV LLC, a joint venture between Barnes’ company and a tiny consulting firm called CollaborateUp. According to reports, this consulting group operated out of a suburban Virginia house.
Let that sink in: a billion-dollar migration contract went to criminals and a home-based contractor.
Kamala’s Job, Outsourced to Crooks
The $800 million contract was supposedly to address the “root causes” of illegal immigration from Central America—a job President Biden assigned to Kamala Harris early in his term.
But Kamala, as usual, was missing in action.
She made headlines when she was tapped to manage the border crisis, then disappeared. NBC News reports she hasn’t visited the border or the affected Central American countries since early 2022.
So while Harris abandoned her post, the Biden administration outsourced her assignment—and handed it to a team that included criminals.
And what exactly was their grand plan for stopping illegal immigration? “Climate change.” You read that right. The company claimed it would stop the migrant crisis by fighting climate change with nearly a billion of your tax dollars.
The Grift Was Lavish
Court documents show just how obscene this corruption was. Watson wasn’t just taking cash—he was accepting laptops, NBA luxury suite tickets, a country club wedding, mortgage down payments, and even jobs for family members.
One highlight? Co-conspirators reportedly gave Watson a new iPhone because he “like[d] shiny objects!!!”
The scheme was tailor-made to exploit diversity-based contract policies. Using 8(a) small business and DEI loopholes, the crooks funneled massive federal contracts to themselves with little or no competition.
USAID Tried to Stop the Contract—Too Late
Investigators from USAID’s own inspector general knew by 2023 that Barnes and Vistant were corrupt. On November 9, 2023, Vistant was barred from receiving federal contracts.
That same day, incredibly, USAID still informed the Barnes-CollaborateUp venture that it had won the $800 million migration deal.
One contracting officer tried to halt the contract, warning it was “legally questionable.” But when push came to shove, the contractor partners actually sued the government—demanding their massive payday. In court, they sought a permanent injunction to prevent USAID from canceling the deal.
Their sense of entitlement was stunning.
Swampy Connections Go Deeper
It gets worse.
CollaborateUp added Mark A. Green to its roster as a “senior advisor”—the same Mark Green who led USAID during President Trump’s first term. That’s right. The company that helped write procurement policies under Trump turned around and exploited those very same rules, teamed up with convicted fraudsters, and then brought the former boss onboard.
As one insider put it: “Only in Washington, D.C.”
Media Silent as the Scandal Grows
Predictably, the corporate press has been silent. While MSNBC and others breathlessly promote USAID’s climate work, they’ve completely ignored the guilty plea of a senior USAID official in a half-billion-dollar fraud scheme.
Once again, the media’s silence is deafening when Democrats are involved.
Justice Incoming—But Too Late for Taxpayers
Watson faces up to 15 years behind bars when he’s sentenced on October 6. His co-conspirators—Barnes, Britt, and Young—will be sentenced later this year, each facing up to five years.
The Trump administration already began shutting down USAID in early 2025, citing deep-rooted corruption and insider abuse. The $800 million migration contract was terminated—not because the Biden admin had a change of heart, but because Trump pulled the plug.
This is what “draining the swamp” actually looks like.
For four years, Biden and Harris ignored corruption, neglected their duties, and shoveled your money into the pockets of fraudsters. While Kamala went AWOL on her border assignment, known criminals were hired to do the job—and got paid like kings.
America deserves better.
It’s time to clean house—for good.
