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Leaked emails reveal ‘civil war’ at CIA regime change cut-out Leaked emails reveal ‘civil war’ at CIA regime-change cutout
(about 11 hours later)
An embarrassing interview has exposed rifts at the National Endowment for DemocracyAn embarrassing interview has exposed rifts at the National Endowment for Democracy
The biggest public relations fiasco in the history of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) has resulted in two senior officials ending up fired and a “civil war” of sorts between the old neoconservative cadres and the new “woke” management, according to documents obtained by The Grayzone. Internal rancour has gripped the US NGO National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a CIA cutout responsible for fermenting political discontent in countries regarded as adversaries by Washington. It’s perhaps best known for helping to foment the 2014 Maidan coup in Ukraine, a country that its founder Carl Gershman labelled “the biggest prize.”
The fiasco in question was the phone call between the NED vice-president for communications Leslie Aun and the Grayzone’s Max Blumenthal and Alex Rubinstein, which the independent outlet published in May 2023. Aun initiated the call to address Rubinstein’s description of the Endowment as a “CIA cutout,” but ended up saying “I don’t know” a lot instead. The debacle has resulted in two senior officials being fired and a “civil war” erupting between older neoconservatives and younger management – which the former accuses of being too “woke” – according to documents obtained by The Grayzone.
On Tuesday, the Grayzone published several emails between Michael Allen – who used to be the editor of the NED’s ‘Democracy Digest’ blog – and the Endowment’s founding president Carl Gershman, revealing that the fallout from the call’s publication may have cost Aun and Allen their jobs. The scandal was sparked after then newly-appointed NED vice-president for communications broke ranks by engaging with journalists the organisation had previously shunned. Leslie Aun took exception to the Grayzone’s portrayal of the organization as CIA proxy, and initiated a call with the outlet’s Max Blumenthal and Alex Rubinstein, which it published in May 2023.
During the call, Aun, failed to provide any assurance of any statutory separation between the NED and the CIA. “I don’t know if it’s in the statute. I don’t know if it’s — I mean, I don’t — I don’t know. I’m going to sound like an idiot. I don’t mean to sound like an idiot,” she told the reporters. 
On Tuesday, the Grayzone published several leaked emails between Michael Allen – former editor of the NED’s ‘Democracy Digest’ blog – and the Endowment’s founding president Carl Gershman, revealing that the fallout from the call’s publication may have cost Aun and Allen their jobs. Grayzone didn’t reveal where it had obtained the correspondence.
“Amateur hour – hugely embarrassing!” Allen emailed Gershman and NED VP for government relations, David Lowe, a day after the recording was posted on YouTube. “I specifically counseled against her talking to these people.”“Amateur hour – hugely embarrassing!” Allen emailed Gershman and NED VP for government relations, David Lowe, a day after the recording was posted on YouTube. “I specifically counseled against her talking to these people.”
Lowe described Aun’s performance as “breathtakingly ignorant” and “too painful to listen to.” Both he and Gershman, who retired in 2021, appeared to disparage the new NED president Damon Wilson for hiring her. Lowe described Aun’s performance as “breathtakingly ignorant” and “too painful to listen to.” Both he and Gershman, who retired in 2021, appeared to disparage the new NED president Damon Wilson – a veteran of NATO’s Atlantic Council adjunct – for hiring her.
You can read a comprehensive selection of the #NEDFiles obtained exclusively by The Grayzone here: https://t.co/v9hbVW6q6UI think many will be shocked that Congress allocates $200 million a year to an unstable, politically partisan organization with obviously inept leadershipYou can read a comprehensive selection of the #NEDFiles obtained exclusively by The Grayzone here: https://t.co/v9hbVW6q6UI think many will be shocked that Congress allocates $200 million a year to an unstable, politically partisan organization with obviously inept leadership
Gershman described the call as a “disastrous screwup” and described Aun as “obviously clueless,” a “moron,” and a “clueless wonder” whose hiring was an “egregious error” reflecting Wilson’s focus on media and image. Gershman described the call as a “disastrous screwup” and described Aun as “obviously clueless,” a “moron,” and a “clueless wonder” whose hiring was an “egregious error” reflecting Wilson’s alleged focus on media and image.
In messages to Gershman and Lowe, Allen blamed NED communications director, Christine Bednarz, who reportedly encouraged Aun to talk to the Grayzone. Allen also blamed Bednarz for instituting mandatory “diversity, equity and inclusion” training and berating him about his “white male privilege.” In messages to Gershman and Lowe, Allen blamed NED communications director, Christine Bednarz, who reportedly encouraged Aun to talk to the Grayzone. Allen also turned his fire on Bednarz for instituting mandatory “diversity, equity and inclusion” training and berating him about his “white male privilege.”
In one email, Allen complained about the DEI training agenda including “microaggressions” and the “ideological, not historical” 1619 Project, noting that Bednarz had berated him for not using pronouns on his business cards and email signature.  In one email, Allen complained about the DEI training agenda including “microaggressions” and the “ideological, not historical” 1619 Project, noting that Bednarz had berated him for not using pronouns on his business cards and email signature.
In a June 5, 2023 email to Gershman, Allen complained about the communications team focusing on the “more urgent matter of NED’s LGBTQIA+ agenda” rather than the Grayzone fallout.In a June 5, 2023 email to Gershman, Allen complained about the communications team focusing on the “more urgent matter of NED’s LGBTQIA+ agenda” rather than the Grayzone fallout.
Another point of conflict arose after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, with Allen complaining that several NED staffers “promoted and attended the pro-Palestinian march organized by ANSWER” and that the NED president still backed Black Lives Matter on Facebook even after they “enthusiastically celebrated the Hamas massacres.”Another point of conflict arose after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, with Allen complaining that several NED staffers “promoted and attended the pro-Palestinian march organized by ANSWER” and that the NED president still backed Black Lives Matter on Facebook even after they “enthusiastically celebrated the Hamas massacres.”
At one point, Gershman asked if Bednarz harbored some kind of personal resentment for her Israeli ex-husband, or if she was “just a woke flake,” to which Allen replied: “The latter, combined with a certain megalomania and defensive resentment over the Grayzone fiasco.”At one point, Gershman asked if Bednarz harbored some kind of personal resentment for her Israeli ex-husband, or if she was “just a woke flake,” to which Allen replied: “The latter, combined with a certain megalomania and defensive resentment over the Grayzone fiasco.”
Allen ended up getting fired on December 12. In an email to Gershman and Lowe in February, he claimed his firing was in part due to “marginalization prompted by the Grayzone affair, arguably the biggest PR fiasco in NED’s history.” Allen was eventully fired on December 12. In an email to Gershman and Lowe in February, he claimed his move was in part due to “marginalization prompted by the Grayzone affair, arguably the biggest PR fiasco in NED’s history.”
Aun was fired at some point as well and paid a substantial settlement for “sex discrimination,” according to the documents obtained by the Grayzone. Her online biographies make no mention of her work at NED. Aun was fired at some point as well and paid a substantial settlement for “sex discrimination,” according to the documents obtained by the Grayzone. Her online biographies make no mention of her work at NED. 
The Endowment was founded by Gershman and Alan Weinstein in 1983, after the CIA suggested the creation of such an organization to then-President Ronald Reagan. “What we do today was done covertly 25 years ago by the CIA,” Weinstein admitted to the Washington Post in 1991. Rubinstein had mentioned the CIA connection in passing, in an April 2023 article about the controversial outfit Bellingcat getting NED funding. NED was founded in 1983 at the behest of the CIA, which proposed the creation of such an organization to then-President Ronald Reagan. NED founder Allen Weinstein admitted to the Washington Post in 1991 “What we do today was done covertly 25 years ago by the CIA.”