PETE MAROCCO
Assistant to the Administrator, 2020-2021 (technically, but put on leave for the majority of the time)
Pete also had a brief stint at the State Department!
DALLAS HERO EXEC PETE MAROCCO CAUGHT ON CAM INSIDE JANUARY 6 CAPITOL INSURRECTION
Pete Marocco, the executive director of Dallas HERO, and his wife, Merritt Corrigan Marocco, have been accused by citizen investigators of entering the U.S. Capitol during the January 6, 2021, insurrection.
November 4, 2024
FOREIGN POLICY NEWS STORIES THAT PACKED A PUNCH IN 2020
December 30, 2020
Like many Trump political appointees, Peter Marocco took a wrecking ball to the bureau he was meant to run, slashing funding that would mediate conflicts and promote democracy, and hamstringing operations in the field to curry favor with the White House. Unlike many of those other appointees, Marocco was pushed out of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Stabilization after this article was published—then he returned, before a final exit.
CONTROVERSIAL TRUMP USAID APPOINTEE RETURNS FROM ABSENCE
December 1, 2020
A Trump loyalist who received major promotions despite being previously dismissed from positions at the State and Defense Departments over similar concerns, Marocco’s return comes just as executive branch agencies are under deadline to decide whether to strip workplace protections from career federal civil service workers.
CONTENTIOUS USAID APPOINTEE TO TAKE LEAVE AFTER 3 MONTHS ON JOB
October 1, 2020
Tensions flared so much that some staff members put together a 13-page memo detailing their frustrations. They alleged that “thousands” of hours of staff time had been spent on unnecessary and unproductive requests from Marocco.
TRUMP USAID APPOINTEE TAKES SUDDEN ABSENCE AFTER CONTROVERSIAL TENURE
USAID officials accused Marocco of derailing routine work for the bureau by insisting he approve any new hires and sign off on thousands of USAID contracts that were already approved by USAID officials in the field.
October 1, 2020
USAID DISSENT MEMO DETAILS FRUSTRATIONS WITH TRUMP APPOINTEE
September 22, 2020
"[Marocco’s] proposed pivot would overrule USAID, the Embassy, and the interagency’s strategic priorities, likely run afoul of the Establishment clause, and risk worsening ... tense sectarian tensions by affirming one side’s narrative while stigmatizing the other,” the complaint reads.
AT U.S.A.I.D., JUGGLING POLITICAL PRIORITIES AND PANDEMIC RESPONSE
September 13, 2020
Another political appointee at the agency, Peter Marocco, told colleagues he was 'under pressure' from the White House’s Office of Management and Budget to cut U.S.A.I.D. spending, according to another agency official. Mr. Marocco has delayed funding to help Ukraine’s government ward off Russian interference, the official said, even though he oversees efforts to prevent conflict in countries facing political transition.
"To load up an agency with political appointees who do not have the expertise, how then do you expect that agency to perform against its mission?" said Gayle Smith, who was the aid agency’s administrator during the Obama administration.
TRUMP APPOINTEE TAKES 'SLASH AND BURN' APPROACH TO KEY USAID BUREAU
September 2, 2020
Since taking up his post as assistant to the administrator, Marocco has held up funding for scores of transitional initiatives, including a program in Ukraine aimed at countering Russian efforts to destabilize the country’s democratic government.
ARRIVAL OF NEW CONFLICT CHIEF AT USAID RATCHETS UP INTERNAL TENSIONS
Two U.S. officials who worked directly with Marocco, both of whom requested anonymity for fear of reprisal, described how he frequently undermined career staffers, causing several to flee their divisions.
July 8, 2020
HOW DID MINA CHANG GET A STATE DEPARTMENT JOB IN THE FIRST PLACE?
November 27, 2019
Apart from her Capitol Hill connection, Chang received support from Marocco at the State Department. Marocco helped circulate her résumé and vouched for her as she sought out a post at State, three sources familiar with the matter said.
Related: Mina Chang, State Department