Merritt Corrigan was recently appointed by Trump as deputy White House liaison at USAID
Employees at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have raised concerns over the appointment of an official with a deeply homophobic record.
Merritt Corrigan was recently appointed by Trump as deputy White House liaison at USAID despite her troubling record on LGBT+ issues.
Her history of homophobic comments initially surfaced earlier this month, when it was revealed she had attacked the US “homo-empire” and “tyrannical LGBT agenda”.
More messages have now been surfaced by CNN’s KFile, which reveal even more extreme views.
More homophobic posts from Trump appointee Merritt Corrigan surface.
In October, when a conservative radio host posted a photo of himself with a drag queen, Merritt Corrigan wrote: “Right-wing gatekeepers have made it abundantly clear that their allegiance is to Satan and those who carry out his agenda of appalling sexual perversion over those who question the liberal status quo.”
Corrigan has also attempted to link an increase in teen suicide to the acceptance of LGBT+ people, and mocked gay Democrat Pete Buttigieg for “LARPing at being in a real marriage” after he wished Barack and Michelle Obama a happy anniversary.
After senator Elizabeth Warren spoke in support of same-sex marriage at a Democratic town hall last year, Corrigan tweeted: “This sick statement by Warren, which glibly mocks a real crisis happening in our society, is exactly why women shouldn’t be in office.”
The Trump appointee previously worked for the Hungarian Embassy in Washington – and is a staunch defender of the country’s far-right homophobic leader Viktor Orban, who recently passed a law that legally erases trans people.
In addition to Orban, Corrigan also tweeted support for Germany’s far-right party AfD and France’s National Front.
USAID employees have raised concerns over ‘toxic environment’.
According to Axios, a group of employees within the USAID have sent a letter to acting administrator John Barsa, quoting many of her remarks and warning that that the recruitment of people with anti-LGBT views has created a toxic climate at the agency.
The letter says: “The use of these words and concepts creates a hostile work environment, undermines our efforts to advance USAID’s critical mission, and is antithetical to USAID’s core values of respect, empowerment and inclusion.”
A spokesperson for USAID told Axios that Barsa “will meet with the employee resource group representatives and plans to continue the conversation on the issues mentioned”.
However, the acting administrator has previously defended Corrigan, issuing a statement decrying what he claims is “unwarranted and malicious attacks” on her record.
Barsa said: “Political appointees are appointed at the discretion of the White House to carry out the president’s foreign policy agenda at USAID.
“I have full confidence that each political appointee at USAID has and will continue to implement the president’s policies and agenda to the best of his or her ability.”