Wife of Federal Judge Who Threw a Wrench in Trump’s Agenda Has a Curious Connection to USAID: Report
A recent ruling by U.S. District Judge John Bates mandated that federal health agencies restore content on transgenderism that was removed following a Trump executive order targeting “gender ideology extremism.” Judge Bates stated that the removal lacked proper justification adn violated legal provisions, which hampered patients’ access to necessary care. This decision raises concerns amid criticisms of the Trump managementS efforts to curtail spending and fraudulent activities within government programs.
The controversy deepened when it was revealed that Bates’ wife, Carol Rhees, is the founder of a nonprofit called Hope for Children in Ethiopia, which received meaningful funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) during the Trump administration’s scrutiny of such agencies. Following this revelation, entrepreneur Elon Musk criticized the situation, labeling the judge as “corrupt” and calling for judicial impeachments.
Despite the backlash, Judge Bates later ruled in favor of the Department of Government efficiency, allowing them to continue accessing government records. The situation highlights ongoing tensions between the judicial system, federal agencies, and efforts to reform government spending.
The wife of a federal judge who blocked President Donald Trump’s decision to shutter government websites that promoted gender ideology founded an organization that received funds from the United States Agency for International Development, an agency that the administration is currently targeting.
U.S. District Judge John Bates issued a decision on Tuesday ordering federal health agencies to restore pages about transgenderism they had pulled after a Trump executive order about “gender ideology extremism.”
He reasoned that the websites were removed without any publicly provided rationale or opportunity for recourse, an apparent violation of the law, according to Politico.
“No backend remedy could ameliorate the inability to provide all required care during an appointment time to a patient who cannot return in the future,” Bates wrote.
The ruling came as left-wing organizations and elected officials challenged Trump administration efforts to address wasteful and fraudulent projects in government.
After the ruling, however, Shore News Network noted that Bates’ wife, Carol Rhees, started a nonprofit called Hope for Children in Ethiopia.
The organization has received funds from USAID, one of the agencies facing scrutiny under the government efficiency effort.
Hope for Children “received hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal grants” between 2013 and 2021, according to archived web pages analyzed by Shore News Network.
One page showed Rhees as the “Founder and President” of Hope for Children.
Elon Musk, who is leading the Department of Government Efficiency in its efforts to end rampant spending within USAID, reacted strongly to the connection.
“No kidding. Yet another corrupt judge,” he wrote on X.
No kidding. Yet another corrupt judge. https://t.co/payavPAyvp
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 12, 2025
The multibillionaire therefore joined members of the Trump administration who have voiced frustration with federal court orders pausing portions of their agenda.
Musk also contended in response to the USAID connection that “there needs to be an immediate wave of judicial impeachments, not just one.”
Following the comments from Musk, however, Bates ruled in favor of the DOGE on Friday, allowing the advisory service to continue accessing government records from certain federal agencies, according to Newsweek.
He wrote that DOGE likely counts as a federal agency and can therefore keep looking at the data.
“On the record as it currently stands and with limited briefing on the issue, the case law defining agencies indicates that plaintiffs have not shown a substantial likelihood that [DOGE] is not an agency,” Bates said.
“If that is so, [DOGE] may detail its employees to other agencies consistent with the Economy Act,” he continued.
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