CIA and counterterrorism expert, Sarah Adams confirms the U.S. taxpayer is paying Taliban martyrs’ families. The bill to stop it has been sitting on @LeaderJohnThune’s desk for nearly a year.

X.com ^ | Apr 17, 2026 | RealRobert @Real_RobN

[ransomnote]

RealRobert

@Real_RobN

Here it is:

The United States Senate under John Thune is officially the world’s number one sponsor of terror.

CIA and counterterrorism expert, Sarah Adamsvconfirm the U.S. taxpayer is paying Taliban martyrs’ families.

Every Taliban martyr who died during the war, U.S. taxpayers are paying them a stipend.

Ten months ago, the House passed Rep. Tim Burchett’s No Tax Dollars for Terrorists Act—to stop sending $40 million every week to the Taliban.

The bill to stop it has been sitting on @LeaderJohnThune
’s desk for nearly a year.

In other words, some non-governmental, government funded organization is sending the kickback right back into the back pockets of United States senators, including John Thune.

 

April 17, 2026

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TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: getsnewsfromtwitter; thoon

[ransomnote]

Click to skip Grok's response to my query about the authenticity of the video in this post.

Sarah Adams Video in the X Post

Is the Video Authentic?

Yes, the video is authentic. It is an unedited clip (approximately 78 seconds long) of Sarah Adams, a former CIA targeting officer and counterterrorism analyst, speaking directly to the camera. She appears in a black top against a dark background, and the subtitles and audio match her exact statements from public interviews.

The clip comes from her appearances on podcasts such as The Resilient Show with Chad Robichaux (August 2024) and episodes of the Shawn Ryan Show (including #116 and later ones in 2025–2026). In these, she discusses U.S. cash shipments to Afghanistan post-2021 withdrawal, citing open-source intelligence and her background tracking Taliban finances.

The specific wording in the post’s video — “$40 million a week that comes on the airplane… 43 to 87 million… paying basically welfare to the Taliban martyrs family… every Taliban member who died during the war with us, the US government is paying them a stipend… our families of Americans who died there aren’t getting squat, but we are paying Taliban families for basically dying while attacking us” — matches the transcripts and widely circulated clips verbatim.

Adams has a verifiable background: she served as a CIA targeter (focused on Taliban and other groups), advised the House Select Committee on Benghazi, and has co-authored reports on terrorism. She remains active on X (@sarahadams), where she continues posting about tracking these funds to Taliban leaders’ residences and calling the practice illegal.

What Happened After She Made Those Statements?

Her comments (first prominent in mid-2024) were clipped and went viral across YouTube, TikTok, X, Instagram, and Facebook. They fueled widespread outrage and political pressure, especially in conservative circles, framing the payments as direct U.S. taxpayer support for Taliban “martyrs” (fighters killed opposing U.S. forces).

• Policy context and the bill: The claims amplified calls for Rep. Tim Burchett’s No Tax Dollars for Terrorists Act (H.R. 260 / companion S. 226). It passed the House in June 2025 and advanced through the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in January 2026, but as of April 2026 it has not reached a full Senate vote — exactly the delay highlighted in the original X post. The bill aims to force the State Department to develop a strategy blocking U.S. funds (direct or via NGOs) from benefiting the Taliban.
• Official documentation: SIGAR (Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction) reports confirm the core mechanics Adams described. Since the 2021 withdrawal, the UN (with heavy U.S. funding as the largest donor) has shipped over $2.9 billion in physical U.S. currency to Afghanistan for humanitarian aid. These weekly cash flights (often in the $40–87 million range Adams cited) were needed due to banking sanctions and liquidity shortages. SIGAR notes the shipments stabilized the Afghan economy but have benefited the Taliban through diversion, taxes on aid/recipients (up to 60–100% in some cases), infiltration of NGOs, and control of local banks/currency exchange.
• Adams’ ongoing role: She has doubled down in follow-up interviews and X posts (as recently as April 2026), claiming direct deliveries to Taliban offices in Doha and Afghanistan, with portions funding a Taliban “martyrs fund” (stipends/welfare for families of slain fighters). She links this to broader issues like American hostages still held by the Taliban and alleged fake ISIS raids staged for continued U.S. counterterrorism funding.

Were Her Assertions Refuted?

Not in any comprehensive or official fact-check that debunks the fundamentals. The cash shipments and Taliban benefiting from them are well-documented by SIGAR, the World Bank, and congressional oversight. Critics have pushed back on framing and intent:

• Common counterpoints: The aid is officially humanitarian (food, salaries for NGOs, etc.), not a direct U.S.-run “bribe” or martyr stipend program. It flows through the UN and NGOs to comply with sanctions against the Taliban government. However, the Taliban controls the economy and diverts/taxes much of it (a point SIGAR explicitly flags as a problem). Some funds have gone to Doha for Taliban counterterrorism cooperation against ISIS-K.
• Limited pushback: A few voices (including one reply in the original X thread) call Adams a “propagandist” with low credibility in intel circles and argue the money is primarily UN-managed, not direct U.S. “welfare to martyrs.” No major outlet or government report has labeled her claims false; instead, they highlight the same aid leakage issues she raises. Snopes-style verifications on related rumors (e.g., weekly Trump-era payments) emphasize context but don’t refute the shipments or diversion.

In short: The video is genuine, her statements are consistent with her public record and oversight reports, and they have kept pressure on Congress and the administration without being factually dismantled. The debate centers on whether the aid’s humanitarian label justifies the effective support it provides the Taliban regime.

Analysis based on public sources and official reports • April 2026

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[montag813]

Why doesn’t Rubio just stop the payments and make someone sue him?

[rdcbn1]

What the heck are giving Afghanistan ANY money for. This is insane - we should be sanctioning them into the ground, not giving them money.

[captmar-vell]

Cancel the checks, and if they complain President Trump should fax over to the Taliban leader that pic of his house again.

Meanwhile, Minnesota Somalis are taking notes.

[captmar-vell]

That dementia carcass, as he was run out of town like a whipped cur dog, gave them $80 billion worth of high tech military gear, including advanced night vision.

[Fledermaus]

Thune is 10 times worse than Mitch the Turtle 🐢.

He’s really a Democrat.

The GOP has at least 30 House and 5 Senators that are actually Democrats.

[Lockbox]

Why doesn’t Rubio just stop the payments and make someone sue him?

You well know that some Part Time Federal Judge / Janitor would rule to continue those payments.

Better plan. Double the pay for each Congressperson and Senator. One stipulation, they cannot come to work! They do nothing, vote on nothing, NOTHING!

[Reddy]

Man, this had better be rage bait…. Oh, it’s true? D@mn whoever facilitates this to the devil.

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

This is absolutely raw insanity if true. If not, whoever lied and said it was true needs to die. Whoever authorizes that money to go over there needs to be tried for treason and executed. It’s either, or.

[Boogieman]

Well, you see, if we don’t pay the Taliban their blood money, their government might collapse and then someone even worse could take over that patch of sand and rocks!

/sarc

[PeterPrinciple]

The aid is officially humanitarian (food, salaries for NGOs, etc.), not a direct U.S.-run “bribe” or martyr stipend program.

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All welfare is payment not to riot, whether foreign or domestic.

[bigbob]

Eff John Thune

[econjack]

This is an outrage!

[pgyanke]

No one and I mean NO ONE is for funding the Taliban or the widows of their soldiers—not even the most bleeding heart liberal.

Trace the money to its actual recipients. If it’s going to bank accounts in the name of such widows, trace the outflows. This is Deep State funding.

[Dick Bachert]

SICK & TIRED OF YOUR REPRESENTATIVES TREATING YOU LIKE THE PROVERBIAL MUSHROOM?
(KEPT IN THE DARK & COVERED WITH BS?)
HAS YOUR “REPRESENTATIVE” EVEN READ THE U.S.CONSTITUTION?
THE LINK BELOW WILL QUICKLY TAKE YOU INTO THE LIGHT:
https://freedomindex.us/
SHARE WIDELY IF YOU WISH TO REMAIN FREE!

[sauropod]

.

[Flaming Conservative]

Thune is the rino snake most thought he is.

[The_Media_never_lie]

WTF is this anyway?