Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman’s office has rejected allegations of misappropriation of US funds received by the Jinnah Institute (JI), which is supported by US President Donald Trump’s nominee Richard Grenell. Got it.
The controversy arose after a tweet by Grenell, who claimed that Rahman had been “exposed” for receiving funds from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).
The former US diplomat on X (formerly Twitter) backed up allegations that Rahman received nearly half a million dollars from NED, saying: “What a waste of US taxpayers’ money. Sherry has been exposed. ”
The senator’s office on the X handle (@SRehmanOffice) quickly responded, categorically denying the allegations in a series of posts.
The office clarified that Rahman neither accused Grenell of lobbying nor suggested impropriety in his actions.
Instead, he stressed the importance of waiting for an institutional response, saying, “There is nothing to ‘expose’.”
The statement also emphasized the Jinnah Institute’s longstanding commitment to transparency and strict financial oversight. What exactly does ‘expose’ mean? Nothing is ‘hidden’. Jinnah Institute has a history of due diligence, transparency, audited accounts with respected donors. None of this is meant to be ‘exposing’ or trying to cover anything up,” he noted.
“He never even took salary from Jamaat-e-Islami,” the statement added.
Rahman’s team highlighted his extensive career as a journalist, diplomat and parliamentarian, during which he consistently upheld the principles of transparency and democratic governance. “That [Sherry Rehman] He has always been a supporter of good relations between the two countries. Regardless of who is in power in any country,” the statement added.
The Jinnah Institute is recognized as a think tank dedicated to promoting democratic values, regional stability and progressive policy dialogue in Pakistan.
Grenell’s remarks come amid heightened tensions in US-Pakistan relations, with his recent statements coinciding with calls for the release of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan.
The PTI party welcomed Grenell’s comments, while the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) stressed the importance of respecting Pakistan’s sovereignty.