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The White House on Wednesday put out a statement from President Joe Biden saying that he will issue a memorandum to fight corruption, calling it “self-defense” and a “risk to national security”.
In the statement, Biden says he is directing departments and agencies to make recommendations that will “significantly bolster the ability of the U.S. government to combat corruption”.
NEW: Pres. Biden issues memorandum "to establish combatting corruption as a core U.S. national security interest."
"Fighting corruption is not just good governance. It is self-defense." https://t.co/BZCDRLjIbx pic.twitter.com/WBkLDXvQHF
— ABC News (@ABC) June 3, 2021
Part of the statement reads:
“Strengthening the resilience of rights-respecting democracies is one of the defining challenges of our era. Corruption eats away at the foundations of democratic societies. It makes government less effective, wastes public resources, and exacerbates inequalities in access to services, making it harder for families to provide for their loved ones. Corruption attacks the foundations of democratic institutions, drives and intensifies extremism, and makes it easier for authoritarian regimes to corrode democratic governance.”
Biden is hoping that by this effort, the rest of the world will follow suit.
“The United States will lead by example and in partnership with allies, civil society, and the private sector to fight the scourge of corruption, Biden said. “But this is a mission for the entire the world. And, we must all stand in support of courageous citizens around the globe who are demanding honest, transparent governance.”
“Fighting corruption is not just good governance,” he added. “It is self-defense. It is patriotism, and it’s essential to the preservation of our democracy and our future.”
