A high-ranking official at the Department of Homeland Security has been suspended following allegations that she solicited tens of thousands of dollars from “sugar daddies.”

A formal complaint was filed against Julia Varvaro, a 29-year-old counterterrorism official, accusing her of keeping transactional relationships that posed a security riskThe Daily Mail reported on Wednesday.

She was appointed to her senior position in May 2025, shortly after earning a degree in Homeland Security from St. John’s University. Varvaro has attended several MAGA events and has been photographed with Donald Trump.

The complaint, filed with the DHS inspector general, was submitted by an executive identified as “Robert B,” who said he spent approximately $40,000 on Varvaro during the course of their three‑month relationship after they met on Hinge.

  • WesternInfidels@feddit.online
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    2 hours ago

    The entire administration is exclusively “transactional relationships that pose a security risk,” but she’s a woman, so

  • Optional@lemmy.world
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    7 hours ago

    If you supposedly have a degree in it, from a supposedly accredited university, and you openly fuck it up like this, what does that say about you? Stupid? Arrogant? Greedy? Addicted to something? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

    “Physics professor found injured after jumping off a barn flapping his arms”. Like - did you not learn about this in your curriculum?

    • Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca
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      7 hours ago

      I know a few 29 year old folks that would be infinitely better qualified than half the jackasses on this administration.

    • chuckleslord@lemmy.world
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      10 hours ago

      … what? What about that fact is fishy? Her age isn’t the issue, it’s how soon after graduating that she became a senior official but that’s got jack to do with her age

      • Windex007@lemmy.world
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        9 hours ago

        Statistically, “top of your field” is a high enough bar that even 10 years of experience doesn’t put you there.

        It’s not impossible, but it is fishy. Unless she graduated at age 9.

        • boonhet@sopuli.xyz
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          7 hours ago

          “Top official”, however, means high ranking, not high skill. Just means someone in the Trump admin decided to put her in a high position. These positions probably get swapped out every time there’s a new presidency (Trump’s not gonna use Biden’s people and Biden probably threw out a lot of Trump’s people) so anyone taking the job needs to be either hungry for experience or passionate enough about national security, that they don’t mind having a job for 4 years and then being told to fuck off.

          Spending all that time getting a Doctorate in national security and also being 29 means she’s probably both.

  • kylie_kraft@lemmy.world
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    13 hours ago

    another woman. the purge continues. meanwhile, I’m sure that all the men receiving kickbacks and corporate sponsorships are totally safe.

  • Devolution@lemmy.world
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    12 hours ago

    She’s hot. Latina. Young. And a pick me. Of COURSE she’s fucked (literally… But still).

  • gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world
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    13 hours ago

    I’m sure she’s a fucking piece of shit the world would be a better place without, but how is accepting voluntarily made gifts from someone else any kinda crime? There might be aspects to this we don’t know yet, but considering the original source for all of this is the Daily Mail and the Trump Administration I think it’s safe to assume this is 100% pure misogynistic bullshit and they’re just destroying the career of this woman (who thought the leopards wouldn’t eat her face) because she refused to fuck someone with the power to throw a tantrum about it.

        • RiceBowl@piefed.blahaj.zone
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          12 hours ago

          Can you not think of a scenario where your taking money from people can lead to compromising situations for the country?

          Generally, once upon a time, people with bad financial situations did not get security clearance. Gambling debt? No clearance. Sugar baby? No clearance. It opens you up to being compromised.

          • gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world
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            12 hours ago

            Can you not think of a scenario where a Trump administration supporting executive would lie out of their asses to punish a woman who denied their advances?

            Generally, once upon a time, people with bad financial situations did not get security clearance

            The fucking president of the country might as well have his picture in the dictionary next to the entry on “bad financial situations,” if you genuinely believe that’s what this is about I’ve got a cryptocurrency to sell you

            • bedwyr@piefed.ca
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              6 hours ago

              They are lying, but not for that reason. This nest of vipers is just getting started.

            • RiceBowl@piefed.blahaj.zone
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              11 hours ago

              Yes. It’s pretty obvious. People in these positions need to not be so easily compromised by something as simple as money whether that is the president or anyone else.

              And yes woman are treated worse and often the fall girls for a corrupt admin. But it doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be removed. They all need to be.

              • gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world
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                10 hours ago

                And yes woman are treated worse and often the fall girls for a corrupt admin. But it doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be removed. They all need to be.

                Fair enough, being willing to work for this administration in any capacity demonstrates a lack of either intellect or morals or both that ought to be disqualifying for any government jobs, but by the same token I’m not going to take an allegation from someone affiliated with this administration about one of their own at face value. If a trustworthy voice like a Democratic lawmaker comes forward and says “I have information showing this person is corrupt and needs to be removed” I would be prepared to believe them, but a complaint from an executive who was happy to do business with this administration is meaningless.

                At the end of the day any Trump administration official being removed from their job is a good thing, but we really shouldn’t be taking claims made by anyone in their orbit at face value just because they’re saying things we want to hear.

            • JamesTBagg@lemmy.world
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              10 hours ago

              You could READ the article. Wild idea, I know, but it does an alright job explaining why her actions raise security concerns.

              • gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world
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                9 hours ago

                Taking statements made by the Daily Mirror and an executive who did business with the Trump administration and was trying to fuck one of its members at face value is indeed a wild idea

        • CIA_chatbot@lemmy.world
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          12 hours ago

          Sex is often used in espionage- soliciting is one of those things that causes you to lose a security clearance (selling or buying- legal or not)

          Sex work should be legal, but in this context it doesn’t matter as it’s a security risk.

          In THIS context it’s also makes it evident how she got her job anyway, which is something par for the course with republicans

        • Jessica@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          12 hours ago

          These sorts of transactional relationships create leverage that can be used against someone. They could also be used to obtain information socially.

          On its own, do your thang girl. But when you have certain kinds of jobs, there are things you must abstain from.

    • LordMayor@piefed.social
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      13 hours ago

      It’s a crime because she must have lied about the gifts on her security clearance check.

      A government employee having those kinds of relationships is a huge security risk, especially at DHS.

    • theunknownmuncher@lemmy.world
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      13 hours ago

      Unreported income and relationships means she lied during her security clearance investigation. Which is a crime.

    • ohulancutash@feddit.uk
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      12 hours ago

      It is a major security risk. Someone who sells a relationship for large sums of money is more likely to agree to sell secrets for large sums of money. Then questions need to be asked where this money is going. She allegedly claimed sugar daddies paid off her college loans. What else did they pay for. Who has financial influence over her. She sought to conceal this from her employer, which is a crime. I doubt she paid taxes on the income either.

      She has a transactional personality, is comfortable deceiving DHS, is in the process of committing a crime and has opaque finances. This all points to her being a textbook target for approach by foreign intelligence or anyone who wants information.

    • twelvety@fedia.io
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      12 hours ago

      Accepting gifts inplies a sense of obligation. When you’re in a position of authority, that is leverage.