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After a report in The New York Times this week, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has acknowledged that the CIA has been secretly delivering bags of money to his office since the beginning of the war more than a decade ago.

The money is allegedly used to buy loyalty — that of Karzai and the people he doles the cash out to. Karzai said he's received "small amounts" of money from the U.S. and he's grateful for it.

But many politicians, pundits and people on the street aren't so happy about the secret stash.

Political analyst Bashir Bezhand is among them.

Speaking to a news anchor on Afghanistan's Tolo TV, Bezhand said it is a "scandal" and an "insult" to the people of Afghanistan. He said Karzai should answer publicly for what many consider a crime: receiving tens of millions of dollars in ghost money from the CIA, much of which has gone to family, cronies, politicians and warlords, according to sources who spoke to The New York Times.

The Fallout At Home

Several Afghan senators commented in the local media that Karzai has violated national sovereignty by accepting the cash.

But other senators, especially those appointed by Karzai, say it's not a big deal.

Sen. Najiba Hussaini says foreign aid forms the foundation of the current Afghan government.

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