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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsErik Prince Recruits Ex-Spies to Help Infiltrate Liberal Groups
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/07/us/politics/erik-prince-project-veritas.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=curWASHINGTON Erik Prince, the security contractor with close ties to the Trump administration, has in recent years helped recruit former American and British spies for secretive intelligence-gathering operations that included infiltrating Democratic congressional campaigns, labor organizations and other groups considered hostile to the Trump agenda, according to interviews and documents.
One of the former spies, an ex-MI6 officer named Richard Seddon, helped run a 2017 operation to copy files and record conversations in a Michigan office of the American Federation of Teachers, one of the largest teachers unions in the nation. Mr. Seddon directed an undercover operative to secretly tape the unions local leaders and try to gather information that could be made public to damage the organization, documents show.
Using a different alias the next year, the same undercover operative infiltrated the congressional campaign of Abigail Spanberger, then a former C.I.A. officer who went on to win an important House seat in Virginia as a Democrat. The campaign discovered the operative and fired her.
Both operations were run by Project Veritas, a conservative group that has gained attention using hidden cameras and microphones for sting operations on news organizations, Democratic politicians and liberal advocacy groups. Mr. Seddons role in the teachers union operation detailed in internal Project Veritas emails that have emerged from the discovery process of a court battle between the group and the union has not previously been reported, nor has Mr. Princes role in recruiting Mr. Seddon for the groups activities.
hlthe2b
(101,730 posts)sigh...
Initech
(99,915 posts)brewens
(13,400 posts)We just had Project Chaos in S.C.
ToxMarz
(2,154 posts)This is a multinational corruption ring, they are no longer fighting and trying to dominate each other based on national borders. They have joined forces to take over the world and divide it up among themselves.
I've been convinced for some time now that the Republican Party ceased to be an ideological entity around the time of Nixon and has since functioned only an Organized Crime cabal. In fact, corrupting the regulatory functions of a civil society (police, judiciary, public health & safety, etc.) are one of the main objectives of any criminal organization. Think Al Capone and the city of Chicago but now, at the federal level. Also note that a careful look at any failed-state dictatorship's organizational structure (like today's Russia, Turkey, North Korea, etc.) reveals a strong resemblance to what we define as "organized criminal activities". I'll go so far as to say that the vast majority if the ills of mankind since the first neolithic hominid put one rock upon another has been organized crime, in one form or another or, one name or another...
mr_lebowski
(33,643 posts)Good luck with that ... ooops, too late
Assholes ...
underpants
(182,279 posts)I didn't do much for the campaign but I've always kept my eyes open when I'm working on a campaign.
Brother Buzz
(36,217 posts)It's going to take some time to wrap my head around that one.
klook
(12,134 posts)Brother Buzz
(36,217 posts)Blackwater founder Erik Prince arranged for political activist James OKeefes conservative group Project Veritas to receive more than one round of training in intelligence and elicitation techniques, The Intercept reports. In 2016, the self-styled guerrilla journalist group reportedly got lessons from a retired military intelligence operative. The training lasted several weeks and ended with the operative, Euripides Rubio Jr., reportedly quitting because the group wasnt capable of learning. In 2017, Prince next set Project Veritas up with a former British MI6 officer in hopes of turning the organization into domestic spies, according to report. At the time, OKeefe posted social-media photos of the event at Princes Wyoming ranch, claiming he was training in spying and self-defense and planned to turn Project Veritas into the next great intelligence agency.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/erik-prince-set-up-intel-training-for-project-veritas-james-okeefe-report
stillcool
(32,626 posts)Karl Rove, Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, Roger Stone, Lee Atwater, etc. Vast Right-wing Conspiracy indeed.
Roland99
(53,342 posts)Link to tweet
Quote Tweet
The New York Times
@nytimes
· 24m
Breaking News: Erik Prince, the security contractor close to the Trump administration, recruited former U.S. and British spies to help infiltrate liberal groups
https://nyti.ms/2IwuqGE
NOTE/ In fact, there's a chapter in PROOF OF CONSPIRACY that deals with today's "breaking news" in the New York Times (the chapterChapter 8is entitled, "Tel Aviv, the Purge, the Chairman, and the Spy Army"
Here is an excerpt (purchase the book here: https://amazon.com/Proof-Conspiracy-International-Collusion-Threatening/dp/1250256712
bronxiteforever
(9,287 posts)mercenary billionaire working for the GOP. Horrifying.
Erik Prince is a character out of the song Roland the headless Thompson gunner by Warren Zevon.
marble falls
(56,359 posts)rockfordfile
(8,682 posts)Volaris
(10,260 posts)If somebody did this to a gop campaign tho, you bet your ass McConnell would have them hanged as traitors.
Brainfodder
(6,423 posts)I am amazed we haven't seen his tax returns in their full glory.
Ashamed of Americans and technology.
Dawson Leery
(19,348 posts)The Private Fascist Republican Army is a threat.
C_U_L8R
(44,897 posts)hahahaha
hunter
(38,264 posts)Hotler
(11,353 posts)CaptYossarian
(6,448 posts)Can I just use one finger?
Seriously, who is surprised? They did this in '68 and probably earlier. They infiltrated at Haight-Ashbury and the SDS back then and we had impostors infiltrate their KKK a few times too.
Even a couple of "lefty" candidates have worked for the wrong side. One was photographed at Putin's & Flynn's table.
Hekate
(90,202 posts)Monsters
gibraltar72
(7,486 posts)dlk
(11,438 posts)And his sister is Cruella DeVos (gotta find the DUer who said it first on here--thanks).
superpatriotman
(6,232 posts)Is political espionage?
CaptYossarian
(6,448 posts)At least when working with Ukraine it is.
dlk
(11,438 posts)Laws without enforcement are meaningless.
malaise
(267,823 posts)and I can't wait for his fall
dlk
(11,438 posts)He has done so much damage.
Mc Mike
(9,107 posts)The Sec of Ed's brother pulling intel ops against the Teacher's Union, in her (and his) home state.
Business as usual for the Rump admin.
TygrBright
(20,733 posts)bucolic_frolic
(42,676 posts)Aren't they committing some type of contractual fraud by going undercover?
Mila18
(16 posts)He went around to several Eastern college campuses during the Vietnam War and agitated peaceful demonstrators to get violent. After they were arrested, Tommy testified against them in court.
https://jeffsharletandvietnamgi.blogspot.com/2011/04/tommy-traveler.html
cstanleytech
(26,080 posts)bitterross
(4,066 posts)The very fact they know they need to do this sort of thing belies the fact they know they cannot win fairly. They cannot win on the merits of their policy. If they could, they wouldn't need voter suppression, gerrymandering and smear tactics.
Well, yes I suppose. Until they are recruited, at which point they become other than Ex.
bringthePaine
(1,726 posts)karin_sj
(805 posts)They absolutely can't win unless they cheat, and they are very very good at cheating.
Poiuyt
(18,087 posts)They don't care about the country or democracy, just that they win and maintain power.
Initech
(99,915 posts)paleotn
(17,781 posts)And Eric Prince is no better than one of Hitler's henchmen. A nasty little bastard. Once we take back the White House, I want these bastards investigated, tried and sentenced in the most extreme manner under federal law. We need to make some examples for other little nazis following in their wake.
Response to Skidmore (Original post)
Initech This message was self-deleted by its author.
Roland99
(53,342 posts)Lock ALL these bastards up!