Tag: cia

Red Defection: CIA deploys new video seeking to lure Chinese soldiers to U.S. amidst PLA turmoil

he CIA deployed a new recruitment video in the Mandarin language, hoping to lure Chinese soldiers to defect amidst significant turmoil inside the People’s Liberation Army where two generals have been removed by President Xi Jinping.

The new video, entitled “The Reason for Stepping Forward: To Save the Future,” follows a series of videos dating to late 2024 that the Agency said have been successful in encouraging some Chinese to defect or cooperate with the United States.

The prior videos had some “success” in getting around Chinese Internet censorship, prompting CIA Director John Ratcliffe to make the new one, a senior U.S.official told Just the News, “If the videos didn’t work we wouldn’t be making more of them.”

The new video “illustrates the real gulf between the Chinese elites who want what is best for their banks and the Chinese citizens who want what’s best for their country,” the official said,

The new video which debuted on YouTube, portrays a Chinese military officer who contacts the CIA after becoming disillusioned with his country’s leadership and thinking of his young daughter’s future. 

“This is the world I know, defending the homeland and protecting the people. But day after day, the truth becomes increasingly obvious. What leaders are really protecting is their own self interest,” the narrator states.

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CIA ends publication of its popular World Factbook reference tool

Close the cover on the CIA World Factbook: The spy agency announced Wednesday that after more than 60 years, it is shuttering the popular reference manual.

The announcement posted to the CIA’s website offered no reason for the decision to end the Factbook, but it follows a vow from Director John Ratcliffe to end programs that don’t advance the agency’s core missions.

First launched in 1962 as a printed, classified reference manual for intelligence officers, the Factbook offered a detailed, by-the-numbers picture of foreign nations, their economies, militaries, resources and societies. The Factbook proved so useful that other federal agencies began using it, and within a decade, an unclassified version was released to the public.

After going online in 1997, the Factbook quickly became a popular reference site for journalists, trivia aficionados and the writers of college essays, racking up millions of visits per year.

The White House has moved to cut staffing at the CIA and the National Security Agency early in Trump’s second term, forcing the agency to do more with less.

The CIA did not return a message seeking comment Wednesday about the decision to cease publication of the Factbook.

HERE WE GO AGAIN: CIA, Clinton-Linked Trump Impeachment Originator Peddles New ‘Whistleblower’ Intel Complaint.

The lawyer who spearheaded the first failed partisan impeachment effort against President Donald J. Trump is now setting his sights on Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard, complaining that his client’s complaint has yet to be sent to Congress due to classification issues.

The classified whistleblower complaint has remained stuck inside Gabbard’s agency for months, prompting an unusual internal standoff and drawing attention to the lawyer representing the whistleblower, Andrew P. Bakaj, known for his role in President Trump’s first impeachment case.

The current complaint was submitted in May 2025 to the intelligence community’s inspector general and was classified at a level that has complicated its handling. According to people familiar with the matter, the document has been stored in a secure safe accessible only under strict protocols.

Bakaj has publicly complained about the situation, saying, “From my experience, it is confounding for [Gabbard’s office] to take weeks—let alone eight months—to transmit a disclosure to Congress.”

Gabbard’s office has pushed back strongly, rejecting claims that it is obstructing the process. Officials have characterized the allegations as “baseless and politically motivated,” arguing that the complaint presents unique classification and jurisdictional challenges that must be resolved before any congressional notification can occur.

Bakaj, the chief legal counsel at the nonprofit Whistleblower Aid, has repeatedly pressed intelligence officials to transmit the complaint to Congress. He previously served as lead attorney for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer whose 2019 whistleblower disclosure helped trigger the first failed impeachment of President Trump during his first term. Later reports revealed the whistleblower had direct ties to the Biden family’s business affairs in Ukraine.

Bakaj’s continued involvement in sensitive national security complaints appears to reinforce perceptions that whistleblower mechanisms are being abused as political weapons. In the current case, intelligence officials say the inspector general determined some of the allegations against Gabbard lacked credibility, while being unable to assess other claims. Bakaj has disputed that characterization, saying he was never informed that any part of the complaint had been deemed not credible.

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Ex-CIA Chief David Petraeus Briefs Officials in Israel Overseeing “New Gaza”

Former CIA Director David Petraeus—one of the godfathers of the modern doctrine of counterinsurgency warfare—last week visited the U.S.-military run coordination center established in southern Israel to oversee the so-called ceasefire in Gaza, multiple sources from the diplomatic community told Drop Site News.

In his remarks at the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in Kiryat Gat, Petraeus praised Israel’s shift to clearing, holding, and rebuilding—a change from his previous criticism that Israeli forces were not implementing lessons from the U.S. counter-insurgency operations in Iraq, in particular the creation of “gated communities.”

One week prior to Petraeus’s visit, the U.S. Army presented the CMCC with plans for a “Gaza First Planned Community” in Rafah, as first reported by Drop Site. The residential compound would house up to 25,000 Palestinians in an area under full Israeli military control and would include biometric entry, identity checks, reeducation programs, and controls over aid and housing.

According to two sources with knowledge of the daily workings of the CMCC, the “Gaza First Planned Community” is intended to function as a pilot project—the first known step in the overall reconstruction plan of a “New Gaza.” The compound will be funded by the UAE, according to The Guardian.

Petraeus’s January 21 appearance at the CMCC coincided with President Donald Trump’s inauguration of the so-called Board of Peace the following day at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. At the ceremony, Trump said he was “committed to ensuring Gaza is demilitarized, properly governed and beautifully rebuilt,” adding: “I’m a real estate person at heart and it’s all about location. And I said, look at this location on the sea, look at this beautiful piece of property.” Trump was followed by his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who listed among the priorities for the coming 100 days a “Trump economic development plan to rebuild and energize Gaza.” There will also be a process to “synthesize the security and governance frameworks to attract and facilitate these investments,” Kushner said.

In his remarks to the CMCC, Petraeus compared the 2007 U.S. troop surge in Iraq to the military operation in Gaza. Petraeus, who presided over a massive escalation of U.S. troops during the occupation of Iraq and the arming of local militias in what became a brutal sectarian civil war, is the former commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). He also dramatically expanded night raids and CIA and Special Operations missions inside Afghanistan. He was a key player in the expansion of U.S. covert warfare in Yemen and elsewhere in the Middle East and Africa before President Barack Obama installed him as CIA director.

Apart from promoting the implementation of gated communities based on his history in Iraq and Afghanistan, Petraeus is likely taking a special interest in Gaza because of the business opportunities Trump appears to be selling. Soon after his resignation from the CIA in 2012, Petraeus began work for Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR), a powerful U.S. private-equity and investment company. Petraeus is currently a partner at KKR, chairman of the KKR Global Institute, and chairman of KKR Middle East, which has offices in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

Petraeus also used his CMCC address to highlight the field manual for counterinsurgency that he developed at the end of 2006. That manual (which is available here) “establishes doctrine (fundamental principles) for military operations in a counterinsurgency (COIN) environment.” In it, Petraeus writes “Not all Islamic insurgents or terrorists are fighting for a global revolution. Some are pursuing regional goals, such as establishing a Sunni Arab-dominated Iraq or replacing Israel with an Arab Palestinian state.”

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US planning CIA foothold in post-Maduro Venezuela

The CIA is quietly working to establish a permanent US presence on the ground in Venezuela, spearheading the Trump administration’s plans to exert its newfound influence over the country’s future, according to multiple sources familiar with the planning.

Planning discussions between the CIA and State Department have centered around what the US footprint inside Venezuela will look like, both in the short and long term, after the dramatic capture of former President Nicolás Maduro earlier this month.

While the State Department will serve as the primary, long-term US diplomatic presence in the country, the Trump administration will likely lean heavily on the CIA to initiate that re-entry process due to the ongoing political transition and unstable security situation in Venezuela post-Maduro, the sources added.

“State plants the flag but CIA is really the influence,” one source familiar with the planning process told CNN, noting the agency’s near-term objectives include setting the stage for diplomatic efforts – including relationship building with locals – and providing security.

In the short term, US officials may operate out of a CIA annex, prior to the opening of an official embassy, allowing them to start making informal contact with members of different factions of Venezuela’s government as well as opposition figures and target third parties who may be threats, the source said, drawing a parallel to the agency’s work in Ukraine.

“Setting up an annex is priority number one. Before diplomatic channels the annex can help set up liaison channels, that will be with the Venezuelan intelligence and that will allow conversations that diplomats cannot have,” said a former US government official who engaged with the Venezuelans.

The CIA declined to comment.

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Mike Benz exposes the dark underbelly of U2’s Bono…

We’ve been told over and over that celebrity “humanitarianism” is the purest form of goodness on the planet. Big stars, concerts, movies, emotions, giving back, bla bla bla. The message is always the same: open your heart, open your wallet, and don’t ask too many questions, because celebrities would never steer you wrong.

But every once in a while, someone comes along and does ask questions. And when they do, many uncomfortable dots start showing up.

And that’s exactly what’s happening with Bono, the frontman of U2. But beyond his lead vocals, Bono has very carefully cultivated an image as a global humanitarian icon. Nobody asked questions, because Bono had everybody convinced he was an angel, doing the purest work. However, there’s a lot more to it, according to Mike Benz.

He says Bono’s humanitarian work may not have been driven purely by compassion but by something much darker: elite power networks, intelligence operations, and narrative control.

What makes this even more disturbing is how often USAID keeps popping up in Bono’s so-called “humanitarian” work. As you likely recall, USAID spent years selling itself as a charitable force while quietly operating as a political operator overseas. Once DOGE started digging, the fraud and true mission were revealed, and Team Trump moved to gut large portions of the agency. Only now are Americans beginning to understand just how much of this so-called “aid” wasn’t what it appeared to be.

Which brings us right back to Bono and Mike Benz, the guy who just pulled back the curtain on U2’s singer.

Mike points out how celebrity activism, government agencies, and intelligence agencies all come together under the phony banner of “humanitarianism.”

Benz points to massive USAID-linked fundraising concerts, including events that were supposed to stop hunger in Somalia. The thing is, that didn’t happen, because most of the money allegedly financed CIA-backed warlords and weapons purchases.

This is where the glossy “Hollywood humanitarian” story really starts to crack.

Benz goes through how these shady operations really run. They use aid vans that can’t be inspected because “the food will spoil,” and the relief funds move through layers of contractors and other shady folks.

While the public PR stunts stir up emotions, all the sketchy stuff happens in the shadows. What’s sold to the public as compassion is actually a delivery system for covert action.

And then there’s the politics…

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Mike Pompeo Says the Quiet Part Out Loud About ‘Popular’ Regime Change in Iran

Former Secretary of State and Director of the CIA Mike Pompeo is one of the most bloodthirsty and prominent neocons in the United States today. He is militantly pro-Israel and has openly and consistently pushed for regime change in Iran. In the first Trump administration, he was one of Trump’s most hawkish advisors. As one of the main advocates for the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, Pompeo clearly is not bothered by military action which is illegal under international law. However, one factor which differentiates Pompeo from his neocon cronies is his blunt, nigh-idiotic honesty.

While Washington has orchestrated numerous coups around the globe, few prominent officials have been so bold or careless as to acknowledge that the United States or Israel is helping foment a revolution in real time. However, Pompeo did just that when he tweeted, “The Iranian regime is in trouble… Riots in dozens of cities and the Basij under siege – Mashed, Tehran, Zahedan.  Next stop:  Baluchistan… Happy New Year to every Iranian in the streets.  Also to every Mossad agent walking beside them…”

Pompeo’s remarks are important because of what it casually assumes: Israel is intimately involved in the current protests in Iran. This undermines the US and Israeli governments’ narrative that the protests are an organic development. Contrary to neoconservative narratives, the fact that every protester is not literally on a State Department payroll does not make the protests organic. While some, if not most, of the protesters might genuinely oppose the government, the fact remains that funding, intel, media amplification, training, and sanctions have all been used as tools to influence political outcomes inside Iran to the benefit of Washington and Tel Aviv.

The biggest historical example of this is the 1953 coup against Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. After Mohammad Reza Shah was installed by the Iranian military on behalf of the US and UK, the CIA hired mobsters to stage riots in favor of the Shah. On top of this, the CIA also paid for buses and trucks full of demonstrators to protest in Tehran. Following the Iranian Revolution, the US trained members of the leftist Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK) who previously killed American soldiers. With the rise of the internet, the US government provided funding for online activism targeting the Iranian government, asked Twitter to delay site-maintenance to help 2009 Green Movement protesters communicate, and carried out cyberattacks in collaboration with Israel. In short, for decades the US has tried to destabilize Iran to foster regime change. Pompeo’s remark suggests that this long-standing policy has not changed under the nominally “anti-war” second Trump administration.

Like the Obama administration, the second Trump administration is following the “Arab Spring playbook.” The Arab Spring was a series of protests, insurrections, and rebellions across the Arab world which sought to “promote democracy.” In reality, many of the figures and groups involved in the Arab Spring received not only training, but also funding from American NGOs like the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute, and Freedom House. These organizations all receive money from the US government via Congress or the State Department. Most of the aims of the Arab Spring failed. Instead of democracy, the protests led to an authoritarian backlash from Arab governments. This “counter-revolution” was beneficial for Israel as the failure of the Arab Spring made normalizing relations with destabilized, divided Arab regimes easier.

Ultimately, the main beneficiaries of regime change are not the United States or its people, but instead Israel. Unfortunately, so many figures in the American government, like Mike Pompeo, have a theology which places support for the secular State of Israel in high regard. In fact, Pompeo once suggested that God sent President Donald Trump to save Israel.

To put it frankly, there is nothing godly about Israel, especially with regard to its conduct in its proxy war against Iran. A godly nation would not have its intelligence agency pose as the CIA in an attempt to recruit terrorists for a false flag operation against Iran. The terrorist group in question, Jundallah, has been responsible for murdering both Iranian government officials and civilians.

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The CIA/Mossad Operation to Spark a Color Revolution in Iran has Failed

The CIA/Mossad plan to spark a color revolution in Iran, which has attracted global attention and a tsunami of propaganda pieces portraying the Iranian protests as a massive, unstoppable popular movement, has failed. Yes, protests continue in some parts of the country, but Iranian security forces have taken off the gloves and are fighting back. Casualty estimates are all over the board… Ranging from hundreds to thousands dead. Iranian officials have announced that the alleged ring leaders of the violent protests will be publicly executed starting Wednesday.

While Trump is now promising to try to come to the aid of the protestors, his promise appears to be more rhetorical than substantive. According to a report by the Jerusalem Post:

US President Donald Trump is expected to assist Iranians who are protesting nationwide against the Islamic Republic regime, several sources familiar with the details of the discussions held in recent days told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.

“Trump has essentially decided to help the protesters in Iran. What he has not yet decided is the ‘how’ and the ‘when,’” they said. . . .

“The spectrum ranges from a military option, namely strikes against regime targets, to cyber support against the regime, to providing Starlink systems to help protesters,” one source told the Post.

“While the Trump administration does not believe that the Iranian regime is collapsing, it definitely sees problems and cracks that did not exist a week ago,” the source added.

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CIA can neither ‘confirm nor deny’ existence of 3I/ATLAS file — hinting at possible threat: Harvard scientist

Is this the new Area 51?

3I/ATLAS may have left Earth’s neighborhood, but it’s still very much on our radar. In a new Medium post, Harvard Scientist Avi Loeb pointed out that the CIA hinted at the existence of classified documents related to the interstellar comet, suggesting that it could potentially be a threat to humanity.

“It’s very interesting that they did not dismiss the existence of documents within the CIA on this matter,” the astrophysicist told the Post.

Loeb was referencing the CIA’s response to a query by UFO researcher/conspiracy theorist John Greenewald Jr.

In the letter, which Greenewald Jr. shared to X, the agency wrote that it can neither “confirm nor deny the existence or nonexistence of records” related to 3I/ATLAS. 

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ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE: CIA Tells Court It Cannot Produce Requested J6 Documents and Information for 4 More Years!

Here is the latest example of your government working against you!

Last year, on January 6, 2025, Tom Fitton, the President of Judicial Watch, released a video exposing the CIA at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

This video was released four years after the stolen 2020 election and uprising at the US Capitol.
From the video:

Tom Fitton: We just uncovered documents that show the CIA had folks involved in a response to January sixth. Now, I got a question for you. What if I had told you three weeks ago and I said, I think the CIA was involved somehow on January sixth. Somehow they were involved somehow. I’d probably get thrown off the internet, right? For promoting a conspiracy theory. But we just uncovered documents that show the CIA had folks involved in the response to January sixth.

Here’s My video first highlighting it.

Hey, everyone. Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton here with some massive news. Judicial Watch just uncovered that the CIA was involved in the response to the January 6th disturbances on Capitol Hill. In fact, CIA bomb technicians were sent over to the RNC and DNC where those pipe bombs supposedly were found. On top of that, there were CIA dog teams on standby in response to January 6th.

Now, there are a lot of questions that are raised by our disclosures. First of all, why did it take Judicial Watch heavy lifting in federal court to get access to these documents after all these years? Why didn’t the Pelosi January sixth Committee, even as corrupt as it was, not disclose the CIA involvement? What was the CIA involved for? Were they investigating foreign intelligence operations? Were they investigating American citizens? What else have they done related to January sixth? All these questions you can be sure your Judicial Watch will pursue. In federal court if necessary.

So we had asked for records from the Department of Justice. What did we ask for? Last year. We asked for records and communications regarding shots being fired inside the US Capitol as well as request for Bureau of Alcohol, Department of Farms, Explosive Special Response Team Assistance on January 6. Remember, they had these pipe bombs that were supposedly found at the RNC and DNC. And so we were interested in the responses there. So we got a bunch of text messages. Of course, they ignored our request, and we had to sue in federal court. Again, this is June 2023. We filed the lawsuit. We probably had asked. Yeah, we asked in… No, we filed the lawsuit in August. We asked for the records in June. So we’ve been waiting almost a year for these records, and it took a federal lawsuit to get them out to us. And so we got these ATF text messages that detail the CIA’s involvement. And there are two sets of text messages, and they’re very interesting to read because they do talk about, as I say, we were asking about the reports of shots fired.

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