Tag: secrecy

Police officers who attended Trump’s Jan. 6 ‘Stop the Steal’ rally may be allowed to keep their identities private

A striking legal question came before justices of the Washington State Supreme Court this week: Does a group of police officers who attended the “Stop the Steal” rally for Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, have a Constitutionally-protected right to keep the results of a probe into their specific conduct that day secret, or must their names — and those results — be revealed to the public?

The question unfolded during oral arguments in Jane & John Does 1-6 v. Seattle Police Department et al. on Tuesday.

At the center of the case are six police officers, two of whom were fired in August 2021 and have been identified publicly by the Seattle Police Department as married former officers Caitlin Everett and Alexander Everett. Four others have not been named publicly by the department though state prosecutors noted to the Washington State Supreme Court on Tuesday that their names have previously emerged on social media. This factor is central to the state’s case; as prosecutors pointed out this week, these four individuals have not only retained their roles at the Seattle Police Department but also have not suffered any harassment as an investigation got underway, The Associated Press reported. 

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FBI Wants 20 Years To Produce Records On Its Involvement W/ OKC Bombing

It’s been about nine years since Utah attorney Jesse Trentadue filed a Freedom of Information Act request for records about a CIA asset and FBI informant who helped fund the Oklahoma City bombing, as well as for records about a neo-Nazi bank-robbery gang also involved in the attack.

Tired of waiting, Trentaudue sued the FBI over the matter in February, demanding the bureau to produce the 69,375 pages of documents that it’s holding. But now, the FBI wants to take another nearly 12 years to fork over those documents to him, which means that it would take at least 20 years for the bureau to comply with his initial FOIA request.

Such a slow production rate is unacceptable, Trentadue said in a Tuesday court filing.

“The FBI proposes to process these records/documents for release to Plaintiff in monthly increments of 500 pages over a period of 11.5 years!” he said.

“If the Court accepts the FBI’s proposed snail-pace processing of these materials, Plaintiff will be close to 90-years of age when he finally receives all of them,” he said.

“He has already waited almost a decade for these documents/records, with the FBI having made no effort during the interim to produce them, and should not have to wait another 11.5 years to receive them.”

Trentadue has been suing the U.S. government for OKC bomb-related records for nearly 30 years, ever since his brother was murdered in a federal penitentiary. The complex story of how the death of Trentadue’s brother relates to the OKC bombing can be read in this Mother Jones article.

Trentadue’s latest lawsuit seeks records on FBI informant and CIA asset Roger Moore (not the James Bond actor), and the bank-robbery gang, the Aryan Republican Army, which he says was an FBI front group.

According to Trentadue’s lawsuit, Moore was an FBI informant as part of the bureau’s 1980s- and early 90s-era Operation Punchout, which was designed to identify and apprehend surplus dealers that bought and sold government property stolen from Department of Defense facilities in Utah.

Furthermore, Moore build patrol boats for use by the US Navy in the Vietnam War, as well as speedboats for the CIA, according to Aberration in the Heartland of the Real—historian Wendy Painting’s PhD thesis-turned-book about OKC bomber Tim McVeigh.

As for the Aryan Republican Army, Trentadue believes that was an FBI front group that also helped fund the bombing.

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Lack of Transparency Surrounding U.S. Government’s Former UAP Office Director Raises Concerns

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) cannot explain why the former Director of its Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) office’s prior involvement with UAP was not disclosed to the media and public at the time of his appointment or during his tenure.

Recently, the DoD confirmed to Liberation Times that in 2018, Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick, the former Director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), attended a meeting on the Hill about Skinwalker Ranch—famed for its ties to UAP.

A DoD spokesperson told Liberation Times:

‘Dr. Kirkpatrick had no involvement with Skinwalker Ranch.  He attended one meeting on it on the Hill in 2018, which he has publicly acknowledged.’

Liberation Times asked the DoD why Dr. Kirkpatrick’s attendance was never previously made public and whether he had disclosed this fact before his appointment to the AARO.

In response, a DoD spokesperson stated:

‘We cannot comment on the interviews that occur during the hiring process, including what was or was not discussed during them.

‘We do not comment on internal discussions and deliberations between a director and his staff nor between a director and senior officials above him.’

This situation is problematic for the DoD, as the AARO’s creation was supposed to begin a new chapter of transparency regarding the UAP topic within the U.S. government. 

It is unclear whether the blame lies with the DoD for failing to disclose Kirkpatrick’s involvement with the meeting, or with Kirkpatrick himself, who may not have informed the DoD before taking the role.

The situation also calls into question other aspects of Kirkpatrick’s background and AARO’s investigations which may have also been omitted.

His attendance of the meeting was in the public interest and is indicative of Kirkpatrick’s awareness of the topic of UAP before joining AARO. 

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Group of scientists and researchers seeks access to Vatican archives on the UFO phenomenon

A group of scientists and researchers are seeking access to the Vatican’s Apostolic Archives to uncover information about UFOs and the paranormal, believing there may be traces among the 50 miles of shelves that contain everything from handwritten papal notes to presidential missives.

The decades-long effort gained momentum in 2023 following congressional testimony by former U.S. intelligence official David Grusch alleging the Vatican’s involvement in an international cover-up of alien secrets.

Grusch claimed that Pope Pius XII “back-channeled” information to the United States about a crashed UFO recovered by fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.

“I don’t know where [Grusch] got this information,” Marco Grilli, the mayor’s secretary for archives, told Catholic News Service on June 11.

Grilli said the archives received emails asking about the veracity of Grusch’s claims, but compared them to requests to read personal letters from Pontius Pilate or the Virgin Mary.

“You can laugh at that,” he said.

However, discoveries like those reported in Diana Walsh Pasulka’s 2019 book “American Cosmic” suggest to UFO enthusiasts that the archives contain more than meets the eye.

Pasulka, a professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, said the archives are full of reports of paranormal events, such as nuns witnessing orbs entering their cells, flying houses and other aerial phenomena.

She argues that these events can be better understood as UFO-type occurrences rather than miracles as Catholics traditionally understand them.

“The historical record is full of these types of events,” she told CNS on May 30; “people in the Vatican don’t even know where to look; It’s in their basements.”

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Biden’s ghostwriter deleted recordings, special counsel’s transcript confirms

The ghostwriter of President Biden‘s memoir told federal investigators he deleted many recordings of his conversations with Biden after a special counsel was appointed to investigate the president, according to a partial transcript of the interview obtained by Axios.

  • Writer Mark Zwonitzer said he erased the recordings because he was afraid of being hacked, the transcript says.

Why it matters: Biden’s transcribed conversations with Zwonitzer were among the most damaging evidence in special counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents.

  • In his final report, Hur highlighted Biden telling Zwonitzer in February 2017 — just after he left office as vice president — that he “just found all the classified stuff downstairs.”
  • Hur wrote that “evidence supports…[Biden] was referring to the same marked classified documents about Afghanistan that FBI agents found in 2022 in his Delaware garage.”

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California Senate Approves Ban on Schools Informing Parents of Student’s Gender Identity

California lawmakers voted June 13 to advance legislation to ban school districts from notifying parents about social gender transitions at school without the student’s permission.

The state Senate voted 29–8 to approve Assembly Bill 1955 and send it back to the Assembly for final approval of amendments.

Sen. Susan Eggman (D-Stockton), who presented the bill on behalf of its author, Assemblyman Chris Ward (D-San Diego), and the 13-member California Legislative LBGTQ Caucus, said before the vote the bill would “put some guardrails” on the “forced outing” policies passed recently by some California school boards.

“We know some of those policies have not been able to go into effect. We know some of those school board members have since been recalled,” she said.

One such California school board member, Temecula Valley Unified School District Board President Joseph Komrosky, is set to be recalled after a June 4 special election in which 51 percent of voters supported his removal. The district currently requires school staff to notify parents if their children change their name, pronouns, or other such information in their school records.

The new bill codifies in law guidance from the California Department of Education that “schools must consult with a transgender student to determine who can or will be informed of the student’s transgender status, if anyone, including the student’s family.”

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Why Did 56 Countries Sign a Treaty to Stay Out of Antarctica?

Imagine a land of icy silence where the snow stretches blank like the pages of an untouched diary. This is Antarctica, the coldest, windiest, and perhaps most mysterious continent on Earth. But behind its icy facade lies a story not fully told to the public—one that involves a treaty signed by 56 nations, promising never to venture into certain parts of this icy wilderness for military uses. What could possibly be so important, so hidden, that makes Antarctica a ‘no-go’ area for these powerful countries? Let’s delve into the depths of this chilly mystery.

The Antarctic Treaty Explained

In 1959, a group of countries came together to sign a remarkable agreement now known as the Antarctic Treaty. Principal among its provisions is that Antarctica shall be used for peaceful purposes only. Military activity, including weapons testing and nuclear explosions, is forbidden. Furthermore, the treaty encourages scientific research, and aims to protect the continent’s eco-zone.

But why the need for such an accord? The unanimous decision to keep military claws retracted seems guided not only by a spirit of international scientific cooperation but perhaps by deeper, unspoken reasons. Could there be something under the ice—resources, ancient artifacts, or even alien bases—that everyone wants but no one can have?

The Conspiracy Theory: What Lies Beneath?

This is where things get interesting — and where mainstream explanations might not satisfy a curious mind. Why would such an array of powerful nations all agree to limit their rights and opportunities unless there was something incredibly valuable and perhaps dangerous concealed by the Antarctic ice?

Conspiracy theorists argue that there might be ancient technology or alien life forms buried under the ice. Some even claim these could be remnants of ancient civilizations far advanced beyond our current understanding. Such discoveries could potentially offer new forms of energy, unknown minerals, or even new medical breakthroughs.

Secret Bases and Forbidden Zones

Despite the treaty’s stipulation for openness and scientific freedom, certain areas of Antarctica are shrouded in secrecy, with restricted access even for international scientists. This fuels belief in secret bases operating under a cloak of research—bases that could be hiding activities not sanctioned by the treaty.

Could these facilities be testing experimental tech or coordinating with extraterrestrial entities? The idea isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds when you consider the inexplicable resignation from norms that the continent forces upon global powers.

The Environment or The Cover-Up?

Another angle often discussed is the environmental protection clause in the Antarctic Treaty. At face value, this is a commitment to preserve one of the last unspoiled places on earth. However, under a lens of skepticism, could environmental concern be a convenient pretense for keeping prying eyes away from a more sinister agenda?

Why emphasize ecological stability in a region with no indigenous human population unless disclosing the true nature of the continent would lead to irreversible environmental damage—or perhaps the disclosure of top-secret information that could cause mass chaos?

The Silence and Isolation of Antarctica

The sheer isolation of Antarctica also works perfectly for anyone needing privacy on a grand scale. With no permanent residents and an environment that is harsh and life-threatening, few people question the happenings on this icy land. The few who visit—scientists, researchers, and the occasional tourist—are often monitored closely, kept on guided paths far from any so-called “sensitive” areas.

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Rand Paul Rips Fauci Testimony: NIH ‘More Secretive than the CIA’

In an appearance on The Hill’s “Rising” on Tuesday, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) took aim at Dr. Anthony Fauci’s testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic Monday.

Paul addressed Fauci’s responses, suggesting they contradicted known facts about how the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) — the agency Fauci led for 38 years — and its parent agency, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), responded to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“NIH is actually more secretive than the CIA, and that’s alarming and disturbing and really should not be tolerated,” Paul told co-hosts Robby Soave and Briahna Joy Gray.

Paul addressed Fauci’s efforts to distance himself from his longtime aide David Morens, who in emails boasted that he could evade Freedom of Information Act requests by deleting any potential “smoking guns.”

Paul criticized gain-of-function research, which he said occurred under Fauci’s leadership of NIAID, and called for it to be banned. He also suggested COVID-19 emerged from a lab leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China in late 2019.

Paul’s interview came on the heels of revelations that the NIAID received $690 million of $710 million in NIH royalty income between 2022 and 2023.

It also came days after the release of the transcripts of Fauci’s two-day closed-door House interview in January and a House memorandum with key takeaways from that interview.

Paul has long been a critic of Fauci. In October 2021, he claimed Fauci was “spreading mistruths.” In August 2023, he said Fauci committed perjury and called on the U.S. Department of Justice to launch an investigation. In October 2023, he accused Fauci of leading the “great COVID cover-up.”

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NIH scientists made $710M in royalties from drug makers — a fact they tried to hide

During the pandemic, the American people started to feel that Big Government was very cozy with Big Pharma.

Now we know just how close they were.

New data from the National Institutes of Health reveal the agency and its scientists collected $710 million in royalties during the pandemic, from late 2021 through 2023. These are payments made by private companies, like pharmaceuticals, to license medical innovations from government scientists.

Almost all that cash — $690 million — went to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the subagency led by Dr. Anthony Fauci, and 260 of its scientists.

Information about this vast private royalty complex is tightly held by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). My organization, OpenTheBooks.com, was forced to sue to uncover the royalties paid from September 2009 to October 2021, which amounted to $325 million over 56,000 transactions.

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Bilderberg 2024: CEOs, billionaires, and govt officials meet behind closed doors in Madrid

The CEOs of Microsoft AI, Google DeepMind, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, BP, Shell, Pfizer, Spotify, Palantir and more are meeting in private with an international cadre of high-level government officials and billionaires like Eric Schmidt and Peter Thiel this week.

A huge story if ever there was one, but don’t expect to read about it on the front page – or any other page – of most newspapers.

It’s the 70th annual Bilderberg meeting, and – as has been the case for seven decades and counting now – the mass media is largely refusing to cover it, leaving most of its readership ignorant of the fact that it’s even taking place at all.

Participants will be discussing China, Russia, AI, the “changing faces of biology,” the “future of warfare”… and whatever the hell else they want — it’s off-the-record and the public is not invited.

“Journalists” like Fareed Zakaria (CNN), Bret Stephens (NYT), Zanny Minton Beddoes (The Economist), and John Micklethwait (Bloomberg) will also be present, but not to hold power to account; they’re there to share in it.

The event is taking place from May 30 — June 2 at Eurostars Suites Mirasierra, a luxury hotel in Madrid, Spain.

The group waited until Thursday to publish a partial list of attendees for public consumption.

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