#wiretapping

Wiretapping

Hugo Lowell at The Guardian:

Days before Pete Hegseth fired three top aides last month over a Pentagon leak investigation into the disclosure of classified materials, according to four people familiar with the episode, a recently hired senior adviser said he could help with the inquiry. The adviser, Justin Fulcher, suggested to Hegseth’s then chief of staff, Joe Kasper, and Hegseth’s personal lawyer, Tim Parlatore, that he knew of warrantless surveillance conducted by the National Security Agency (NSA) that had identified the leakers. Fulcher offered to share the supposed evidence as long as he could help run the investigation, three of the people said. But when he eventually sat down with officials, it became clear he had no evidence of a wiretap, and the Pentagon had been duped. The problem was that development was not communicated to the White House – so several Trump advisers who were told of the NSA wiretap claim believed that was part of the “smoking gun” evidence against the three aides fired by Hegseth, until they developed their own doubts. The Guardian revealed last month that there were unsubstantiated NSA warrantless wiretap claims underpinning the leak investigation, but its origin story and the involvement of Fulcher in the controversy has not been previously reported. Fulcher has said this account is not correct. In a statement, he said he never suggested there were NSA wiretaps or that he had access to wiretap records. “I never approached Parlatore, Kasper or anyone else offering ‘surveillance evidence’ and did not ask to join an investigation on that or any other basis,” he said. The extraordinary episode adds to the growing portrait of dysfunction inside Hegseth’s front office, which is involved in setting the direction of a department that has a budget of nearly $1tn and oversees more than 2 million troops around the world. The investigation prompted Hegseth to fire his senior adviser Dan Caldwell, the deputy chief, Darin Selnick, and the deputy secretary’s chief of staff, Colin Carroll, creating a leadership vacuum filled by Ricky Buria, the ex-junior military aide to Hegseth considered by the White House to be a liability.

Strikingly, my experiences reflect historical situations, revealing connections between me being a target and the lessons of the past.

Jean Seberg was an American actress who became a notable target of the FBI due to her political activism, especially her support for the Black Panther Party and other civil rights causes in the 1960s and 1970s. Seberg was famous for her roles in films such as Breathless and Saint Joan, but her involvement in left-wing political activities made her a subject of the FBI’s COINTELPRO (Counterintelligence Program), which was designed to surveil, discredit, and neutralize political activists deemed subversive. The FBI viewed Seberg’s activism, particularly her financial contributions to the Black Panthers, as dangerous. To undermine her reputation, the FBI orchestrated a smear campaign against her. One of the most infamous actions taken by the Bureau was planting a false story in the media suggesting that Seberg was pregnant with the child of a Black Panther leader. The aim was to destroy her public image and personal life.

Jean Seberg’s persecution by the FBI included more than just the smear campaign. Her house was broken into multiple times, and her phones were tapped as part of the broader surveillance and harassment under COINTELPRO. These invasive tactics were aimed at keeping tabs on her activities, particularly her support for civil rights organizations like the Black Panthers. The FBI’s break-ins, or “black-bag jobs,” were illegal entries into her home, part of their effort to gather information and intimidate her. Tapping her phones allowed the FBI to monitor her communications, further violating her privacy and contributing to the relentless harassment she endured. These measures were part of the FBI’s broader efforts to neutralize her as a public figure and an activist.

Jean Seberg’s story resonates with me on a personal level, particularly because of the burglaries and the invasive surveillance she endured. Like Seberg, I’ve experienced burglaries and hacking, and there were many times when I encountered suspicious individuals who seemed to know things about my past — details of my youth and young adult life that I rarely shared. Seberg’s ordeal highlights how deeply personal and invasive such tactics can be, also in how it affects one’s sense of safety, privacy and mental health.

If Jean Seberg took her life due to the psychological pressure and public humiliation, then one would think that tenant group, a group who claims to be revolutionary, who some had known me for almost 10 years, would understand, but they say they didn’t and didn’t even acknowledge what happened and how much of an impact it had on me.

They appeared to almost conflate some type of invincibility with me based on how they perceived me in their minds. Despite our long acquaintance, they never truly understood who I was. It was an operation meant to destabilize every aspect of my life, and because I did not live up to their expectations, they targeted me further when I tried to continue with organizing them.

Wiretapping (Streets of New Capenna) - Jason A. Engle

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I don't trust either party of this raid.