Catherine Herridge

[Crafty_Dog]

TOP LINE

I’ve heard complaints from many whistleblowers who allege the “best way to bury government misconduct is to call in the Inspector General.”

This week’s report from the Justice Department’s internal watchdog delivers exhaustive detail, but it is light on accountability.

The Justice Department misled federal courts with no significant consequences.

DEEP DIVE

The new Justice Department Inspector General report suggests the federal courts rubber stamped DOJ subpoenas for phone records of congressional investigators – with no significant consequences to date. 

In last week’s newsletter, I was among the first to predict the Justice Department IG would soon release its findings into government overreach, specifically the abuse of compulsory process (including subpoenas) to obtain phone and email records.

DOJ OIG Releases Report on DOJ Obtaining Records of Members of Congress, Congressional Staffers, and Members of the News Media using Compulsory Process

oig.justice.gov/news/doj-oig-releases-report-doj-obtaining-records-members-congress-congressional-staffers-and


This is NOT the first time that FBI and DOJ officials have misled the federal courts to obtain evidence for criminal investigations.   The FBI and Justice Department improperly used unsubstantiated claims, and news reports, to secure surveillance warrants for Trump campaign aide Carter Page. 

A former FBI agent who has personally drafted FISA warrants told me he had never seen surveillance applications that cited news stories.


FBI VAULT - FISA Surveillance Warrant Cites Media Reports

I have reviewed the Inspector General’s report and singled out one of the most important findings on page 4. It found Justice Department officials obfuscated the true identity of their targets and the construct for their leak investigations which probed media outlets and congress.

Most IG reports pass with limited media attention, but this one titled “A Review of the Department of Justice’s Issuance of Compulsory Process to Obtain Records of Members of Congress, Congressional Staffers, and Members of the News Media,” drew attention across the board.

Two Factors: the report impacts reporter records, and it found that the FBI and DOJ collected phone records on then GOP-congressional staffer Kash Patel who is now nominated by President Trump to lead the FBI.


Pg. 8 Inspector General Report — DOJ/FBI Records Requests

What’s clear from the findings is that the Justice Department relied on “boilerplate” language in its Non-Disclosure Order applications to the court.  NDOs can block reporters and congress, as the report notes, from “learning about the use of compulsory process” to seek their records.  That delays, and in some cases prevents, the subjects from challenging the process in the federal judiciary.

The courts did not have the full picture from the Justice Department, and the blame squarely falls on the DOJ. The DOJ was not transparent about its efforts to secure records from members of Congress and their investigators who were probing the origins of the FBI’s probe into alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

On its face, the DOJ's withholding of information from the courts appears to be an act of commission.  If the courts had known the FBI and DOJ were seeking records from congressional investigators, the federal judges might have pushed back requiring immediate notification to the parties.

Patel seemed a prime target. Because of his extensive experience at the Justice Department, he understood and could expose defects in the surveillance (FISA) warrants for Trump campaign aide Carter Page, among other irregularities in the FBI/DOJ case.

According to Kash Patel’s 2023 lawsuit against Justice Department officials and FBI Director Wray, he didn’t learn about the subpoena for his google records until several years after the fact.

As I reported in last week’s newsletter, I faced severe push back, including the threat of attacks on my journalistic integrity from a justice department official when I reported allegations that in 2018 then Deputy Attorney Rosenstein threatened to subpoena Patel and others.   

While the FBI and DOJ officials disputed the characterization of the 2018 clash between these two branches of government, this week’s report confirms that Justice Department had already sought the records for Patel and others months earlier.

Buried at the back of the report on page 81 are the top line recommendations.  The first recommendation calls for the expansion of protections and internal review protocols for obtaining records from the news media.  The second and third recommendations call for greater transparency when the DOJ investigates Congress which has oversight for the Justice Department.


Summary Recommendations

WHEN KASH PATEL GOT THE CBS NEWS TREATMENT

Kash Patel has always been a political lightning rod.

When I arrived at CBS News in November 2019, a senior executive told me that I brought a “fresh dimension” to the Network’s news gathering because I had deep contacts on both sides of the aisle.   

We interviewed Kash Patel for a story in December 2019.  CBS News titled the report, “White House staffer Kash Patel denies he was back channel to Trump on Ukraine.”

The interview was roundly rejected by the CBS broadcast shows. A senior producer on the CBS Evening News told me the interview wasn’t “newsy enough” to qualify for their broadcast.

The story was eventually posted to the CBS News website.  At the time, I was taken aback by what seemed internal resistance to presenting all points of view on the Impeachment story.

At CBS News, I was surprised and disappointed to find a culture where many colleagues seemed content to confirm the reporting of other networks, rather than break news first.  There were exceptions, but when it came to politics, I experienced a “follow the pack” mentality.

I’ll have more to say about the blowback over the Kash Patel reporting. 

While this content is free, consider becoming a monthly subscriber to support our independent journalism and access future content.

Thank you for the consideration and, most of all, for supporting our work!

Best, Catherine

[Crafty_Dog]

TOP LINE:

After the WSJ exposed a coordinated effort to minimize President Biden's apparent cognitive decline, there was a deafening silence from journalists who, under the Trump administration,  had aggressively reported stories about the 25th Amendment.

The 25th Amendment is invoked when the VP and majority of cabinet members conclude the President is no longer capable of discharging the duties of office. 

DEEP DIVE

From Oxford Reference

“A conspiracy of silence” – an agreement to say nothing about an issue that should be generally known.

This week’s reporting by the Wall Street Journal exposed a coordinated effort by White House aides to minimize President Biden’s apparent cognitive decline from lawmakers, the American public among others.  But the effort had another, apparently willing partner, in the media.

The legitimate concern is that the few journalists who did interview President Biden may have crossed a redline in the editing process that wrongly minimized growing evidence of his mental decline.  While we are in the final days of the Biden presidency, transparency is warranted and a good starting point is October 2023.

The timing matters.  That October Hamas launched a terrorist attack against Israel, killing more than 1200 people including dozens of Americans.  Around the same time, President Biden was interviewed by 60 Minutes and ProPublica.  The President was also interviewed by Special Counsel Robert Hur who was investigating Biden’s improper retention of classified records.


Special Counsel Hur Report 2/2024 Executive Summary


“Sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory”

In February, Hur recommended against prosecution, in part, because of the President’s failing memory during their October interview.   Hur cited “diminished capacities in advancing age” and described him as a “well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory.”  At the time, critics of the Hur report called it politically motivated. 

Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee later sued Attorney General Garland for audio tapes of Hur’s interview, but GOP investigators met stiff resistance. The Justice Department argued congress already had the transcript. 

Other DOJ arguments fell flat. Releasing the tapes would not significantly compromise investigative methods, as some claimed.  Rather, it would meet the highest standard for government transparency and add important information to the public’s understanding of Hur’s conclusions about Biden’s memory.

After Biden’s debate performance in June, ProPublica, to its great credit, quickly released the full, unedited video and transcript of its sit-down with the President. It was taped shortly before the Hur interview.

ProPublica explained its editorial decision:

“In the wake of President Joe Biden’s poor debate performance, his opponents and most major media organizations have pointed out that he has done few interviews that give the public an opportunity to hear him speak without a script or teleprompter.”

“Today, we are releasing the full, 21-minute interview, unedited as seen from the view of the single camera focused on Biden. We understand that this video captures a moment in time nine months ago and that it will not settle the ongoing arguments about the president’s acuity today. Still, we believe it is worth giving the public another chance to see one of Biden's infrequent conversations with a reporter.”


YouTube video by ProPublica
Unedited: ProPublica Interviews President Biden, September 2023

And that brings us to the October 2023 60 Minutes interview.  While President Biden seemed in command of the subject, the terror attack on Israel, he also seemed to struggle.   With the new WSJ reporting, there is an even stronger case for transparency from 60 minutes as well as the limited number of journalists who interviewed Biden.

Releasing additional unedited transcripts and videos would create a larger data set.  Applying an investigative lens, we can better discern indicators of cognitive decline.   Was there strong evidence that President Biden was struggling before the debate, and if so, why did reporters apparently leave it on the cutting room floor?

This additional transparency from 60 Minutes seems warranted given the pending FCC complaint against the newsmagazine over its October 2024 edit of the Kamala Harris interview.

The larger, and uncomfortable question, is whether there is a pattern and practice of heavy handed editing to make some politicians look better and other politicians look worse. And do those practices amount to news distortion?

Brendan Carr, who is slated to be the new FCC chairman under President Trump, recently told Fox News that the “news distortion” complaint about the Harris interview is “likely to arise” as the FCC considers the proposed merger of CBS’ parent company Paramount Global by Skydance.

CBS aired two different answers from the Vice President to the same question from correspondent Bill Whitaker about the Israeli Prime Minister apparently ignoring the Biden Administration.

tw profile: Face The Nation   
Face The Nation
@FaceTheNation
tw
MONDAY: On a @60Minutes election special, Bill Whitaker asks Vice President Kamala Harris if the U.S. lacks influence over American ally Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Watch a preview:


 
2:59 PM • Oct 6, 2024

 
 
599 Likes   175 Retweets 

309 Replies
CBS said it used a different section from the same answer, adding “the portion of her answer on 60 Minutes was more succinct, which allows time for other subjects in a wide ranging 12-minute-long segment.”

A credible complaint was filed against CBS by the Center For American Rights alleging “news distortion” at the network with a reasonable demand that the full, unedited Kamala Harris transcript be released.

tw profile: 60 Minutes   
60 Minutes
@60Minutes
tw
With just 29 days until Election Day, Bill Whitaker sits down with Vice President Kamala Harris. One year after Hamas' terror attack on Israel, Whitaker starts by asking Harris what the U.S. can do to prevent an all-out regional war in the Middle East. cbsn.ws/3U1BTmj


 
12:09 AM • Oct 8, 2024

 
 
415 Likes   160 Retweets 

116 Replies
Releasing the full, unedited transcript would resolve these questions. And there is ample precedent. 

As a senior investigative correspondent at CBS News, I interviewed President Trump at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.  I advocated for and CBS News published the full, unedited transcript. The transcript included an exchange where President Trump criticized me for asking a “terrible question.” 

Transcript: Trump on masks, reopening schools, race and pardoning Roger Stone

The president spoke to CBS News' Catherine Herridge at the White House.

www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-race-face-mask-school-roger-stone


The CBS News Trump interview was not a special case.  The full, unedited transcript from Attorney General Bill Barr’s 2019 interview with CBS chief legal affairs correspondent Jan Crawford was also shared by the network.  And more recently, 60 Minutes released the full unedited transcript of its interview with Fed Chair Jerome Powell.

My training is that when you interview a major newsmaker, such as the President of the United States, if they are stumbling, confused, make a major factual error or worse yet, seem incoherent that would be the main headline.

Perhaps Special Counsel Hur’s interview with President Biden was a one-off. The president was having a bad day.  Releasing the full videos and unedited transcripts from media interviews would help fill in the blanks.   It is also about a news organization standing behind the integrity of the final edit.

The White House took issue with the WSJ reporting. 

“President Biden speaks with members of his cabinet daily, and with most members multiple times a week, staying close with them about implementation of key laws and strengthening our national security,” deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement to the NY Post.

I’ll have more to say about the future of journalism and why journalism is called a profession for a reason. Exclusive new content coming soon in our final investigation of 2024!

Gratitude for the 900k views for the teaser…

[Crafty_Dog]

TOP LINE

EXCLUSIVE: After years of quiet advocacy, a CIA whistleblower is speaking publicly for the first time about mysterious symptoms known as “Havana Syndrome” and accusing the intelligence community of a “cover up.”

We recently sat down with the medically retired CIA officer – we agreed to call “Alice” to shield her identity -– after a  House GOP report found “it appears increasingly likely” a foreign adversary is behind these debilitating cognitive and neurological conditions.

The Congressional Report also called out the intelligence community for frustrating congressional oversight efforts to uncover the facts.

Alice said of the intelligence community leadership, “If they're politicizing this, what else are they not telling the president? ”


“Alice” is a medically retired CIA Officer with two decades of government service

DEEP DIVE

Our reporting is based on conversations with more than a dozen individuals who have explored or experienced the mysterious set of symptoms that takes its name from a cluster of cases, reported in Cuba, in 2016.  Though the evidence indicates the incidents were happening much earlier.

The US government refers to it as “Anomalous Health Incidents” or AHIs. A previously disclosed National Security Memo confirmed intelligence information about “a high-powered microwave system weapon that may have the ability to weaken, intimidate, or kill an enemy over time and without leaving evidence.”


Microwave System Weapon Memo: Courtesy National Security Lawyer Mark Zaid

The memo continued, “The 2012 intelligence information indicated that this weapon is designed to bathe a target's living quarters in microwaves, causing numerous physical effects, including a damaged nervous system.”

Alice, who spent two decades in government service, says she experienced an AHI in 2021. In many respects, her experience mirrors the National Security memo.

Alice, once trusted with the nation’s secrets, now relies on a service dog to navigate daily life.  She takes a cocktail of drugs to manage chronic headaches, balance issues, nerve pain, eye tracking disorders, memory lapses among others. 


Alice Relies On A Service Dog To Navigate Daily Life

Much of Alice’s work at the CIA remains classified to this day.

While our investigation explores new claims about directed energy weapons and their possible use by a foreign adversary, it also documents allegations of government gaslighting. 

And importantly, it underscores credible claims that the intelligence community, specifically the CIA, has failed to care for its own people after they reported directed energy attacks.   

A new bipartisan Senate Intelligence report faulted the CIA, finding “many individuals faced obstacles to timely and sufficient care.”  The report went further, criticizing the Agency for halting its collection of clinical research.  Meanwhile, the Defense Department’s work is ongoing.

“...the Committee nevertheless assesses that CIA may not be well postured to respond to future AHI reports and to facilitate quick, accessible. high-quality medical care for those who need it, particularly in the case of another AHI cluster.”

CONTEXT: THE DISCONNECT

This is an extraordinary group of national security personnel.  They are highly vetted and trusted with the US government’s most closely guarded secrets.  But after they reported AHIs to their leadership, they say they were dismissed as crazy and unstable. Some officers report their security clearances were pulled, limiting their ability to work in the future.

I complained to an intelligence official about the apparent disconnect.  “Either they have the worst vetting system and they only pick crazy people, or in fact, their really talented, very smart, very dedicated people are being hit.”  And the official had no response for me.

GOP HOUSE INVESTIGATION 

In early December, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, released an unclassified interim report. The CIA subcommittee chairman Rick Crawford (R-Arkansas) was highly critical of the Intelligence community leadership.

“I have discovered that there is reliable evidence to suggest that some Anomalous Health Incidents (AHIs) are the work of foreign adversaries,” Crawford said. “Sadly, the IC has actively attempted to impede our investigation, but we have nonetheless been able to gather significant evidence, and I have reason to believe that its claims of environmental or social factors explaining AHIs are false.”

Crawford, CIA Subcommittee Release Interim Report on Havana Syndrome

intelligence.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1486#:~:text=%E2%80%9CAfter%20years%20of%20traveling%20the,the%20work%20of%20foreign%20adversaries.


Asked if the House report findings amount to a government coverup, Alice did not hesitate.  “It's a coverup and it's terrifying and it should be terrifying to all Americans.”

The new House congressional report conflicts with the 2023 Intelligence Community Assessment or ICA that found “..most IC agencies have concluded that it is ‘very unlikely’ a foreign adversary is responsible for the reported AHIs.”

“Thank God they're saying it, “ Alice said of the house interim report.  “Thank God they were brave enough to stand up to the CIA.” 

Alice went further, “If they're politicizing this, what else are they not telling the president and that's scary. That's where it becomes more real.”

LEADING EXPERT WEIGHS IN

Dr. James Giordano served as the consulting forensic neuroscientist on the original cases of AHI in Havana, Cuba.

“The recognized likelihood that a foreign peer competitor nation can be attributed to AHI engagements is both unsurprising, and validating, given my original analysis of AHI cases in Havana.”

Giordano is the Pellegrino Center Professor of Neurology and Biochemistry, at Georgetown University; and Executive Director of the Institute for Biodefense Research, a federally funded think tank focusing upon global biosecurity.

“I believe that this (house) report substantively validates the research community’s efforts to demonstrate that directed energy technologies were the source of AHIs, and appropriately recognizes those victims of these engagements who have suffered for so long with both the resulting signs and symptoms, and difficulties in acquiring the care and support they so direly needed.”

MULTIPLE WEAPONS - ATTACKS REPORTED DOMESTICALLY AND ABROAD

Alice's injuries are so debilitating, she relies on a service dog. She needed multiple breaks during our interview. At times, she wore dark glasses to blunt the studio lights.

Respecting classification and sensitive matters related to her intelligence work, Alice could only share the basic outlines of her AHI experience in 2021.

“I was serving in Africa and I experienced an anomalous health incident in my home on a Saturday night,”  Alice explained.

“I heard a weird noise. It was a really weird sound that I'll never, never forget it… and after about a second or two, I felt it in my feet, kind of like the reverb from a speaker.”

In military and intelligence circles, they call it the kill zone or the X. If you are under attack, you need to get off the X.

When she moved off the X to another room, Alice said her partner provided the initial hint something was terribly wrong.

“I went into the master bedroom..and I said, ‘Hey, do you hear that weird noise?’ And the first sign that something was off, I should have known, was when he said, ‘what noise?’”

Alice left the bedroom and then experienced the strange sound for a second time.

“Immediately, as soon as I reentered the space, I heard the noise again. My ear started hurting. I started having vertigo. The room was spinning, my head started pulsing. It hurt so badly and I had a ton of pain in my left ear and my ears started ringing and I thought I was going to pass out. “

Alice believes there are multiple weapons which explain varying symptoms and diagnoses among AHI survivors from traumatic brain injury to memory failure, balance issues, eye tracking disorders and nerve pain.

“I think there are weapons that can be fit in backpacks, ones that can be fit in the trunks of cars, ones that can be planted at a position with line of sight to people from across the street.”

Based on our investigative reporting, many US government personnel who experienced AHIs were assigned portfolios linked to Russian interests from cybersecurity to election interference and disinformation. Others had specialized language skills.

While Alice would not discuss her work in Africa, she said she thinks Moscow is to blame. “I believe the Russian GRU (Russian military intelligence) came to my house late at night and took me off the battlefield.”

Alice and other intelligence professionals who experienced AHIs describe their brains being fried.  Think of a computer:  the hardware is still there, but the software is corrupted. You no longer get updates, you can’t connect the dots anymore.  System components, like your balance, and vision, don’t work together.  We were told some intelligence officers had to learn to walk again. 

While we don’t have the whole picture, we understood that many officers who experienced AHIs were on a leadership track. Some privately question if there may be an insider threat.   We will explore those questions and others in follow up reporting.

Asked if her old self died the day she experienced an AHI, Alice responded, “A little bit. I was paid for my brain. I was paid for my ability to write well and to write for the president. I was paid to meet with foreigners and to get information that would help advance US security objectives …and I can't do that anymore the way I used to and it's really, that's one of the hardest parts.”

CASES SPIKE IN 2021 BEFORE RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE

As cases spiked in 2021 the same year, Alice says she was hit, multiple sources told us CIA director Burns said privately that it was his personal belief Russia was behind some of the attacks.

“I think he's a really good person at his core. I think he was being honest when he said he thought it was Russia,” Alice explained. “He is a Russia expert. He was the US ambassador there….I mean, I think it's a sign of how political this is that even he fell in line.”


While an Intelligence Community panel of experts had uncovered evidence suggesting a directed energy weapon may be responsible, in 2023 the intelligence community took a different position.  It released a new intelligence community assessment or ICA that Alice and other AHI survivors called a “slap in the face.”


2023 Intelligence Community Assessment AHIs

The ICA  reads in part, “..most IC agencies have concluded that it is ‘very unlikely’ a foreign adversary is responsible for the reported AHIs. IC agencies have varying confidence levels, with two agencies at moderate-to-high confidence while three are at moderate confidence.”

Alice said the 2023 ICA did not meet CIA standards.” If I had received the finished paper on my desk as a team chief, I would've sent it back to the analyst and said, ’you have to start over again’  It didn't meet any of our most basic tradecraft standards.”

Alice emphasized analysts are trained not to frame arguments around a lack of information.

The intelligence community assessment on AHIs also stood out to me because the coordinated  media rollout seemed designed to push the controversial findings.

GASLIGHTING

Miriam Webster defines gaslighting as psychological manipulation that “causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts.”

Alice said the CIA was gaslighting her and other AHI survivors. “It was designed to make us think, ourselves, are crazy and to question our own injuries.” 

Alice said she expected more from the CIA. “We swore this oath and every day I watch them really continue to deny people's humanity and their injuries. People that put themselves and their families on the line in horrible, horribly dangerous places and situations to protect this country.”

Asked if it is reasonable to think that the intelligence community doesn't want to acknowledge a foreign adversary, because then, they would have to act?

“Yes and it's complicated with Russia, right?” Alice responded. “One theory we bat around -  is it possible that it's Russia and China? Is it possible that one country created it, sold it, or gave it to another country.”

We were told that even the prospect of a directed energy weapon attacking US personnel was bad for recruitment and bad for employee retention.

While the CIA still questions the cause, based on government records, the Labor Department does accept Alice’s Traumatic Brain Injury or TBI as a “work injury.”  Alice qualified for limited compensation through a law called the Havana Act but she and others told us it falls short.

100K OUT OF POCKET MEDICAL EXPENSES

“It is a full-time job to try to get medical treatment and is another full-time job to try to handle the bureaucracy of trying to access benefits,” Alice emphasized.  I've gone over a hundred thousand dollars out of pocket.”

Alice said AHI survivors need specialized care that is not covered by insurance. In many cases, effective treatments are experimental.

“The reality is a normal physician cannot help us. This is different. AHIs are much more complicated and we're basically ticking time bombs. Catherine, I have already started having to go to funerals. Friends of mine, I mean my friend that was with me the day I got my dog has already passed away..a fellow AHI survivor, of a rare form of cancer. I have friends in nursing homes. I have friends with dementia and Parkinson's. In some ways, people have a heart attack and if you don't die of it, we  know how to fix a heart attack. We don't know how to fix this.”

CIA PULLS ALICE’S SECURITY CLEARANCE CITING “PSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS”

According to heavily redacted government records, reviewed by our investigative team,  after Alice retired, the CIA pulled her security clearance citing “psychological conditions” among other alleged issues.

Alice believes the revocation of her clearance was retaliation, adding that women who came forward about AHIs were treated differently by the CIA.

“It's like we're in the 1950s.  They brought up, Could you be pregnant? Are you upset because you're not pregnant? Is it hormones? Is it menopause? Is it perimenopause? Do you have an anxiety disorder?

Alice said the men who reported AHIs were not treated well either, but added, “there hasn't been a systemic action against them.”

DOD LETTER “WE BELIEVE YOUR EXPERIENCES ARE REAL”

What’s striking is the lack of a coherent response across the US government.  Alice and others who say they experienced AHIs get the greatest support and medical help from the Pentagon.

This March letter, obtained by our investigative team, was sent by the then head of the DoD AHI Cross-Functional team, Brigadier General Shannon O’Harren.  The DoD Cross-Functional team addresses AHI medical needs and national security implications.

Brig Gen O’Harren, who now serves on the Joint Staff, wrote at the time,  “We believe your experiences are real and we are unwaveringly committed to continue to provide quality care for you and those who are eligible.”

The March letter was sent to the AHI cohort after two reports found no medical explanation for their symptoms.


March 2024 Letter AHI Cross-Functional Team “Your Experiences Are Real.”

Alice told us the DoD letter was significant affirmation.  “The Department of Defense believes us and has actually gone to bat for those of us from across the US government. I would not be getting care if it wasn't for senior DOD leadership.”

It is hard to explain the apparent disconnect between the DoD letter and the Intelligence Community’s position that AHI symptoms were probably the result of “pre-existing conditions, conventional illnesses, and environmental factors.”

Alice argued the two are not hard to reconcile. “The brave people of the Department of Defense that have worked on this issue and were willing to stand up to the CIA.”

Asked why she is speaking up after years of quiet advocacy, Alice was blunt.  “Because the CIA is betraying and not just betraying but making friends of mine and my life a living hell. I want them to stop hurting my friends. I want them to give everyone I care about medical care and Havana Act payments and to take care of us in the long term. I want them to stop denying what is happening to us and so there can be opportunities to collect the information that we need so that we can prevent this from happening to more people.”

Asked if a Trump/Vance administration can make a change, Alice was hopeful.  “I'm not sure the phrase ‘cleaning up the swamp ‘is thrown around a lot in DC but at the bare minimum, I do not believe that those people that were involved in the earlier reports should be allowed to touch this. I think they need to actually recuse themselves or should be replaced.”

Alice predicted the CIA would respond to the allegations by saying “we take every reported case seriously and we're committed to taking care of our people.”  Alice said, “that's what hurts so much because they're not.”

tw profile: Catherine Herridge   
Catherine Herridge
@C__Herridge
tw
BREAKING: CIA Whistleblower Comes Forward

Former Intelligence Officer Claims Career Ending Injuries Caused By Foreign Directed Energy Weapon

Leaked Defense Department Letter Acknowledges Injuries and Experiences “Are Real”

“It’s a Cover Up...It Should Be Terrifying for All… x.com/i/web/status/1…


 
3:04 PM • Dec 30, 2024

 
 
7.68K Likes   3.53K Retweets 

447 Replies
FULL RESPONSES

In response to nearly a dozen questions, which included Alice’s claims of retaliation and sexist treatment of female officers, a CIA spokesperson provided the following statements.

“As the Director has said, we have no more profound obligation than to take care of our people and we have been determined to address this difficult challenge with honesty and compassion.  To be clear, the IC’s findings do not call into question the experiences and real health issues that US Government personnel and their family members – including CIA’s own officers – have reported while serving our country.  We will continue to remain alert to any risks to the health and wellbeing of Agency officers, to ensure access to care, and to provide officers with the compassion and respect they deserve.”

 

“CIA has not suspended officers or revoked their security clearances because of their reporting of AHIs.”

Because the CIA statements did not address our reporting that in 2021, CIA Director Burns said privately, it was his personal belief Russia was behind some AHIs, we followed up.

The CIA media office provided additional on the record comment.

“As the Director has said, he had his own assumptions when he became Director – so much so that he even warned his Russian counterparts in late 2021. But, as he has said, our analysts’ job is not to validate his assumptions, but to ensure an intensive and professional effort to get as close to ground truth as we can. And that is what we have done and continue to do.”the spokesperson provided a second statement.

The CIA spokesperson said of the bipartisan senate intelligence committee report that found CIA personnel faced delayed and insufficient care:


“We have no greater responsibility than to care for the health and safety of our people. Our dedication to fulfilling this obligation has been, and will continue to be, steadfast.

During the critical periods covered by this report, CIA had to design a response to a vexing problem as both our understanding of the problem and the problem itself evolved – including in the midst of the unprecedented global health pandemic that profoundly disrupted individuals’ access to standard healthcare, medical evaluations, and treatment. At the same time, CIA worked with the IC to conduct a deep and rigorous investigation into the possibility that foreign actors were harming US Government personnel and their families, while also working tirelessly to assist officers and their families in getting the care and support they needed and rightly deserved.

In that environment, supporting our officers and their families required us to dynamically adapt our programs and processes to changing needs and circumstances. Whether, in hindsight, we could have done better is for others to evaluate, but our commitment to ensuring that our officers and their families had access to the care they needed has never wavered.

In addition, while there was no consistent set of symptoms for those reporting possible AHIs, we nonetheless significantly shortened the timeline for individuals to access appropriate care and resources. CIA continues to provide support and access to facilitated treatment and resources.

CIA continues to approach every reported possible AHI with the utmost seriousness and compassion.”

Asked if the National Security Agency has intelligence in its holdings that cast doubt on the 2023 ICA findings that it was unlikely a foreign adversary was behind some attacks, a spokesperson said “we have nothing to give you on this topic, but would refer you to ODNI Media Relations.”

A spokesperson for the nation’s top intelligence official, the Director of National Intelligence or ODNI, strongly disagreed with the House GOP committee interim report among other issues.

The IC applied analytic objectivity and sound intelligence tradecraft to the 2023 ICA, complying with all IC analytic standards.

Most IC agencies assess that it is very unlikely a foreign adversary is responsible for the reported AHIs, and the assertion that we are withholding information that contradicts this analysis or would otherwise illuminate this complex subject is unfounded.

The IC has devoted significant effort to assessing potential causes of AHIs. Our investigation was among the most comprehensive in our history, bringing to bear the IC’s full operational, analytic, and technical capabilities and those of our partners.

The IC remains open to new intelligence and will continue to pursue new information. We will continue to do everything we can to protect the health and safety of our workforce and to care for our colleagues with compassion and professionalism.

We are fully committed to continuing to do everything we can to get our officers the care they need and to ensuring their safety – this is our highest priority.

Our analytic findings do not call into question the experiences and health issues that our colleagues, family members, and friends honestly reported.

(Regarding the HPSCI report) No, the IC does not agree with many of the report’s interim findings.

A DoD spokesperson for the Joint Staff said BG O’Harren did not dispute the authenticity of the March 2024 letter, obtained by our team, and he stands behind its contents.

While this content is free, consider becoming a monthly subscriber to support our independent journalism and access future subscriber content.

Thank you for the consideration and, most of all, for supporting our journalism!

Best, Catherine

[Body-by-Guinness]

@C__Herridge

Based on two decades covering terrorism and intelligence:
 
•Not clear New Orleans threat / potential cell neutralized
•Bourbon Street may have been a target of opportunity after a larger plot was disrupted
•law enforcement seeking "range of suspects" indicates there may already be evidence of a broader conspiracy
Based on conversations with former law enforcement, there is a standard operating procedure or SOP:
Exploitation of suspect Shamsud Din Jabbar's "digital exhaust"
•Warrants for suspect's electronics including phones, computers, hard drives, thumb drives as well as bank records
•Forensic scrub suspect's social media accounts
•Link analysis of suspect's records for location data and contact with wider web of associates
Pull CCTV
Was there reconnaissance of Bourbon Street or other locations
Potential evidence premeditation

IEDs
Forensic analysis for DNA
Were IEDs made by multiple individuals
Identify components
Track points of purchase
IF multiple DNA, more evidence broader conspiracy
 
 Shamsud Din Jabbar identified as military veteran
***If investigators find links to writings of Anwar Al-Awlaki, potentially a major tell.

Awlaki was first American targeted for death by the US government, linked to 9/11 suspects and radicalized US citizens through his writings, experts called a "digital jihad.

Awlaki was killed in a 2011 drone strike, but his influence lived on.

[Crafty_Dog]

Herridge is a serious journalist with chops highly relevant to this story--

[Crafty_Dog]

A seasoned law enforcement contact believes the FBI’s pipe bomber probe is “absolutely a cold case,” and the newly released video footage and details about the suspect are part of the bureau’s “tickle the wire” approach to generate new leads. 

The story of January 6th will never be fully understood until the pipe bomber is identified and their motive revealed.

DEEP DIVE:

This week, the FBI released new details and previously unseen video footage of its high priority suspect.  I write ‘high priority’ because the reward, of up to $500k, is the kind of reward typically associated with global terrorist networks.


Pipe Bomb /DNC Office


Pipe Bomb / RNC

The timeline is well documented.

On the evening of January 5th 2021, sometime between 7:30 and 8:30 pm, the suspect planted two viable pipe bombs.  One device was left near a bench outside the Democratic National Committee (DNC) office and a second device was planted in an alleyway behind the Republican National Committee (RNC) office.  Both locations are a few short blocks from the U.S. Capitol building.

“When investigators lack leads or want to ‘tickle the wire,’ they may use things like crime anniversaries..to help get them fresh leads,”  Scott Sweetow, a retired ATF and former acting Director of the FBI's Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center, explained.


YouTube video by FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigation
Seeking Information on Capitol Hill Pipe Bomb Suspect

Over the years, I have discussed the case with Sweetow and others.  Some of the newly released information struck both of us as probably not ‘new’ to investigators.

The FBI estimates the pipe bomber’s height at 5’7”.  Having convered the FBI since 9/11, it’s the kind of basic information I would expect investigators to immediately release. Asked if the FBI sat on the details, Sweetow said it also struck him as odd. 

“Typically, in any investigation, you want to get maximum information out to the public to spur leads as opposed to waiting,”  Sweetow said. “If there is particularly sensitive information which cannot be released, sometimes it is a tactical decision to withhold that, but given the length of time that has passed since the attempted bombings, it really made little investigative sense to hold back information like this for as long as they did.”


National Explosives Task Force “Quick Look” Report - January 7, 2021

I was among the first journalists to report on the pipe bombs. Three days after the pipe bombs were discovered, I obtained this law enforcement bulletin that raised questions about the bomber’s timing and motive.

The choice of the RNC and DNC had obvious political overtones. According to the law enforcement records, the RNC device was reported at approximately 12:45 pm eastern on January 6th in the alley, wedged next to a garbage bin.  The DNC device was found a half hour later, at approximately 13:15 pm eastern, in the bushes outside the building.

Both devices were planted in lightly trafficked areas, suggesting the pipe bomber’s goal was to attract attention and not to inflict the greatest number of casualties.

In March 2021, I reviewed a second law enforcement report that summarized the FBI lab’s forensic report.  A key finding: both devices relied on mechanical kitchen timers.


March 2021 National Explosives Task Force Report


“both devices’ switches consisted of a generic kitchen timer”

The Task Force report read, “...the forensic examination of a pipe bomb (device 1) indicated the device contained a powdery substance consistent with the oxidizer potassium nitrate, the fuel sulfur, and a fuel consistent with charcoal.  A second pipe bomb (device 2) contained the low explosive black powder which consisted of the oxidizer potassium nitrate, the fuel sulphur and a fuel consistent with charcoal….Both devices’ switches consisted of a generic kitchen timer.”

“A wire ran from the zero side of the timer to the positive side of the 9-volt snap connector on device 1. The igniters on both devices consisted of one piece of steel wool with two alligator clips.”


Mechanical Kitchen Timers


The pipe bombs had some sophistication, combining a mechanical timer and electrical ignition system. There was no secondary means of detonating the devices.  My contacts report most pipe bombs recovered in the US have a simpler design.

When you are investigating a story, there is no substitute for going to the scene, and getting as close to the evidence as possible.  With some research, and the help of long time contacts, I purchased a similar kitchen timer (above.) 

I was struck by a flaw that is apparently well known to bomb techs. The 60 minute timers depend on the mechanical energy of a spring. If they are not properly wound, the electrical circuit will not be completed and the device will malfunction.

YouTube

Share your videos with friends, family, and the world.

studio.youtube.com/video/lUb468RvaOM/edit


While the photos are grainy, it appears at least one timer may have stopped short of “zero,” but it’s hard to say for sure.

All of this suggests the pipe bombs may have been designed to explode on January 5th. An explosion that night, hours before the Certification of Electoral Votes, would have fundamentally changed Capitol Hill’s security posture.

“Washington DC would have been locked down in a way few people have encountered, and substantial resources would have been marshaled due to the concern of additional attacks. Had this occurred, it is highly unlikely the subsequent events of January 6th could have occurred, as the capital would likely have been severely locked down,” Sweetow explained. 

While the bomb maker(s) may not have understood the potential flaw inherent in the use of kitchen timers, the apparent lack of DNA evidence suggests the bomb maker was not an amateur.

“This is absolutely a cold case. In the immediate aftermath of the bombing, the FBI threw massive resources at the case, which is certainly understandable given the political nature of the targets and the location being Washington DC,”  Sweetow emphasized. “The lack of forensic evidence in this case is highly unusual, and one of the most problematic things facing investigators.”

Aside from the newly released details from the FBI about the bomber’s height and distinctive sneakers, security videos from the street reveal another clue.  Almost as unique as DNA, it’s called “gait analysis”. 

Gait analysis is the way a person walks, their mannerisms, how they carry themselves. It can be a very powerful investigative tool.  Military and law enforcement sources tell me they use gait analysis to help identify targets in the field.

“I have long felt that the mannerisms of the suspect, to include their gait, the way they bent over multiple times, and generally carried themselves was highly suggestive of a female,” Sweetow said.  His analysis was backed up by a second contact, a retired Special Forces officer.

It is hard to reconcile the known facts in the pipe bomber case.   Massive resources were expended by the FBI, but no suspect(s) have been publicly identified.  The suspect seen in the videos may not be the bomb maker and, in fact, investigators maybe looking for a small cell.

While the bomb maker may have been tripped up by the kitchen timers, they were expert enough to apparently avoid leaving significant DNA evidence.   

And lastly, the motive may have been distraction after a contentious election, not an explosion with significant casualties. 

“Sometimes you never actually discover what the intent is of a bomber,” Sweetow said in closing. “The choice of political targets, following a very contentious election and impending congressional certification implies a political motive for the bomber.  Because of that, it is possible the suspect wanted to cause general chaos in the National Capital Region in the hopes of eliciting some sort of action, although what that action was is difficult to say.”

This is a worthy case for the next FBI Director.

For its part, according to the AP, the FBI “has assessed over 600 tips, reviewed about 39,000 video files and conducted more than 1,000 interviews over the past four years.”

While this content is free, consider becoming a monthly or yearly subscriber. We can do truly independent, investigative journalism without your generous support.

Best, Catherine

[Crafty_Dog]

On the way out the door, the Biden White House has taken a position in conflict with the intelligence community over the mysterious illness known as Havana Syndrome and the potential role of directed energy weapons.

This leaves the incoming Trump administration with a hot mess that may implicate China, Russia, or other foreign adversaries.  The Biden Administration’s timing is suspect.

DEEP DIVE:

On Friday, January 10th, the same day the intelligence community sought to undercut the credibility of directed energy attacks on US government personnel, a senior Defense Department official circulated a letter aimed at reassuring injured military and intelligence operatives.

The DoD letter, obtained by our investigative team, told injured service members “your experiences are real.”


DoD Letter Sent To Havana Syndrome Survivors January 10, 2025.

“As many of you know from your own professional experiences, intelligence assessments are important tools that often help decision-makers understand the threat environment and consider options.  They are not a statement of policy, but instead represent intelligence agencies’ judgements at a point in time…..”

“I hope you can be reassured that the DoD team believes your experiences are real, is listening to your concerns, and remains committed to ensuring that you receive the best care and services..”

(Over the weekend, we contacted the Office of the Secretary of Defense seeking comment about the letter. There was no response.  We will, of course, update if we hear back.)

This week’s new Intelligence Community Assessment seemed designed to undercut two recent and scathing congressional reports as well as credible claims from US government personnel that their debilitating symptoms are the result of a directed energy attack.

Anomalous Health Incidents, or “AHIs” are a constellation of cognitive and neurological symptoms ranging from ringing in the ears, eye tracking dysfunction, balance issues and brain damage. The mysterious illness takes its name “Havana Syndrome” from a cluster of cases reported in Cuba nearly a decade ago.

The updated Intelligence Community Assessment or ICA concluded, “In judging that it is ‘very unlikely’ that a foreign actor is responsible, five IC (intelligence community) components place emphasis on sensitive intelligence reporting continuing to point away from foreign involvement.”

Two intelligence agencies have now shifted their positions on the likelihood foreign adversaries have carried out attacks or developed a directed energy weapon capability.  It suggests the consensus on Havana Syndrome is fracturing. Based on our reporting, we believe the two dissenting agencies are likely the NSA (signals intelligence) and FBI (domestic incidents) which is notable given the weight signals intelligence plays in all source analysis.

“In contrast, one IC (intelligence community) component judges there is a ‘roughly even chance’ a foreign actor has used a novel weapon…Another IC (intelligence community) component judges there is a ‘roughly even chance’ a foreign actor has developed a novel weapon…However, this component continues to assess it is unlikely a foreign actor has deployed such a weapon…”


Updated Intelligence Assessment (ICA) Released January 10, 2025.

A former intelligence analyst said of the assessment, “The updated ICA doesn't even adhere to the agency's basic analytic tradecraft standards. They claim to have "moderate-to-high confidence," which requires few intelligence gaps and an absence of contradictory evidence. A recent IC experts panel conclusions totally contradict the assessment findings -- meaning analysts would have to totally ignore what their own experts concluded.”

Posted on X nearly two weeks before the new intelligence report, our Havana Syndrome investigation called “Government Gaslighting” drew on reporting from more than a dozen individuals who have explored or experienced AHIs. 

tw profile: Catherine Herridge   
Catherine Herridge
@C__Herridge
tw
BREAKING: CIA Whistleblower Comes Forward

Former Intelligence Officer Claims Career Ending Injuries Caused By Foreign Directed Energy Weapon

Leaked Defense Department Letter Acknowledges Injuries and Experiences “Are Real”

“It’s a Cover Up...It Should Be Terrifying for All… x.com/i/web/status/1…


 
3:04 PM • Dec 30, 2024

 
 
38.8K Likes   17.8K Retweets 

2.14K Replies
Since publication, more US government personnel have come forward to our team.  Some say their government agency discouraged them from reporting AHI incidents, and when they did, they say they were retaliated against including the revocation of their security clearances.  The CIA denies retaliation claims.

Based on our reporting, the ICA was supposed to be released last month, but it was delayed after two congressional investigations were highly critical of the CIA and the nation’s top intelligence official, the Director of National Intelligence.

In early December, a GOP House congressional report found “it appears increasingly likely’ a foreign adversary is behind some of these attacks.  The report singled out the CIA and the Director of National Intelligence for allegedly impeding congressional oversight efforts to uncover the facts.

An equally critical report from the Senate Intelligence Committee documented allegations of government gaslighting,writing that “many individuals faced obstacles to timely and sufficient care.” 

The report went further, criticizing the Agency for halting its collection of clinical research, “...the Committee nevertheless assesses that CIA may not be well postured to respond to future AHI reports and to facilitate quick, accessible, high-quality medical care for those who need it, particularly in the case of another AHI cluster.”

Government records recently shared with our team underscore the disconnect between the Defense Department and the CIA over its treatment of affected personnel.  The Defense Department is more forward leaning and provides the most consistent support.

By contrast, the CIA is accused of “gaslighting” affected intelligence officers. Their traumatic brain, inner ear and eye injuries are well documented, but the intelligence community insists they were “probably the result of factors that did not involve a foreign adversary, such as pre-existing conditions, conventional illnesses and environmental factors."

“Alice,” a medically retired CIA officer, was interviewed for our project. She says she experienced an AHI while on assignment in Africa.  She described how her brain was “fried” by a directed energy attack. One of the best analogies is a computer: the hardware is still there, but the software is corrupted.  You no longer get updates. You can’t connect the dots anymore.  System components, like your balance, and vision, don’t work together.   We heard stories about intelligence officers having to learn to walk again.


CIA Whistleblower “Alice”

While we don’t have the whole picture, we understood that many officers who experienced AHIs were on a leadership track. Some privately question if there may be an insider threat because there are clusters of cases.  For example, several AHI survivors worked on the same project but from different countries.

As the Biden White House leaves the door open to attacks by foreign adversaries,  the senate confirmation process begins for top national security positions in the Trump administration.  Havana Syndrome survivors, such as Marc Polymeropoulos, a former senior CIA officer who was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury after he says he was attacked by a directed energy weapon, sees an opening.

“I have been a strong critic of President Trump, yet on this issue I believe there is absolute common ground with the new administration. In fact,  I believe this new administration will be far more forward leaning in getting to the bottom of AHIs, and I look forward to working with them on this,” Polymeropoulos said.

“During the confirmation hearings for (SEC DEF) nominee Pete Hegseth, (FBI Director) Kash Patel, (Director of National Intelligence) Tulsi Gabbard and (CIA Director) John Ratcliffe, senators should ask about AHIs,” Polymeropoulos explained. “There are three bins, accountability (no one involved previously in this issue should keep their job), health care and attribution.”

“Catherine Herridge Reports” is six months old. We see so much opportunity for independent journalism. Our reporting has already achieved the kind of accountability corporate media strives for. 

After our investigation, “Adding Insult to Injury: When Service Members Take A Back Seat to Iran,” nine Purple Hearts were awarded to soldiers whose base was hit by Iranian ballistic missiles in January 2020.

tw profile: Catherine Herridge   
Catherine Herridge
@C__Herridge
tw
BREAKING: Leaked Military Memos Indicate US Soldiers Were Exposed to Potentially Toxic Agents Including Radioactive Materials After Iran’s Jan 2020 Ballistic Missile Attack On Their Base

Retired Army JAG Says Both The Courts And The Biden-Harris DOJ Have “Sided with Iran.”… x.com/i/web/status/1…


 
1:01 PM • Oct 3, 2024

 
 
14.6K Likes   8.25K Retweets 

504 Replies
After our investigation, “The Cost of Following Orders: COVID Vaccine Injured In The US Military,” a 24-year old soldier was granted “full relief” and two years back pay after her debilitating heart condition was linked to the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine.

tw profile: Catherine Herridge   
Catherine Herridge
@C__Herridge
tw
BREAKING: Army and National Guard accused of abandoning 24-year-old soldier with “debilitating heart condition” that internal memo “linked” to COVID-19 mRNA vaccine.

New military records confirm the soldier's heart injury was "In Line of Duty,” and details her account of… x.com/i/web/status/1…


 
2:07 PM • Jun 24, 2024

 
 
32.8K Likes   17K Retweets 

1.47K Replies
Independent journalism is about innovation. With seven million views for the Havana Syndrome investigation, we are sharing new reporting with subscribers called “The Back Story.”

Think of it as a conversation about the legwork, the research as well the background reporting that goes into the final investigation on your screen.

It’s a personal account of why we believe there is no substitute for fact driven reporting that tells the stories we could not tell before because of political and corporate pressures.

“The Back Story,” a fully edited 14 minute project drops Monday on our website for paid subscribers and those who have already donated! We can’t do this reporting without your generous support!

Investigations into the Afghanistan withdrawal, Russia Gate and government overreach are ahead.

Best, Catherine