Undercover Operatives Waged Sting Operation to Discredit ‘Deep State’ Officers on Trump’s Enemies Record: NYT

Undercover workers from the right-wing Veritas project worked with a former British spy trained by Betsy DeVos’ brother Erik Prince to perform a smear and stab operation to target federal government officials on President Donald Trump’s list of enemies during his tenure discredit the National Security Advisor and FBI agents.

The New York Times broke the bombing story, reporting that the “campaign included a planned stabbing operation against then-National Security Advisor to Mr. Trump, HR McMaster, and clandestine surveillance operations against FBI staff to expose anti-Trump sentiment in the EU Rows of the office. “

“The campaign,” reports the Times, “shows the obsession some of Mr. Trump’s allies had with a shady” deep state “trying to blunt its agenda – and the length some were willing to try to purify the government. ” those believed to be unfaithful to the President. “

“According to interviews, Richard Seddon was at the center of efforts, a former British undercover spy who was recruited in 2016 by Security Officer Erik Prince to train Project Veritas staff to infiltrate unions, Democratic Congress campaigns and other targets. He led field operations for Project Veritas until mid-2018. “

Last year, the New York Times reported that Mr Seddon made extensive efforts to gain access to the unions and campaigns, and was leading a hiring effort that nearly tripled the number of employees in the group, according to interviews and deposit certificates. He trained employees on the Prince family ranch in Wyoming.

The Times’ extensive coverage, which is roughly 2,700 words, does not reveal who initiated or financed the campaign.

The Times reports that the operation was performed in a home that was rented for $ 10,000 a month and that it is not known whether President Trump or his closest advisers, including family members, were aware of or had anything to do with the operation .

“The operation against Mr. McMaster hatched not long after an article appeared in BuzzFeed News about a private dinner in 2017. Exactly what happened during dinner is controversial, but the article said that Mr. McMaster called Mr. Trump down, he is an ‘idiot’ with the intelligence of a ‘kindergarten’. “

These allegations have never been proven, despite being in line with what some other members of the administration, such as first Trump Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, allegedly said.

In the end, McMaster resigned amid far-right attacks, but there was no record of calling Trump an “idiot”.

Read the full New York Times research here.

Image: Official White House photo of Shealah Craighead via Flickr