Antiwar Radio with Scott Horton » FBI

David K. Shipler

Scott Horton — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:07:25 +0000

David K. Shipler, former NY Times reporter and author of Rights at Risk: The Limits of Liberty in Modern America, discusses his article “Terrorist Plots, Hatched by the F.B.I.;” the convicted felons used as FBI informants to ensnare the lowest-hanging fruit among potential terrorists; why an “entrapment” legal defense hardly ever works; the media’s failure to attribute domestic terrorism arrests to government sting operations; how the FBI could “entrap” terrorism suspects into working in an Islamic soup kitchen instead of pretending to blow up a bridge; the massive imbalance between surveillance data and the human analysts and investigators tasked with reading it all; and the strange story of “underbomber” Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.

Update: Your host was wrong. The Detroit News took Kennedy out of context. The video makes it clear he was speaking generally, not specifically about the Underbomber.

MP3 here. (30:06)

David K. Shipler is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and former foreign correspondent of The New York Times. He is the author of The Working Poor: Invisible in America and Rights at Risk: The Limits of Liberty in Modern America.

J.M. Berger

Scott Horton — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 06:17:45 +0000

J.M. Berger, investigative journalist and terrorism consultant, discusses his article “Patriot Games: How the FBI spent a decade hunting white supremacists and missed Timothy McVeigh;” how years of bad reporting have muddied the waters of the Oklahoma City bombing story; the FBI’s PATCON operation of infiltrating (and possibly inciting) the radical right in the 1990s; sorting out the real members and government provocateurs within the Aryan movement; and how the government’s current infiltration of Muslim groups resembles the PATCON operation.

MP3 here. (24:41)

J.M. Berger is the author of Jihad Joe: Americans Who Go to War In the Name of Islam. He has been a journalist for 25 years, working in every form of media from newspapers to New Media, radio and television. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, Foreign Policy, the CTC Sentinel, the New York Daily News and the Boston Globe, and on National Public Radio, Public Radio International and the National Geographic Channel.

In addition to working internationally as an investigative reporter studying terrorism, he is an award-winning business writer and has covered science, technology and religion. He is currently working on a book about the FBI’s infiltration of white supremacist and militia groups in the United States. Berger consults on homegrown terrorism and online extremism. He has presented research for counterterrorism professionals such as the New York City Police Department’s Intelligence Division, New Jersey state law enforcement, the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), the Homeland Security Policy Institute at George Washington University and more.

Jesse Trentadue

Scott Horton — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 03:26:53 +0000

Jesse Trentadue, attorney and brother of Kenneth Trentadue (who was probably tortured and killed by FBI agents mistaking him for Richard Lee Guthrie – a.k.a. John Doe No. 2 – in the wake of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing), discusses the new book Oklahoma City: What the Investigation Missed-and Why It Still Matters by Andrew Gumbel and Roger Charles; the June 15th court deadline for the FBI to explain why the Murrah Building surveillance tapes are missing; allegations that FBI agents tried to sell the tapes in 1995 – which is why LA Times reporters were able to see two men, Timothy McVeigh and John Doe 2, exit the Ryder truck; the FBI’s PATCON program of infiltrating and probably provoking the radical right; how the FBI’s media informants help kill stories and manage the news cycle; and the lack of Congressional hearings on the single largest terrorist attack in US history (in 1995).

MP3 here. (31:05)

Scott’s collection of OKC audio clips here.

Scott’s collection of Jesse Trentadue’s court files here.

Interviews of the late J.D. Cash, Roger Charles, James Ridgeway, Frederic Whitehurst, Rick Ojeda and others on the Oklahoma City Bombing available here.

Jesse Trentadue is an attorney in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Carol Moore

Scott Horton — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 03:26:44 +0000

Carol Moore, author of The Davidian Massacre, discusses the 19th anniversary of the final siege against the Branch Davidians in Waco, TX; evidence that several Delta Force members were “pulling triggers” at Waco; Independent counsel John Danforth’s investigation and coverup; the FLIR cameras that captured FBI automatic weapons being fired to prevent the Davidians from surrendering; and how the current NDAA makes future Waco-type massacres and coverups even easier for the government.

MP3 here. (20:27)

Carol Moore is a libertarian activist, writer, songwriter and video producer. Brought up in New Jersey, educated in Ohio, Massachusetts and Michigan, she has lived in New York City, Los Angeles and for 20 years now in Washington, D.C. She has been active over the years in the radical feminist, anti-nuclear, peace, libertarian, Green/bioregional, radical decentralist, drug legalization and new age consciousness movements.

John Cook

Scott Horton — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 04:04:03 +0000

John Cook, editor at Gawker.com, discusses his article “How the FBI Monitored Crusty Punks, ‘Anarchist Hangouts,’ and an Organic Farmers’ Market Under the Guise of Combating Terrorism;” the Bush administration’s obsession with animal-rights and environmental activists, who were the primary focus of post-9/11 domestic terrorism policy; how the FBI quickly expanded their “Seizing Thunder” operation beyond federal criminal investigations, devoting resources to staking out farmers’ markets and following Subarus; and the Occupy Wall Street FOIA requests that will soon come to light.

MP3 here. (13:55)

John Cook is an editor at Gawker.com

Gareth Porter

Scott Horton — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 05:08:04 +0000

Gareth Porter, independent historian and journalist for IPS News, discusses his article “US Officials Peddle False Intel to Support Terror Plot Claims;” piling on the propaganda to pass more punitive sanctions and further isolate Iran (but not start a war apparently); why the government would surely have recorded damning conversations between Manssor Arbabsiar and the DEA informant – if the plot was even remotely real; why the FBI’s real target was Iranian Quds force deputy commander Abdul Reza Shahlai, not the stooge Arbabsiar; and why the $100,000 balance transfer, supposedly for the Saudi Ambassador’s assassination, was for likely intended for something else.

MP3 here. (19:12)

Gareth Porter is an independent historian and journalist. He is the author of Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam. His articles appear on Counterpunch, Huffington Post, Inter Press Service News Agency and Antiwar.com.

Eric Margolis

Scott Horton — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 15:55:22 +0000

Eric Margolis, internationally syndicated columnist and author of War at the Top of the World and American Raj, discusses his healthy skepticism of all FBI sting operations, especially this latest Iranian assassination plot; the curious targeting of Saudi Arabia’s ambassador – hardly a powerhouse political figure; cooperation between the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia on getting rid of the Assad government in Syria; the long term neoconservative plan to break up Arab countries into stateless warring tribes, leaving Israel as the unchallenged regional hegemon; how India’s increasing involvement in Afghanistan provokes Pakistan and serves as a foil to Chinese influence; rumors that Israel is working with India in restive Islamic tribal areas; cowardly Congressional Reps who still won’t speak out against the Afghan War even after a decade of futility; and the planeloads of western businessmen flying to Libya, exemplifying what colonialism looks like in the 21st century.

MP3 here. (38:20)

Eric S. Margolis is an award-winning, internationally syndicated columnist. His articles appear in the New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, Times of London, the Gulf Times, the Khaleej Times and Dawn. He is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post. He appears as an expert on foreign affairs on CNN, BBC, France 2, France 24, Fox News, CTV and CBC.

As a war correspondent Margolis has covered conflicts in Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique, Sinai, Afghanistan, Kashmir, India, Pakistan, El Salvador and Nicaragua. He was among the first journalists to ever interview Libya’s Muammar Khadaffi and was among the first to be allowed access to KGB headquarters in Moscow. A veteran of many conflicts in the Middle East, Margolis recently was featured in a special appearance on Britain’s Sky News TV as “the man who got it right” in his predictions about the dangerous risks and entanglements the US would face in Iraq.

Margolis is the author of War at the Top of the World: The Struggle for Afghanistan, Kashmir and Tibet and American Raj: Liberation or Domination?: Resolving the Conflict Between the West and the Muslim World.

Philip Giraldi

Scott Horton — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 04:07:54 +0000

Former CIA officer Philip Giraldi discusses his article “Tapping the Israeli Embassy” about what Shamai Leibowitz learned while working as an FBI counterintelligence translator; the allied groups that make up the “Bomb Iran” lobby; catching Jane Harman and an unnamed congressman from Indiana acting like Israeli operatives; and how Israel’s “perception management” campaign makes Americans believe Iran is a dire threat and must be defeated in war.

MP3 here. (19:59)

Philip Giraldi, a former CIA officer, is a contributing editor to The American Conservative and executive director of the Council for the National Interest. He writes regularly for Antiwar.com.

Richard Silverstein

Scott Horton — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 04:59:45 +0000

Richard Silverstein, writer of the Tikun Olam blog, discusses his article “Secret trial revelations prompt US-Israeli diplomatic storm” about the Israeli agenda revealed by FBI translator and whistleblower Shamai Leibowitz; why a DOJ prosecution should be anticipated, despite the First Amendment protection of journalists publishing classified information; why government employees interested in protecting the US should be prepared to pay a steep price for patriotism; how the media spun the story as “US spies on Israel!” while saving the actual content for later paragraphs; how Israel manages to control Congress and run US Middle East foreign policy; how the Israeli government gets op-eds published in American newspapers and starts lawsuits against American companies boycotting Israel’s goods; and why there was likely a deal between Obama’s electoral transition team and Israel to stop Operation Cast Lead two days before the inauguration.

MP3 here. (24:15)

Richard Silverstein has been writing Tikun Olam, one of the earliest liberal Jewish blogs, since February, 2003. It focuses on Israeli-Palestinian peace but includes commentary on U.S. politics, a world music mp3 blog, and other writing on Jewish life, literature, and culture.

Francis Boyle

Scott Horton — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 04:27:13 +0000

Francis Boyle, Professor at the University of Illinois College of Law, discusses how in 2004 the FBI and CIA tried to make him an informant to betray his Arab and Muslim legal clients; how his refusal landed him on several terrorism watch lists, guaranteeing him a lifetime of harassment when traveling; the list of five thousand Arabs, Muslims and their sympathizers that the FBI interrogated and attempted to “turn;” the US government’s habit of rounding up entire groups of Americans (or planning to) and sending them to prison camps during a crisis – Constitution notwithstanding; and why we already live in a police state, which will become a military dictatorship after one more major terrorist attack.

MP3 here. (20:59)

Francis Boyle is a Professor and scholar in the areas of international law and human rights. He is the author of Tackling America’s Toughest Questions: Alternative Media Interviews, BREAKING ALL THE RULES: Palestine, Iraq, Iran and the Case for Impeachment and many other publications.

Professor Boyle received a J.D. degree magna cum laude and A.M. and Ph.D. degrees in political science from Harvard University. Prior to joining the faculty at the College of Law, he was a teaching fellow at Harvard and an associate at its Center for International Affairs. He also practiced tax and international tax with Bingham, Dana & Gould in Boston.

He has written and lectured extensively in the United States and abroad on the relationship between international law and politics. His Protesting Power: War, Resistance and Law (Rowman & Littlefield Inc. 2007) has been used successfully in anti-war protest trials. In the September 2000 issue of the prestigious The International History Review, Professor Boyle’s Foundations of World Order: The Legalist Approach to International Relations (1898-1922) was proclaimed as “a major contribution to this reinterrogation of the past” and “required reading for historians, political scientists, international relations specialists, and policy-makers.” That book was translated into Korean and published in Korea in 2003 by Pakyoungsa Press.

As an internationally recognized expert, Professor Boyle serves as counsel to Bosnia and Herzegovina and to the Provisional Government of the State of Palestine. He also represents two associations of citizens within Bosnia and has been instrumental in developing the indictment against Slobodan Milosevic for committing genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Professor Boyle is Attorney of Record for the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, conducting its legal affairs on a worldwide basis. Over his career, he has represented national and international bodies including the Blackfoot Nation (Canada), the Nation of Hawaii, and the Lakota Nation, as well as numerous individual death penalty and human rights cases. He has advised numerous international bodies in the areas of human rights, war crimes and genocide, nuclear policy, and bio-warfare.

From 1991-92, Professor Boyle served as Legal Advisor to the Palestinian Delegation to the Middle East Peace Negotiations. He also has served on the Board of Directors of Amnesty International, as well as a consultant to the American Friends Services Committee, and on the Advisory Board for the Council for Responsible Genetics. He drafted the U.S. domestic implementing legislation for the Biological Weapons Convention, known as the Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act of 1989, that was approved unanimously by both Houses of the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President George H.W. Bush. That story is told in his book Biowarfare and Terrorism (Clarity Press: 2005).

In 2001 he was selected to be the Dr. Irma M. Parhad Lecturer by the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Calgary in Canada. In 2007 he became the Bertrand Russell Peace Lecturer at McMaster University in Canada. Professor Boyle is listed in the current edition of Marquis’ Who’s Who in America.

Currently Professor Boyle lectures on international law at the University of Illinois College of Law.