erik prince wyoming ranch

- were directed to make them or reimbursed for them, then that's a potential crime. But it was not her real name. I mean, this is - you know, he no doubt sees them as a conservative ally, like other conservative networks. It's not clear, though, if any of that was actually used in a way that thwarted anybody's candidacy or damaged their political reputation. And by the way, as we began reporting this, we started learning more about Beau's connection to people. And we actually - I, you know, I - Mark and I reached out to our - one of great political reporters, Jonathan Martin, and asked him, you know. Their attorneys wrote that the story did not focus its efforts on or in Wyoming, nor would it have any reason to do so . We still don't know everything about it, and we're trying to learn more about exactly who was behind this and if money was paid and so on. It is, instead, an entity dedicated to a specific political agenda.. So while Times staff members may vote, they are not allowed to endorse or campaign for candidates or political causes. Prince invited Project Veritas operatives including Mr. OKeefe to his familys Wyoming ranch for training in 2017, The Intercept reported last year. Did you receive the spare camera yet?. He said that numerous sources were coming to the group providing confidential documents, insights into internal processes and wearing hidden cameras to expose corruption and misconduct.. Two weeks later, on Oct. 14, Prince submitted a new sworn statement in his defamation case, in which he acknowledged he had not registered to vote in Wyoming in 2017. Citing his ties to the state, his attorneys opted to file Princes defamation case against The Intercept in Wyomings U.S. District Court in May. Good stuff, Mr. Seddon wrote back. DAVIES: Right. Erik Prince, founder of private . Prince, a contractor close to the Trump administration, contacted veteran spies for operations by Project Veritas, the conservative group known for conducting stings on news organizations and other groups. GOLDMAN: Well, as we started reporting on Erik Prince and Richard Seddon, I became deeply interested in learning who, in fact, was working for this organization. The Defense Department didn't go for it. Erik Prince, founder of private security contractor Blackwater and brother of former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, recruited a former British spy in 2016 to professionalize the undercover. He did not mention the inquiries from the Powell Tribune about his lapsed registration that preceded his vote. And then Seddon - you know, he stays on. They targeted somebody from the Justice Department, and I wrote they also targeted FBI employees. Private property rights are a major cornerstone to how Wyoming operates, but so is prioritizing a rural, quiet lifestyle - ultimately, the former won out in Sublette County. Mr. And so I was able to piece that together. Neither party wants to be infiltrated like this. WASHINGTON During the summer of 2018, as Richard Seddon, a former British spy, was trying to launch a new venture to use undercover agents to infiltrate progressive groups, Democratic campaigns and other opponents of President Donald J. Trump, he turned for help to a longtime friend and former colleague: Erik Prince, the private military contractor. document.write ('&cb=' + m3_r); And, you know, they targeted somebody from the State Department, and they targeted somebody from GAO. By Derek Royden - July 2, 2021 2466 SOURCE NationofChange GOLDMAN: It's not clear they're actually being trained in firearms training. Connor Wroe Southard. It also seems, to me, murky. Erik Prince, Betsy DeVos's brother, is also deeply steeped in far-right militancy. GOLDMAN: It's not clear to me. You know, again, as when Barbara Ledeen, the staffer for the Senate Judiciary Committee, which was run by Chuck Grassley, you know, was trying to find Hillary Clinton's missing emails, and Prince gets involved in that, too. Mr. And ultimately, it did blow up in their face. In that deposition, Mr. OKeefe defended the groups undercover tactics, saying they were part of a long tradition of investigative journalism going back to muckraking reporters like Upton Sinclair. More stories from theweek.comThe Republican theory of unemployment is classic MarxThere's growing speculation that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will name their daughter 'Philippa'A short history of White House cats, American businessman and founder of Blackwater USA (born 1969), New Zealand politician and Prime Minister (18451906), 26th United States National Security Advisor, Read more about the operation and its cast of characters at, The Republican theory of unemployment is classic Marx, There's growing speculation that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will name their daughter 'Philippa', Chicago Mayor Lightfoot ousted; Vallas, Johnson in runoff, King asks Duke and Duchess of Sussex to move out of Frogmore so Prince Andrew can move in, Biden Mocks Marjorie Taylor Greene With 1 Simple Hand Gesture, A Nebraska high-school cheerleader competed on her own after the rest of her squad quit. GOLDMAN: I don't know if misrepresenting yourself to - and getting a job at a Democratic organization is a crime. Friday crash claims lives of Powell sisters, Powell resident now leads open lands organization, Authorities say they caught Cody man selling meth, Game and Fish plan set for aquatic invasive species threat, 128 South Bent StreetPowell, WY 82435 Mr. Seddon launched his privately funded spying effort after leaving Project Veritas in 2018. Prince submitted his own declaration to presiding U.S. District Judge Alan Johnson in September, disputing The Intercepts reporting and laying out some of his bona fides as a Wyomingite. Those contentions have become a key point of early proceedings in the case. GOLDMAN: The plan was to - it was basically - you know, in some ways, it was a classic sort of honey trap. Erik Prince Helped Raise Money for Conservative Spy Venture, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/08/us/politics/erik-prince-spy-operation-trump-democrats.html. What kind of inroads did they make? State records show Moyock Medical Supplies was formed in Wyoming by an associate of Princes on April 15 two days after The Intercept published its article. Mr. Seddons role in the teachers union operation detailed in internal Project Veritas emails that have emerged from the discovery process of a court battle between the group and the union has not previously been reported, nor has Mr. Princes role in recruiting Mr. Seddon for the groups activities. I'm not sure that just because he's a conservative, this is something he wanted to help. They - you know, there's a wide range of targets, and many of them have been exposed. But, you know, his sister is Betsy DeVos, and she was Secretary of Education during the Trump administration. (SOUNDBITE OF GOGOL BORDELLO'S "NOT A CRIME"). At the time I signed my [September] declaration I believed Jones Creek and CMNS to be Wyoming entities, but I have subsequently learned they are not; I believe they are Delaware entities, Prince wrote in the document, which he signed from California. We'll talk about Project Veritas in a moment. And we all sort of wracked our brains to try to figure out if, like, has this been done before? Tell us about them. A spokesman for Mr. GOLDMAN: No. Mr. Halderman was copied on several messages providing updates about the Michigan operation, and in one message, he gave instructions to Ms. Jorge. And they were doing this - it appears that they were doing this from the house where Beau and Sofia lived with others. One February 2019 report said that a new undercover will be joining the team and tasked with targeting Mr. Harshman. But they thanked us for bringing, you know, putting some sunlight on this. As the founder of Blackwater USA, now Academi, a private military company, Prince headed the organization. DAVIES: What are Erik Prince's contacts or associations with Donald Trump and the Trump family? Erik Prince, founder and CEO of Blackwater Worldwide, in 2008. And it's a fascinating story. So he had pitched this idea of a private security force to largely replace American troops in Afghanistan. He is married to an American diplomat, Alice Seddon, who is serving in the American consulate in Lagos, Nigeria. Erik Prince, founder of private security contractor Blackwater and brother of former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, recruited a former British spy in 2016 to professionalize the undercover operatives at Project Veritas, the conservative sting video shop run by James O'Keefe, The New York Times reports, citing documents and people involved in the subsequent operations to discredit perceived "deep state" enemies of former President Donald Trump inside the U.S. government. And, I mean, they were both active, but she was literally, you know, infiltrating these Democratic groups. What was this about? In particular, you know, Sofia targeted a employee with the GAO. One celebrated alum: Betsy DeVos's brother, Erik Prince, 49, the swashbuckling military contractor who has come to the serious attention of investigators looking into the Trump team's alleged. Given Mr. Princes extensive personal and professional ties to Wyoming, it is certainly plausible that some or all of [The Intercepts] sources to the extent they exist at all were located in Wyoming, Princes legal team wrote. However, the story quoted a former U.S. Treasury official who suggested simply making an offer to assist Wagner might have violated current U.S. sanctions in place against the Russian firm. [I] was a Wyoming resident for many years, he told Brietbart. McMaster. Trump, of course, wanted to pull out. He did not respond to follow-up phone messages or an email. I'm Dave Davies, in for Terry Gross, who's off this week. And this website is devoted to revealing the identities of Project Veritas operatives. You know, they were angry too, right? GOLDMAN: She was very active. This includes participating in marches or rallies in support of a movement or giving money to, or raising money for, any political candidate or election cause. Ms. Jorge was eventually exposed and kicked out of the campaign office. And they - the purpose for - they themselves will launch this undercover operation and then, you know, secretly record you - audio, video - and then make a video out of it and, you know, expose what they describe as wrongdoing. What was going on there? This includes participating in marches or rallies in support of a movement or giving money to, or raising money for, any political candidate or election cause. And, you know, we've talked to people who have given to them, including people who gave smaller donations - right? DAVIES: So how did you come upon this couple, Beau and Sofia? Prince, Mr. Seddon and other topics, but he called his group a proud independent news organization that is involved in dozens of investigations. That got a lot of attention, was investigated by Robert Mueller. Not saying this is the case with Mr. O'Keefe, but it's sort of hard to fundraise that way if you're only doing one thing a year or if it's - you know, there are long periods of silence between each expose. How Times reporters cover politics. Prince a former C.I.A. And, of course, that was an entree into a larger circle of prominent Democrats. He added, With Trump getting 70 percent of the vote, it shows how the Democrats have been able to control our elections with putting on a Republican coat., Mr. Gordon took office in January 2019. Prince registered to vote in Park County back in 1992, but that registration lapsed after he failed to vote in the countys 2002 elections, according to county records. A spokesman for the firm said that Alston & Bird has never contributed to Project Veritas on its own behalf, nor is it a client of ours. The spokesman declined to say on whose behalf the contribution was made. Their names are Beau Maier and Sofia LaRocca, and they're in Las Vegas for a Democratic primary debate. if (document.mmm_fo) document.write ("&mmm_fo=1"); (Photo: Gerry Broome/AP) MIDDLEBURG, Va. A cheery fire warmed the glass-walled conservatory of the Goodstone Inn in Virginia's. DAVIES: Right. And this was not - you know, James O'Keefe has said Project Veritas was unaware of this, and they adamantly deny knowing anything about this. The next year, during a presidential debate with Hillary Clinton, Mr. Trump claimed without substantiation that videos released by Mr. OKeefe showed that Mrs. Clinton and President Barack Obama had paid people to incite violence at rallies for Mr. Trump. They received training for covert operations at a ranch near Cody owned by Blackwater founder Erik Prince, where Maier's mother works as a cook. Remind us who they are and what they've done. You know, O'Keefe has clearly raised a lot of money, you know, millions of dollars. Prince is under investigation by the Justice Department over whether he lied to a congressional committee examining Russian interference in the 2016 election, and for possible violations of American export laws. - not quick-hit videos or, you know, shorter-term operations, which I think people say Mr. O'Keefe wanted to do. Did it help, you know, Project Veritas raise more money? Did it expand the number of people that they had? Reached by phone, Ms. Halverson said: Frankly, I have nothing to say on the subject. She then hung up. They make significant political contributions, right? Erik Prince, a Park County resident and founder of the controversial private military firm Blackwater, is suing a national news organization in federal court in Wyoming after it published an. Along with gathering intel, Maier and LaRocca sought to bait individuals associated with Better Wyoming into making statements they could secretly record and hand over to their clients. Why did they want to embarrass him and get him out of the government? And then as I sort of gathered - started to gather information on this, I knew this was going to be a story. Mark Gordon, who was viewed as a RINO in some Wyoming conservative circles. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. GOLDMAN: Yeah. Erik Prince, founder of the private security firm Blackwater, filed a defamation lawsuit against The Intercept last month over an article published in 2020 that examined his efforts to sell. You know, he's a businessman. In 2017, he met with White House and Pentagon officials to pitch a plan to privatize the Afghan war using contractors in lieu of American troops. Mr. But then they got reversed stung by the Post, which was quite a moment. At the time, Prince was exploring the possibility of mounting a Republican primary challenge to incumbent U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. They used a code name LibertyU for their operative inside the organization, Marisa Jorge, who graduated from Liberty University in Virginia, one of the nations largest Christian colleges. So there has been - the two have interacted, I think, even before Trump was president. And in the end, you know, O'Keefe would release them and, you know, make a big deal out of them. document.write ("'><\/scr"+"ipt>"); The life of Erik Prince has been a complicated globe-trotting journey complete with extensive mercenary activities, spying on American citizens, brokering arms deals with despotic regimes and essentially taking advantage of any situation he can in order to line his personal pockets. And then he stays on working for a Project Veritas till roughly June of '18. if (!document.MAX_used) document.MAX_used = ','; In 2010, Mr. O Keefe and three others pleaded guilty to a federal misdemeanor after admitting they entered a government building in New Orleans under false pretenses as part of a sting. You know, Princes are pretty savvy. He's proposed similar things in other countries, hasn't he? However, he ultimately did not challenge Barrasso in 2018 nor did he vote in those off-year elections, Prince acknowledged in Octobers revised declaration. DAVIES: Do we know of connections between Project Veritas and James O'Keefe and Trump, Donald Trump or the Trump family? Mr. Chamberlain and Mr. Thomas were on the list. She was attending, you know, Democratic fundraisers. [CDATA[ And the operatives had to give a - you know, had to give a cover story under duress. However, in all of the 74 campaign donations hes made since 2002 including a $3,042.86 donation to the Wyoming Republican Party in 2016 Prince has been identified with a Virginia address. One of the undercover operatives also got a job working for a consortium of wealthy liberal donors the Wyoming Investor Network which had made a strategic decision to support Republican moderate candidates over those more closely aligned with Mr. Trumps agenda, the documents say. WASHINGTON A British former spy recruited by Erik Prince, the security contractor close to the Trump administration, played a central role in a secretive effort to hire dozens . Ms. Jorge, 25, did not respond to email addresses associated with her Liberty University account. Separately, Ms. Gore unsuccessfully tried to raise money for the project from Foster Friess, a billionaire Wyoming businessman, during a January 2019 meeting, three people said. We rely on our journalists to be independent observers. I know that, you know, one of the first instances of his association with this - or maybe the first instance of his association - was in an Intercept article in which O'Keefe had posted a picture of himself firing a pistol with a silencer on Instagram. To continue reading, you will need to either log in to your subscriber account, or purchase a subscription. But we were unaware of that. WASHINGTON Erik Prince, the security contractor with close ties to the Trump administration, has in recent years helped recruit former American and British spies for secretive intelligence-gathering operations that included infiltrating Democratic congressional campaigns, labor organizations and other groups considered hostile to the Trump agenda, according to interviews and documents. From 1986 through the present, hes made roughly 100 contributions totaling more than $630,000 to Republican causes and Congressional candidates, according to Federal Election Commission records. The former Navy SEAL gained fame for the supporting role his Blackwater firm played in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but the security contractor became infamous when its employees killed 14 Iraqi civilians and wounded 17 others in Baghdad in 2007. Erik Prince, the former head of Blackwater Worldwide and the brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, has at times served as an informal adviser to Trump administration officials. This is when there was the special Senate election in Alabama, right? And they would secretly record them, you know, and create content and then eventually, you know, release a video, like they did in several instances. Prince said he thought hed registered to vote when hed obtained a Wyoming drivers license in October 2017. Both Project Veritas and Mr. Mr. Princes role in the effort, which has not been previously disclosed, sheds further light on how a group of ultraconservative Republicans employed spycraft to try to manipulate the American political landscape. These were videos of - you know, in one case, Democrats or people working for the government who were - you know, it seemed like they were slow rolling the president's agenda or trying to thwart it or using - they were part of, you know, the DSA, the Democratic Socialists of America. Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater, a private security contractor firm used extensively by the administration of George W Bush, is said to be "seriously considering" challenging Wyoming. But I think - you would think that Democrats and Republicans would all be united, that this is a bipartisan issue, right? ADAM GOLDMAN: They went there after making sizable donations to the DNC, the Democratic National Committee - $10,000 each - at the request of a Colorado businessman who was a - he's a fundraiser for the Democrats and basically said, if you make this donation, you can come and hang out in Las Vegas. They were, in fact, undercover spies who had been building a cover as eager Democrats when, in fact, they were anything but that. The whole thing was completely - was really weird. And Beau eventually divorced his wife. Prince said he wanted the Project Veritas employees to learn skills like how to recruit sources and how to conduct clandestine recordings, among other surveillance techniques. His attorneys allege the outlet is trafficking in lies, showed an obvious and intentional disregard for the truth and effectively made Prince out to be a traitor. In 2018, an operative working for Project Veritas infiltrated the campaign of Abigail Spanberger, who went on to win a congressional seat. For his part, Prince swears he never met with anyone from Wagner Group a denial The Intercept included in its reporting. WASHINGTON Erik Prince, the security contractor with close ties to the Trump administration, has in recent years helped recruit former American and British spies for secretive. We are speaking with Adam Goldman. Cole pointed to various records, including a campaign finance document from earlier this year, in which Prince listed his address as being in Virginia. She said the support she got from other teams was 'overwhelming. For example, Rolling Stone published an investigative piece in October, The New York Times broke the news of Princes potential run on Oct. 8, 2017, in another interview with Breitbart a few days later, identified the site as the Prince ranch in a 2019 article, asserting Prince participated in a plan to dampen turnout among Black voters, Powered by Creative Circle Media Solutions. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. And they thought McMaster had fired, you know, several people who the president had brought on and - or Mike Flynn, his former - his first national security adviser had brought on. During a meeting in a Las Vegas suburb last April of employees of Ms. Gores organization, the Wyoming Liberty Group, Mr. Seddon pitched a proposal to build a website where other so-called preppers could buy their own supplies and communicate with each other in the event of what he called a Black Swan moment a major terrorist attack, another pandemic or a civil war. So while Times staff members may vote, they are not allowed to endorse or campaign for candidates or political causes. He owns a home on a lot adjoining his familys Double E Ranch in Wapiti. zoneId = '8'; And they targeted a reporter, a Washington - a very good Washington Post reporter named Stephanie McCrummen, who - they picked up on it very, very, very quickly GOLDMAN: And figured out that this woman was not who she said she was. His contributions to the 2022 Whitney Biennial, on view through Sept. 5 three fanciful portraits of Erik Prince, the financier and founder of the private security firm Blackwater depict a. He's a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for The New York Times. You know, was it effective? DAVIES: This is FRESH AIR. And then I started Googling them and doing some research on them. Princes attorneys responded that, if the judge has any doubts about Wyoming being the appropriate venue for the case, they should be allowed to learn the identity of The Intercepts confidential sources. Valued at roughly $12 million by the Park County Assessors Office, the property includes a 17,470-square-foot residence that ranks among the largest in the area; county records show Prince owns a smaller home on an adjoining 10-acre parcel. And I think the Intercept geolocated that photo and determined it was Erik Prince's ranch. No one tells Project Veritas who or what to investigate, he said. You know, there seemed to be - what it showed was, you know, Prince is well-traveled and is always looking for business opportunities. DAVIES: They targeted ACORN. The Powell Tribune was unable to learn Prince's voter history from 2002 and 2017. He worked with the former national security adviser Michael T. Flynn during the presidential transition. These two are conservatives, right? McMaster. We're going to take a break here. DAVIES: This is FRESH AIR. One of the former spies, an ex-MI6 officer named Richard Seddon, helped run a 2017 operation to copy files and record conversations in a Michigan office of the American Federation of Teachers, one of the largest teachers unions in the nation. It's not clear to us why Prince decided to help Project Veritas. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. (Last week, Trump pardoned the four Blackwater guards who were convicted of crimes in connection with the killings in Baghdad.). GOLDMAN: They were thwarting the president's agenda. There was a meeting at lunch which led to a resignation, I believe, of GOLDMAN: They targeted our editor, Dean Baquet. Prince noted he owned a home in Wyoming and had been connected to the state since 1992. Adam Goldman is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for The New York Times. DAVIES: That's an airport in Cody, Wyo. GOLDMAN: Well, some people have speculated this was some sort of back channel to Russia because there was a - I believe there was a Russian investment manager there who has ties to Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia. AMY GOODMAN: In Wyoming. GOLDMAN: What - the training they got was when they worked for an outfit called Project Veritas. We know that because Glenn put it up on his Instagram account. And he was pitching that plan, but it never got anywhere. With @Project_Veritas's special training, we will be the next great intelligence agency. And I realized they were giving money to Democrats in Wyoming, Arizona and Colorado. Last year, the House Intelligence Committee made a criminal referral to the Justice Department about Mr. And another individual named Barbara Ledeen, who worked for a prominent senator, his committee - Chuck Grassley - she admitted her involvement, and she had actually said she had met with a Project Veritas operative. And then, you know, they both end up giving to the DNC. And as I was reporting this, somebody said, well, you know, her picture, you know, she's on that website. He's a former British intelligence officer who served in Washington, D.C., and in Pakistan and eventually leaves the British Secret Intelligence Service and develops some relationship with Erik Prince, a security contractor, and ends up being director of field operations at the conservative group known as Project Veritas. Mr. And this photo of James O'Keefe, who's, you know, the founder of Project Veritas, firing a weapon with a silencer, apparently, at Erik Prince's ranch - were they being trained in firearms there? He's a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for The New York Times. zoneId = 'Array'; The financial document also listed the names of others who gave much smaller amounts to Project Veritas last year. Mr. Seddon wrote that Ms. Jorge copied a great many documents from the file room, and Mr. OKeefe bragged that the group would be able to get a ton more access agents inside the educational establishment.. So they were interviewing people who wanted to become operatives. You know, I think part of Mr. O'Keefe's motto - I think it's important for him to have regular and consistent content - right? After Mr. I think it was called "Deep State Exposed" or "Deep State Uncovered." They were certainly using attractive women to lure people out on dates. Do we know why? The ex-undercover British spy, Richard Seddon, trained conservative operatives first at the Prince family ranch in Wyoming, then at a large, $10,000-a-month house near Georgetown University. Mr. Later that year, Mr. - and, you know, that probably in terms of, you know, Iran - not pulling out of the agreement with Iran, the JCPOA, and, you know, McMaster, you know, wanting to keep, I guess, troops in Afghanistan. This is FRESH AIR. According to the documents, Mr. Seddons operatives also aimed to dig up information on Steve Harshman, the Republican speaker of the House in Wyoming at the time, who was also seen by some conservatives as not sufficiently supportive of Mr. Trump. DAVIES: Now, one of the more well-known operations - because, well, you reported on this - was an effort to embarrass Trump's national security adviser, H.R. DAVIES: Adam Goldman is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for The New York Times. DAVIES: Let me reintroduce you again. Prince might have approached for money for Mr. Seddons venture besides Ms. Gore. GOLDMAN: In some instances, they were on, you know, these social - these dating apps, right? There was a massacre at a plaza in Iraq. I have always understood him to be a resident of Northern Virginia, the lead writer of The Intercepts April story, Matthew Cole, wrote in a declaration. And his supporters have vilified us. DAVIES: Right. He was asked whether he had provided any of the groups secret recordings of Democracy Partners to the Republican National Committee or any member of the Trump family. But "one of the most brazen operations of the campaign" was an attempt to take down H.R.
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