We rely on our journalists to be independent observers. She went to meetings. Read more about the operation and its cast of characters at The New York Times. He's been reporting on an effort by conservatives to train operatives in undercover operations to infiltrate progressive groups and Democrats. And as we quoted an expert in our story, you know, if there's a sudden pattern of somebody giving money to the Democrats and they had never done that before, you know, that could also raise suspicions. You mentioned that he was recruited by Erik Prince. 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. 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. Over the past year and a half, The New York Times has reported on an effort by conservatives to train operatives in undercover spy techniques to infiltrate progressive groups, political campaigns, unions and the offices of Democratic and moderate Republican elected officials. But he was extremely wealthy conservative in Wyoming named Foster Friess, who had actually run for governor in '18. All rights reserved. }else{ Trump, of course, wanted to pull out. He is not registered in Park County or [Wyoming] presently, unless he is not going by Erik Dean Prince and has changed his name, Park County Elections Deputy Pat Cole said in a Sept. 17 email; he said Prince hadnt voted in Wyoming since 2000. Presiding Judge Johnson, who is based in Cheyenne, has himself signaled some uncertainty about whether Wyoming is the right place for Princes case to be heard; in early November, Johnson asked the parties to submit additional briefs on either transferring the case to another district or delving further into the issues related to jurisdiction. GOLDMAN: It's not clear they're actually being trained in firearms training. And, you know, Seddon then reached out to, you know, a family - an old friend who had worked at the FBI. var m3_u = (location.protocol=='https:'? - trying to find, you know, damaging information on, you know, on political rivals, you know, using, you know, private investigative firms. But in a pending lawsuit, Prince asserts the April 13 story from The Intercept was false, defamatory and aimed at Wyoming. Because of the article, Prince says his reputation and professional opportunities within Wyoming suffered, along with his business interests and reputation in general. Back in December, county commissioners approved a rezoning request for a multi-billionaire to develop an exclusive guest ranch in the southernmost part of the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem. One of the people involved in the McMaster plot was Barbara Ledeen, a longtime Republican staffer on the Senate Judiciary Committee before retiring, she says, earlier this year. So there has been - the two have interacted, I think, even before Trump was president. So what exactly was the plan to (laughter) catch McMaster saying something he shouldn't? And I certainly don't think he thought he was going to get dragged into this. We know that political operatives will gather opposition research as it's called - right? Why were they targeting H.R. Mr. Seddon was a longtime British intelligence officer who served around the world, including in Washington in the years after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. GOLDMAN: They were thwarting the president's agenda. Anyone can read what you share. Between 1992 and 2001, Prince often listed Park County as his home, consistent with his voting records. That same day Oct. 9, 2017 Prince obtained a Wyomings drivers license, which he touted in another interview with Breitbart a few days later. But we were unaware of that. 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. 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. His willingness to support Mr. Seddons operation is fresh evidence of his engagement in political espionage projects at home during a period when he was an informal adviser to Trump administration officials. We'll talk more about his stories on undercover operations by conservatives to infiltrate Democratic and progressive groups after a short break. Neither party wants to be infiltrated like this. I think Trump pardoned at least one. But if the case was transferred to New York, that states laws could apply. As education secretary, Ms. DeVos has been a vocal critic of teachers unions, saying in 2018 that they have a stranglehold over politicians at the federal and state levels. People have probably heard of this organization. Regardless, Princes residency is not the real issue in the case. So we had never seen something like that. DAVIES: What was on those videos? He's, you know, the private military contractor. DAVIES: Right. She and Mr. The parties are currently awaiting a ruling from Judge Johnson, who could choose to allow the case to proceed in Wyoming; permit some more limited fact-gathering about the appropriate jurisdiction; transfer the case to New York; or throw it out entirely. Their reporting on the department won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting. Mr. 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. And they will get, you know, negative information from public records. Good stuff, Mr. Seddon wrote back. His attorney did not provide an on-the-record response to questions about his clients voting history while elections officials in Virginia said any requests for voter information must be made in person, at the location where the individual registered. One target in particular was Gov. - not one expose every year. DAVIES: Did any of these result in resignations, firings, criminal investigations GOLDMAN: You know, and in the end, the people who were involved, I think, were, you know, slightly humiliated. GOLDMAN: Yes, very wealthy and very conservative. This is FRESH AIR. Remind us who they are and what they've done. Adam Goldman, welcome back to FRESH AIR. What does that tell us about Erik Prince? A man named Samuel Chamberlain who matched the description of the one employed by Mr. OKeefe denied he worked for Project Veritas. 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. And this website is devoted to revealing the identities of Project Veritas operatives. Mr. Mark Gordon, who was viewed as a RINO in some Wyoming conservative circles. And, you know, we've talked to people who have given to them, including people who gave smaller donations - right? Is that what these interviews were about? There was a billionaire in - well, a very - I don't know if he was a billionaire. With @Project_Veritas's special training, we will be the next great intelligence agency. It's a conservative group, and they conduct undercover operations, for instance, to expose bias or what they would describe as, you know, wrongdoing primarily in liberal circles. 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. DAVIES: This is FRESH AIR. He's a reporter for The New York Times. Last week, our guest, reporter Adam Goldman, co-authored a story about a couple who ingratiated themselves with Democrats in Wyoming, often making substantial political contributions to ensure their access to valuable information. GOLDMAN: Well, I don't know if he is primarily the guy. She was doing outreach to, you know, Democratic figures in Wyoming. And we all sort of wracked our brains to try to figure out if, like, has this been done before? Prince said he should have named a different company Moyock Medical Supplies LLC as an example of an entity he owns thats registered to his address in Wapiti. 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. Seddon left the project in 2018, before O'Keefe started releasing low-impact "unmasking the deep state" videos. So while Times staff members may vote, they are not allowed to endorse or campaign for candidates or political causes. Prince recruited Mr. Seddon to join the conservative group Project Veritas to teach espionage skills to its operatives and manage its undercover operations. 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. 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. And last year, I learned that Beau and Sofia had been working out of this house in Georgetown. Mr. (Photo: Gerry Broome/AP) MIDDLEBURG, Va. A cheery fire warmed the glass-walled conservatory of the Goodstone Inn in Virginia's. He was dismayed, three former Project Veritas employees told the Times, with "O'Keefe's desire to produce quick media content rather than to run long-term infiltration operations." GOLDMAN: Richard Seddon is a former MI6 spy. Prince appears to have become interested in using former spies to train Project Veritas operatives in espionage tactics sometime during the 2016 presidential campaign. And, of course, that was an entree into a larger circle of prominent Democrats. At the time, Ms. Spanberger was running to unseat a sitting Republican congressman in a race both parties considered important for control of the House. It was unclear whether Mr. Seddon was involved in planning that operation. document.write ('&cb=' + m3_r); He gave the examples of Jones Creek and CMNS Systems. However, neither of those entities appear to be registered to do business in Wyoming; the only reference the Tribune could find to a company named CMNS Systems was an LLC formed in Delaware in August months after Prince filed his suit. 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. By Derek Royden - July 2, 2021 2466 SOURCE NationofChange DAVIES: Right. The Defense Department didn't go for it. But, yeah, this kind of actual infiltration and spying, I don't think I've run across that. So they were looking to mine that, to exploit that territory. And I realized they were giving money to Democrats in Wyoming, Arizona and Colorado. And, you know, I'm not sure when the relationship started. Prince said he regularly host[s] customers, investors, employees and other business associates at my Wyoming ranch.. Prince and Mr. Seddon met in August 2018 with Susan Gore, a Wyoming heiress to the Gore-Tex fortune, Ms. Gore became the projects main benefactor. "He's a very nice man," Prince said of Barrasso in the Breitbart interview. What are traditional political dirty tricks? The Powell Tribune was unable to learn Princes voter history from 2002 and 2017. GOLDMAN: Yeah. He was leading training. DAVIES: Wow. 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. The New York Times published an article chronicling a Wapiti, Wyoming-based espianoge effort. I'm Dave Davies, in for Terry Gross, who's off this week. zoneId = '8'; Key figures in the operation are a former British spy named Richard Seddon and private security contractor Erik Prince, a staunch supporter of Donald Trump. Erik Prince, the failson face of privatized war If the face long associated with modern mercenaries were more successful at his business, we might already live in a much more dystopian world. '&charset='+document.characterSet : '')); Erik Prince, founder of the private military firm Blackwater, helped raise money for a political-intelligence operation run by Richard Seddon, a former British spy. Were just trying to hold them accountable for this industrial espionage.. But what is clear is if Beau and Sofia made these campaign contributions - right? There was a massacre at a plaza in Iraq. There was a year-long lease that was signed that allowed Project Veritas to put its operatives in that fancy house. MATTHEW COLE: In. And so Sofia's picture was up there. Mr. Seddon regularly updated Mr. OKeefe about the operation against the Michigan teachers union, according to internal Project Veritas emails, where the language of the groups leaders is marbled with spy jargon. 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. Oct. 21, 2020. He worked with the former national security adviser Michael T. Flynn during the presidential transition. Prince also allowed Project Veritas to use his familys Wyoming ranch for training. 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. "He is not registered in Park County or [Wyoming] presently, unless he is not going by Erik Dean Prince and has changed his name," Park County Elections Deputy Pat Cole said in a Sept. 17 email; he said Prince hadn't voted in Wyoming since 2000. His uncle is the conservative commentator Glenn Beck. Prince has previously been involved in trying to find dirt on Democratic politicians. The scope of that investigation is unclear. O'Keefe writes about it in his book. 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. And her picture wasn't her name GOLDMAN: It was a fake name, Maria. If you would like to purchase a subscription click here. No one tells Project Veritas who or what to investigate, he said. 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. if (document.mmm_fo) document.write ("&mmm_fo=1"); I don't know. 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. And, you know, eventually she starts using this to meet other prominent Democrats in the state. Ms. Jorge, 25, did not respond to email addresses associated with her Liberty University account. The documents give new details about efforts to manipulate the politics of Wyoming. I don't know. Why are they there? In 2016, a Project Veritas operative infiltrated Democracy Partners using a fake name and fabricated rsum and made secret recordings of the staff. The Powell Tribune was unable to learn Prince's voter history from 2002 and 2017. They - you know, there's a wide range of targets, and many of them have been exposed. Mr. Seddon launched his privately funded spying effort after leaving Project Veritas in 2018. var m3_r = Math.floor(Math.random()*99999999999); And then they married last week. DAVIES: Right. It argues the article was not defamatory and the challenged statements would be protected as opinion based on disclosed facts., The dispute over jurisdiction could have a direct impact on the case. Prince might have approached for money for Mr. Seddons venture besides Ms. Gore. Our understanding of the operation is that Mr. Seddon, while employed, in fact, at Project Veritas, was involved in this. 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. 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. 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. DAVIES: But Sofia was just - she was active. DAVIES: So an active player in the Trump world. You know, this is something we haven't seen, right? GOLDMAN: What - the training they got was when they worked for an outfit called Project Veritas. We're speaking with New York Times reporter Adam Goldman, one of a team of Times reporters who've been writing about an effort by conservatives to train operatives in undercover operations to infiltrate progressive groups, unions and the offices and campaigns of Democratic and moderate Republican candidates and elected officials. GOLDMAN: That's a good question. Prince noted he owned a home in Wyoming and had been connected to the state since 1992. So it was a fascinating moment in time last year when I realized what I suspected Beau and Sofia were doing. He comes in late '16 or '17 - around that time period. Part of it involved a rented, rather large house in Georgetown in Washington, D.C., right? 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. DAVIES: Right. You'd have to ask Mr. O'Keefe. She actually got a contract fundraising gig with the Democrats, right? He recruited a British commando to help - this guy Gaz Thomas, who I guess had knew Seddon through his days at MI6. To do so would potentially reveal the sources identity, in breach of a promise of confidentiality made to the source, and creating personal risk for the source, they wrote, adding Princes real motive in bringing this lawsuit obtaining the identity of [The Intercepts] confidential source is plain., Further, if Prince is allowed to take discovery of The Intercept, the lawyers say they should be allowed to probe Princes ties to Virginia versus Wyoming, since he already has been forced to admit [his sworn statements] contained certain falsehoods.. They need some spy training and covert military, paramilitary training at his ranch. And he ends up giving, you know, $6,000 to Wyoming Democratic Party and also money to other political figures. if (document.MAX_used != ',') document.write ("&exclude=" + document.MAX_used); 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? 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 woman was claiming she had been impregnated by the Senate candidate, thinking that The Washington Post would be so excited to get dirt about a conservative that they would publish a bogus story. Funneling contributions through a third party is a feature of the federal election code and most state election codes. They targeted somebody from the Justice Department, and I wrote they also targeted FBI employees. 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