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DonViejo

(60,536 posts) Fri Nov 2, 2018, 09:30 AM Nov 2018

Homeland Security Fell for YouTube Videos About 'Antifa Civil War'

Source: The Daily Beast

Newly released emails show an agent asked for intelligence about a supposed plot to overthrow the government, which was quite obviously a hyped meme.

Kelly Weill
11.02.18 4:16 AM ET

In late October 2017, a Department of Homeland Security agent emailed intelligence centers asking if they had any information about a supposed anti-fascist plot to overthrow the government seen on YouTube.

The supposed plot was a Nov. 4 protest that, for weeks, had been the subject of a left-right meme war. Some research by the DHS agent would have revealed the actual protest to be a dud, planned by a small group. But the emails, retrieved by Freedom of Information Act request by the transparency nonprofit Property of the People, suggest some DHS staff took the memed-up threat seriously.

The emails might be funny if they didn’t suggest a direct trail of misinformation leading from right-wing internet circles to government officials.

"There are currently a large number of Youtube videos related to an unconfirmed nationwide plan by ANTIFA to cause disruptions on November 4, 2017,” read one Oct. 25 email from a DHS senior special agent to DHS intelligence centers in Maryland and Virginia. “Some videos claim there is a plan to overthrow the government and/or harm law enforcement officers."

Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/homeland-security-fell-for-youtube-videos-about-antifa-civil-war?ref=home

8 replies

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Homeland Security Fell for YouTube Videos About 'Antifa Civil War' (Original Post) DonViejo Nov 2018 OP

drumpf only hires the biggest idiots and racist haters he can possibly find. lark Nov 2018 #1

"the best people", he said it himself. apnu Nov 2018 #3

Makes me wonder Racerdog1 Nov 2018 #2

Homeland Security? do you have prince albert in a can? nt Javaman Nov 2018 #4

Antifa has maybe 20,000 to 30,000 "members" nationwide Downtown Hound Nov 2018 #5

Not surprising. Wuddles440 Nov 2018 #6

Of course they did... PandoraAwakened Nov 2018 #7

(shudder).... Maxheader Nov 2018 #8

lark

(23,155 posts)

1. drumpf only hires the biggest idiots and racist haters he can possibly find.

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Fri Nov 2, 2018, 09:41 AM

Nov 2018

He's had to dig down deep into the muck and mire to find such stupidity.

apnu

(8,758 posts)

3. "the best people", he said it himself.

Reply to lark (Reply #1)

Fri Nov 2, 2018, 09:50 AM

Nov 2018

We have to believe him, right?

Racerdog1

(808 posts)

2. Makes me wonder

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Fri Nov 2, 2018, 09:43 AM

Nov 2018

What the hell kind of folks they have. If they are that easily fooled, how competent are they?

Javaman

(62,534 posts)

4. Homeland Security? do you have prince albert in a can? nt

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Fri Nov 2, 2018, 09:51 AM

Nov 2018

Downtown Hound

(12,618 posts)

5. Antifa has maybe 20,000 to 30,000 "members" nationwide

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Fri Nov 2, 2018, 11:30 AM

Nov 2018

And I use members in quotes because it doesn't really have membership in the traditional sense of the word. So, those 20 to 30k are going to overthrow the most powerful military in the world 'eh? And somehow manage to get past the several million police officers this country has?

If these people are paid intelligence professionals, we need some new hires.

Wuddles440

(1,127 posts)

6. Not surprising.

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Fri Nov 2, 2018, 11:40 AM

Nov 2018

As a former Federal law enforcement agent, most of those serving as such are very conservative and rabid consumers of right wing media. While most are able to maintain some sense of reality, a significant population seem to operate in some parallel universe where they fantasize about purging the United States of the infidels (liberals, minorities, gays, etc.) and this mentality influences their operational decisions. Knowing that these individuals have such broad law enforcement powers is truly frightening and cause for grave concern.