Leaks, lies, and authoritarians -- John Sipher has seen it all

Former CIA officer has witnessed what happens when things go bad and worries for our future

Lots of big news

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John Sipher has seen this stuff happen before

This week’s guest is guest John Sipher a former CIA officer and now nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center and co-founder of Spycraft Entertainment, a production firm providing content and talent to the entertainment industry. He is a foreign policy, intelligence, and national security expert. In 2014, Sipher retired from a 28-year career at the Central Intelligence Agency’s National Clandestine Service. At the time of his retirement, he was a member of the CIA’s Senior Intelligence Service, the leadership team that guides CIA activities globally. He is the recipient of the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal.

John and I first met as Senior Advisors to the Lincoln Project during the 2020 campaign and he was recently described by Glenn Greenwald as ‘the left’s favorite CIA dude.’ His turning point came not long after retiring from the CIA as Trump burst on to the scene and all of the talk of Russia collaboration and the Steele Dossier. It was only a matter of time until he was offering his views across various media outlets with a clear voice of reason and frustration with the direction of the GOP.

The intelligence community is under attack from the politicization of so much of a national security apparatus. Republicans and MAGA propagandists are more than happy to undermine our professionals like never before. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Donald Trump Jr. have both come out celebrating the young Air National Guardsman who leaked classified documents to his buddies on Discord. The entire movement is undermining our nation’s security and democracy.

When you are victim, you can justify terrible things

Sipher also knows all too well where the manipulation of a population from malevolent forces can lead. He saw it with his service overseas and especially in the Balkans where he witnessed how Slobodan Milošević, former President of Serbia, manipulated his people into believing they were the victims and that the minorities of the region were coming for them. It was only a matter of time until it broke out into vicious violence and near genocide.

Siege of Sarajevo

As we see violence growing in the U.S. the themes echo from those experiences. As he points out, “what I saw in the Balkans and what I am seeing here is that there is a real power in believing you’re a victim.” Here in the United States, we are seeing it most prominently among white Christian Americans who have convinced themselves that people are coming for them and their way of life and therefore they need to fight.

As he points out, “If you’re a victim it gives you a righteous authority to do things.”

That should worry all of us. Listen to the episode today or catch it tonight on Meidastouch!

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Articles discussed and references

• Air National Guardsman Stole Secrets: F.B.I. Arrests National Guardsman in Leak of Classified Documents via New York Times

• Pro-Russia social channels run by former Navy NCO: A Prolific Pro-Russia Propaganda Channel is Run by a US Navy Veteran from Military.com

• Former Army NCO facing pardon by Abbott shared racists posts: Unsealed documents from the Daniel Perry case show he made comments on social media about killing protesters and Muslims via CNN

• Veterans and military big part of January 6th: Nearly 1 In 5 Defendants In Capitol Riot Cases Served In The Military via NPR

• Leaked tape of Tennessee GOP Caucus: LEAKED AUDIO: TN House GOP Caucus Infighting Over TN 3 Votes via Tennessee Holler

Fred’s Notes:

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Scouts Out!

Fred