TREASON! Rep. Waltz Says DOD Told Him China Spy Balloons Crossed US During Trump Years But Gen. Mattis DID NOT TELL TRUMP – Thought He Was Too Aggressive

Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) joined Stuart Varney on Monday morning on FOX Business Network.

Rep Waltz says current Pentagon officials briefed him over the weekend and said Chinese spy balloons crossed over Texas and Florida during the Trump years.

Waltz then dropped this bomb. Rep. Waltz said that General Mattis was Secretary of Defense at the time and decided not to inform President Trump because the Pentagon thought Trump was “too provocative and aggressive!”

This is a treason if true. Mattis put the US in danger, offered comfort to the enemy, allowed Chinese spying on US installations, and then hid this from his superiors, including the President of the United States.

House Republicans MUST call on General Mattis to immediately testify under oath!

This is also quite a statement if true since President Trump is the first US president in over 40 years NOT to start a war!

Mattis must have been reading the NY Times. Big mistake. Let’s hope this man faces justice.

Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL): My office has been briefed by the office of the Secretary of Defense of the current Pentagon that it happened over Florida, it happened over Texas, and that it’s happened before. We have more detailed questions but what is unclear, Stuart, at this point is, did the Pentagon under the Trump Administration brief the Trump White House and give them the option to take action or did they decide not to brief them for whatever reason? And there is some speculation, I talked to Trump administration officials over the weekend, that the Pentagon deliberately did it because they thought Trump would be too provocative and too aggressive. So that’s what we need to get to the bottom of and one person that I’m waiting to hear from that we haven’t heard from that list is former Secretary of Defense, General Mattis who was the secretary during this time period. What did he know and what did he decide to pass on and brief to the president.

Either the current Pentagon is lying or the former Pentagon officials were treasonous bastards. Americans deserve the truth.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/02/treason-rep-waltz-says-dod-told-china-spy-balloons-crossed-us-trump-years-gen-mattis-not-tell-trump-thought/

Rothschilds plan buyout of family bank

The announcement sent Rothschild & Co's shares soaring 17%

The Rothschild family is planning to take Rothschild & Co, its namesake financial services group and one of the globe’s most prestigious investment banks, private, the family’s holding company, Concordia, announced on Monday.

According to the statement, the family views private ownership of Rothschild & Co as “more appropriate than a public listing.”

“None of the businesses of the group needs access to capital from the public equity markets. Furthermore, each of the businesses is better assessed on the basis of their long-term performance rather than short-term earnings,” Concordia stated.

Concordia, which is the largest shareholder in Rothschild & Co with 38.9% of shares and 47.5% of the voting rights, said it would file a tender offer for the bank’s remaining shares at €48 each. It will be a premium of 19% against the bank’s previous closing price of €40.25, and would value the group at roughly €3.7 billion ($4 billion), according to Bloomberg estimations.

Concordia plans to submit the private ownership plan to shareholders at its annual general meeting on May 25, with the official filing of the offer expected by the end of the first half of 2023.

The news of the proposed buyout sent shares in Rothschild & Co soaring 17%, according to trading data.

Rothschild & Co is currently listed in Paris. It is a multinational investment bank and one of the world's largest independent financial advisory companies. It consists of three divisions – global advisory, wealth and asset management, and merchant banking. The current structure of Rothschild & Co dates back to 2012 and a merger between its French and UK branches.

Rothchild & Co worked on some of the most notable European deals last year, including Volkswagen’s IPO of Porsche and the nationalization of German energy giant Uniper.

https://www.rt.com/business/571036-rothschilds-plan-bank-buyout/

Ukraine accused of chemical warfare

Toxic compounds have reportedly been used against Russian troops in Donbass

Russian military commanders have reported that Ukrainian troops deployed a type of chemical weapon against their units in Donbass, according to a local official.

Speaking to Russian television on Monday, Denis Pushilin, the acting governor of the Donetsk People’s Republic, said his office has been receiving reports about possible chemical warfare “for at least two weeks.” Ukrainian troops have reportedly been deploying “chemical compounds that make our military service members ill,” he said.

Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for the Kremlin, declined to discuss the allegation with journalists, saying that his office didn’t have accurate information about the issue.

He said the Russian military would pass such incidents up the chain of command and suggested contacting the Defense Ministry with further inquiries. The Defense Ministry did not immediately comment on the claim.

Speculation that some Ukrainian units may use air-dropped munitions with a chemical agent has been swirling on social media since mid-January. The rumors were apparently triggered by a video that surfaced showing people in Ukrainian military uniforms assembling small quad drones carrying small containers, with the payload apparently taken from a refrigerator. Some military experts suggested that whatever was used must have been volatile if it had to be stored at a low temperature.

Chemical warfare is forbidden under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), an international treaty that took effect in 1997 and to which both Ukraine and Russia are signatories. The military prohibition applies even to riot control agents, colloquially known as tear gas, though unlike other chemical weapons, the CWC allows such substances to be manufactured and used in law enforcement.

https://www.rt.com/russia/571039-ukraine-donbass-chemical-warfare/

"Horrible Scenes" - 1900 Dead So Far In Turkey-Syria Quake, 1000s of Buildings Collapsed

Update (0956ET):

A 7.5-magnitude earthquake followed by a powerful 7.8 tremor in Turkey has caused 1,900 deaths so far across southeast Turkey and Syria. About 1,121 deaths were reported in Turkey, while 783 died in Syria.

More than 2,830 buildings have been destroyed, Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority said.

President Biden has pledged aid for Turkey and Syria:

"I have directed my team to continue to closely monitor the situation in coordination with Turkiye and provide any and all needed assistance."

https://www.zerohedge.com/weather/widespread-devastation-powerful-quakes-hit-turkey-thousands-dead-usgs-warns-death-toll

UK Regulator Finds Pfizer Guilty of Violating Three Sections of the British Pharmaceuticals Code of Practice

A complaint against Pfizer pharmaceutical was filed to the UK’s Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA), the regulator responsible for policing promotions of prescription medicines in the UK.

The complaint centered on an interview that was conducted by a medical editor at the BBC, in which Pfizer’s CEO Albert Bourla made comments that were “misleading” about COVID shots for children. On December 2, 2021, this interview also appeared on the BBC website under the category “Health.”

Children’s Health Defense reported:

In the BBC interview, Bourla said it was up to the regulatory agencies to determine whether to approve and distribute vaccines to children under 11, but he thought that “immunising that age group in the UK and Europe would be a very good idea,” according to the PMCPA case report published last week.

At the time, no COVID-19 vaccines had been approved by the U.K.’s Medicines and Health products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for children under 12, so the panel found Bourla’s comments were in breach of code.

Citing possible disruptions in schooling and the potential for long COVID, Bourla also said, “So, there was no doubt in my mind that the benefits completely were in favour of doing it [vaccinating children against COVID-19].”

He added, “I believe it’s a good idea.”

The panel found these strong opinion statements could lead the public to infer there was no need to be concerned with potential side effects or that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks, which had not been determined by the health authorities.

The complaint was filed on Dec. 11, 2021 by Us For Them, “a parent-led campaign group calling for children’s needs to be prioritized during the Covid pandemic response.”

The Us For Them organization believes that children “must be placed front and center in all decisions impacting them. The wellbeing of children should be a guiding principle of public policy making.”

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/02/uk-regulator-finds-pfizer-guilty-violating-three-sections-british-pharmaceuticals-code-practice/

PLANDEMIC: Indoctornation – The Movie

https://www.bitchute.com/channel/YBM3rvf5ydDM/

Boeing 737 Crashes While Fighting Brushfires In Australia

A Boeing 747 air tanker crashed Monday afternoon while fighting a wildfire on Western Australia’s southern coast, according to the local media outlet WAtoday.

The Boeing 737 Fireliner National Large Air Tanker crashed around 4:15 PM local time near Fitzgerald River National Park. The plane was involved in firefighting efforts at the time of the crash.

Both pilots survived the crash and were rescued by a quick-response helicopter team.

“The two pilots on board were retrieved from the crash site by helicopter and airlifted to Ravensthorpe Airport,” WA Police said Monday evening.

“Both survived the crash with minor injuries and were conveyed to hospital via St John WA.”

The 737 took off from Busselton-Margaret River Regional Airport around 3:30 PM local time.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/boeing-737-crashes-while-fighting-brushfires-australia

The Same Person Who Slipped Up that Obama Was Spying on Trump Is the Same Person Who Oversaw DoD Unit that Sent $23 Million to Hunter’s Metabiota

You just can’t make this stuff up. The same person who slipped up in an interview and told the world that the corrupt Obama administration was spying on then-candidate and citizen Donald J. Trump, is likely the same person that approved $23 million for Hunter Biden’s Metabiota lab in Ukraine.

Last week, The Gateway Pundit uncovered that the Department of Defense paid $23 million to Metabiota, the firm that Hunter Biden’s invested in to set up a Biolab in Ukraine.

After Hunter invested in Metabiota, the firm obtained millions in funding from the DOD. The individual who likely approved the funding at that time was none other than Dr. Evelyn Farkas. In 2012, Farkas was appointed by President Obama to serve as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia. In her role, it was very likely that Farcas was the one to approve such a transaction in the millions to a US company in Ukraine.

Dr. Farkas is the same individual who slipped up and said in a TV interview that Obama’s team was spying on candidate and President Trump.

Farcas oversaw the Department of Defense’s Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Ukraine. She was pictured in a Burisma outfit, the firm that Hunter was a Board member on. She was in her role when Metabiota won $23 million in awards that included a Biolab project in Ukraine.

She also was the first to slip that Obama was spying on candidate and President Trump.

There are no coincidences.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/02/exclusive-person-slipped-obama-spying-trump-person-likely-signed-off-23-million-hunters-metabiota/

Soros-Funded Albemarle County Prosecutor Let DC Metro Shooter Go on Violent Charges

The shooter has also been arrested in Pennsylvania, and was ordered to attend "behavioral classes" for adults in DC before shooting 4 people.

Violent crime charges against Isaiah Trotman, the DC Metro shooter who killed a transit employee and wounded three bystanders last week, were dismissed last year by Albemarle County, Virginia’s Soros-funded prosecutor.

DC Metro shooter Isaiah Trotman has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Metro employee Randall Cunningham, who was fatally shot while trying to protect Metro customers from the gunman. In total, Trotman shot 4 people as part of his Potomac Avenue Station rampage before the gun was wrestled away from him by a female Metro customer, Shante Trumpet, who’s being hailed as a hero, along with the late Mr. Cunningham.

But the DC Metro shooting never had to happen, as Trotman was arrested on violent crime charges in Albemarle County, Virginia in November of 2021, only to be let go by the county’s George Soros-funded prosecutor in January of 2022.

Under Virginia law, the offense of assault and battery is classified as a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 1-year in jail. At most, Trotman could’ve been locked up until briefly before the shooting took place.

Though quite obviously, the entire situation surrounding Trotman could’ve played out much differently, possibly preserving human life, had he been actually sentenced to any jail time for his assault, Albemarle County, Virginia’s Soros-funded prosecutor, Jim Hingeley, was dismissive of the situation when he spoke to the Washington Free Beacon, and admitted that if he had thrown Trotman in jail, he’d have only forced him to serve out half of his sentence anyway.

“I seriously doubt that a hypothetical six-month active jail sentence, costing taxpayers thousands of dollars, and ending in June 2022, would have prevented the tragic killing and woundings in D.C. seven months after Mr. Trotman’s release from a hypothetical sentence in Albemarle County,” Soros-funded Hingeley told the Free Beacon.

After his quick release, he was once again arrested, this time in Pennsylvania, and once again allowed to go free on drug charges.

At the time of the DC Metro shooting, Trotman was actually awaiting sentencing in Pennsylvania.

But even that isn’t the end of Trotman’s recent law enforcement contact, and citizens are asking why an apparent career criminal was allowed to go free up until the point that he murdered someone.

According to local media and Metropolitan Police Department records, officers were sent to the home of Trotman two weeks before the mass shooting, to check on his welfare, but were unable to locate him. The welfare check was prompted by Trotman being a no-show to his adult “behavioral group.”

https://nationalfile.com/soros-funded-albemarle-county-prosecutor-let-dc-metro-shooter-go-on-violent-charges/

Norway Aims to Donate Over $7 Billion in New Financial Aid Package to Ukraine

Norway unveiled on Monday a plan proposing to donate 75 billion Norwegian crowns (about $7.3 billion) to Ukraine as part of a five-year support package.

Jonas Gahr Store, prime minister of the Scandinavian country, said during a news conference that the proposed package will be put to a vote in parliament, noting that he expects a parliamentary majority to pass the proposal in the coming weeks.

Store said the money would be split evenly between military and humanitarian assistance over five years, broken down to 15 billion crowns ($1.5 billion) annually.

“Committing to a multi-year package enables us to give predictability to the Ukrainian government and its donors and partners. And not least send the message to the Ukrainian people, that we are ready to stand by them, for as long as it takes,” Store said in a speech at the Leangkollen Security Conference—a two-day conference held in Asker, Norway, each year during the first half of February.

In a statement on Twitter, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed gratitude for Oslo’s “unprecedented” assistance package.

“It is a significant contribution to our future victory over the aggressor [and] successful post-war recovery,” Zelensky wrote.

Additionally, Store proposed a plan to increase aid to poor countries most affected by the war in Ukraine due to the rising cost of food and commodities.

“We are all feeling the effects of this war. If the world produces 10 pieces of bread. Three of them would come from the Ukrainian and Russian regions,” Store said, stressing that food insecurity has increased globally amid soaring inflation.

The government is planning to donate an extra 5 billion crowns (about $490 million) in aid each year to poor countries that are hit by soaring prices in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

If the latest proposal passes parliament, the oil-rich country will become one of the world’s top donors in Ukraine.

Norway, a major energy exporter that is entirely self-sufficient in oil and gas, became Europe’s largest supplier following a drop in Russian gas flows due to the conflict in Ukraine. Last year, the country gave Kyiv more than 10 billion kroner (about $1 billion) in civilian and military aid.

US Approves Aid Package to Ukraine

The Biden administration, meanwhile, announced last week that it approved another $2.1 billion military aid package to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense arsenal.

The package includes $425 million in arms and equipment drawn from existing U.S. stockpiles, as well as $1.75 billion in Ukraine Assistance Security Initiative (UASI) funds, which Ukraine can use to purchase new weapons—particularly those related to air defense—from manufacturers contracted with the U.S. Department of Defense.

With the $1.75 billion UASI funds, Ukraine will be able to order from a range of air defense hardware, including two HAWK air defense firing units, four air surveillance radars, anti-drone warfare systems, and anti-aircraft guns and ammunition. Ukraine may also buy equipment needed to integrate Western air defense launchers, missiles, and radars into their existing air defense systems.

https://www.ntd.com/norway-aims-to-donate-over-7-billion-in-new-financial-aid-package-to-ukraine_899489.html

Report: Lawmakers to Get Joe Biden Doc Scandal Briefing Without Access to Classified Materials

Congressional lawmakers will reportedly receive a briefing from Biden administration officials on President Joe Biden’s classified document scandal as soon as this week after weeks of stonewalling.

Despite the administration’s claims of transparency, the briefing would not include direct access to the contents of the classified materials Biden stashed at the Penn Biden Center and his Wilmington residence, according to the Associated Press.

The White House has failed to provide transparency in public or private about the scandal, citing “the ongoing criminal investigations and a separate ‘risk assessment’ of the possible damage to intelligence sources.”

“I have to be really careful,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has repeatedly responded to reporters about the “ongoing investigation.”

Among the classified materials reportedly found among troves of documents is information related to Ukraine, where the Biden family has conducted business dealings.

If the briefing occurs, the “Gang of Eight” would receive the disclosure. The “Gang of Eight” refers to the Republican and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate and of both intelligence committees.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/02/06/report-lawmakers-to-get-joe-biden-doc-scandal-briefing-without-access-to-classified-materials/

China: Shooting Down Spy Balloon an ‘Obvious Overreaction’; We May Shoot Down U.S. Aircraft

The Chinese Defense Ministry loudly protested America’s decision to shoot down a Chinese alleged espionage aircraft over the waters of South Carolina, claiming that taking action to stop the breach of U.S. airspace after the balloon had crossed the entire continental United States and Alaska was an “obvious overreaction.”

The Chinese Defense Ministry suggested it could take reciprocal action against American civilian aircraft, without elaborating.

News began rapidly spreading across social media on Friday of a bizarre, round flying object appearing over the skies of Montana, forcing the administration of leftist President Joe Biden, who has a long history of business ties to China, to announce it had detected an unauthorized Chinese-origin balloon over American land. The Chinese government soon thereafter confirmed – after initially denying any information – that the balloon indeed originated in China, but claimed it had deviated out of the country and into America as a result of force majeure.

Subsequent reports following Friday’s revelation that the Chinese alleged spy balloon had entered America through Alaska and likely traveled down western Canada indicated the Pentagon was “well aware” of its existence as early as January 28, but chose not to comment on it publicly. Social media images of the balloon and public concern reportedly forced a public explanation of the situation.

The Chinese government claimed the balloon was a “meteorological” research vessel for “civilian” purposes that had accidentally left Chinese airspace. The Pentagon initially refused to shoot it down, citing the potential that debris would fall on the grounds and injure Americans, and readied the public for the balloon to “be over the United States for a few days” as of Friday. By Sunday, however, in response to widespread public outrage in America, the Department of Defense confirmed that it had used fighter aircraft to shoot it down.

By the time Biden moved to shoot the balloon and its sophisticated surveillance technology out of American skies, it had crossed from Montana into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The Pentagon confirmed the balloon had been destroyed on Saturday.

The Communist Party of China, which started the crisis by violating the sovereignty of the United States, expressed outrage and disgust on Sunday at the Pentagon for taking action, albeit belatedly, on the invading aircraft – and threatened to potentially shoot American civilian aircraft out of the sky.

“The U.S. attack on Chinese civilian unmanned airship by force is an obvious overreaction,” Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, a Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman, said on Sunday. Tan reportedly called the shootdown a “political show.”

The Chinese state propaganda outlet Global Times, which reported Tan’s remarks, noted that he also warned that “China will reserve the right to take necessary measures in dealing with similar situations” and interpreted that to mean that Beijing would consider shooting down American civilian aircraft. The state newspaper also specifically objected to the Pentagon using an F-22 fighter jet to take down the invading balloon, comparing the use of advanced American military technology for the job to “shooting a mosquito with a cannon.”

“Compared with an unmanned, unpowered balloon that flies with the wind, the US interception method that featured an advanced stealth fighter jet and fired a missile is too costly,” the Global Times claimed, citing anonymous Chinese “experts.”

Another regime-approved “expert” told the Global Times that using the F-22 sent the message that Washington was not distinguishing between “civilian and military aircraft,” creating “a very bad precedent.”

The Chinese balloon was unmanned, and its destruction, the Pentagon noted, posed a threat only to those on the ground.

https://www.breitbart.com/asia/2023/02/06/china-shooting-down-spy-balloon-obvious-overreaction-we-may-shoot-down-u-s-aircraft/

Bill Gates tells Elon Musk that he should forget about space travel and focus on vaccines

The continuing feud between billionaires Elon Musk and Bill Gates entered a new chapter this week. Gates criticized Musk for utilizing his vast fortune on space travel and not for what he considers more philanthropic causes such as vaccines.

Gates, who is the sixth-richest person on the planet with a net worth of $105 billion, took issue with the fellow billionaire's desire to send people to Mars.

In an interview with the BBC, the 67-year-old Microsoft co-founder was asked if he would encourage Musk to join his "club of mega-philanthropists." The group is a reference to The Giving Pledge – a campaign founded by Gates, his ex-wife Melinda French Gates, and billionaire investor Warren Buffett for "philanthropists to give the majority of their wealth to charitable causes, either during their lifetimes or in their will."

"I think some day he'll be a great philanthropist," Gates said of Musk, adding, "Things like Tesla are having a positive impact even without being a form of philanthropy."

BBC broadcaster Amol Rajan asked Gates if space travel to Mars was a wise use of money, and he replied, "Not in my view."

Gates said that there are "definitely" more pressing issues on Earth to focus on.

Gates noted, "It's actually quite expensive to go to Mars."

Instead of space travel, Gates told Musk to focus his vast resources on vaccines.

"You can buy measles vaccines and save lives for a thousand dollars per life saved," Gates said. "It just kind of grounds you. Don’t go to Mars."

Musk, who is the second-wealthiest person in the world with a net worth of $184 billion, has yet to respond publicly to the comments made by Gates.

Musk and Gates have not enjoyed the rosiest of relationships dating back to a proposed first meeting years ago.

Several years ago, Gates wanted to meet Musk to discuss "philanthropy possibilities," according to purported text messages between the billionaires. However, Musk found out that Gates was betting against Tesla's stock he and reportedly canceled the meeting at the last minute. Musk seemed to indicate that the text messages unveiled last year were authentic.

Last April, Musk trolled Gates by comparing the Microsoft co-founder with a pregnant man emoji.

During the recent BBC interview, Gates was also asked about being linked to COVID-19 pandemic conspiracy theories.

Gates replied, "I did not expect that. During the pandemic, there were tens of millions of messages that I intentionally caused it, or I'm tracking people. It's true I'm involved with vaccines, but I'm involved with vaccines to save lives."

He added, "These messages sort of inverted that. I guess people are looking for the 'boogeyman' behind the curtain, the over-simplistic explanation. Malevolence is a lot easier to understand than biology."

Last March, Gates said links to him and COVID-19 pandemic conspiracy theories are "tragic."

Gates was also asked about his connection to a convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Gates said, "I'm certainly more careful now than back when I did that. I'll do a little more due diligence. I may make a mistake again. I'm out in the world, and I'm not trying to be a recluse."

http://www.hideoutnow.com/2023/02/bill-gates-tells-elon-musk-that-he.html

Federal child pornography investigation infiltrates Telegram app, results in more than a dozen arrests

Operation Swipe Left resulted in criminal charges against more than a dozen people involved in a "cross-country network of people sexually exploiting children," the Chicago Sun-Times reported Thursday.

A federal judge called some of the allegations "horrific." Allegations include livestreamed abuse, kidnapping threats, and production of child pornography.

"When agents raided one suspect's home, video depicting the sexual abuse of an infant was allegedly playing on screen."

"This is not a victimless crime," Cook County Circuit Judge Mary Marubio stressed. Victims, four of whom were rescued in "real time," range in age from six months to 17 years.

Who was arrested and where?

Arrests in the sweep include Norris "Nick" Stauffer, 27, of Chicago and at least 16 others. Charges were brought in Arizona, Wisconsin, Washington, D.C., California, and South Africa. Nine have already been sentenced to prison time, per the Sun-Times' reporting.

Stauffer's attorney, Kevin Bolger, denies that his client produced child pornography and denies that his case has to do with Telegram.

Former Trump administration official and former Turning Point USA employee Adam Hageman is among the defendants, Ars Technica reported. Following Hageman's arrest and guilty plea in 2020 for receiving child sexual abuse materials, he granted investigators access to his Telegram group chats. That access, in turn, led to charges filed against a dozen others.

Ars Technica says Homeland Security Investigations verified the accuracy of all the Sun-Times' statements.

Ruben Verastigui, a former RNC staffer, is also on the list of defendants.

Defendants reportedly include include a youth soccer coach, a grocery store employee, an amusement park employee, and the son of a police officer.

Others charged include Raymond Glover, Sebastian Protel, Zachary Marsh, Devin Parrish, Tyler Ehredt, Jesus Jimenez-Cornejo, Ryan Hoberg, Edgar Martinez, Shawn Grenier, Ryan Showell, Marthinus Gerhardus Lourens, and Quentin Joseph Carbajal.

When did this happen?

The investigation began June 12, 2020, after Royal Canadian Mounted Police discovered a child sexual abuse video with embedded geographic data that pointed to Arizona. The Sun-Times' reporting was based on "recently unsealed" Cook County court documents, per Ars Technica.

How were the DHS and HSI involved?

The sweep, dubbed Operation Swipe Left, was the work of Homeland Security Investigations, the Sun-Times reported.

HSI is the "principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security." The agency's mission is to "investigate, disrupt and dismantle terrorist, transnational and other criminal organizations." Child exploitation is listed among the wide array of transnational crimes HSI is tasked with investigating.

What is Telegram?

Telegram is an encrypted, cross-platform, cloud-based instant messaging app. It was launched in October 2013 and currently has more than 700 million monthly active users, according to the app's website. The app can be used on smartphones, tablets, and computers.

http://www.stationgossip.com/2023/02/federal-child-pornography-investigation.html

6 TOP Crops to Grow at Home to Save You From STARVING

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Former Trump official led feds to Telegram group livestreaming child abuse

At least 17 charged after authorities gained access to encrypted messages.

New details have been revealed through recently unsealed Cook County court documents, showing how federal investigators in 2020 gained access to encrypted Telegram messages to uncover “a cross-country network of people sexually exploiting children.”

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents based in Arizona launched “Operation Swipe Left” in 2020 to investigate claims of kidnapping, livestreaming child abuse, and production and distribution of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM). That investigation led to criminal charges filed against at least 17 people. The majority of defendants were living in Arizona, but others charged were residents of Illinois, Wisconsin, Washington, DC, California, and South Africa. Ten children were rescued, including four children actively suffering abuse at the time of the rescue. The youngest victim identified was 6 months old, and the oldest was 17 years old.

Telegram became a preferred tool for defendants in this investigation, many of whom believed that police could never access their encrypted messages. At least one federal prosecutor told a judge that authorities never would have gained access; however, one of the defendants, Adam Hageman, “fully cooperated” with investigators and granted access through his account to offending Telegram groups.

Hageman is one of two defendants with ties to the Republican Party, the Sun-Times and other outlets have reported, while other defendants include a youth soccer coach, a grocery store employee, an amusement park employee, and a police officer’s son.

Hageman was a former Turning Point USA employee, appointed by the Trump administration to work for the US Department of Commerce. In 2020, he was arrested and pled guilty to receiving CSAM. After his arrest, Hageman agreed to grant federal investigators access to his group chats on Telegram, leading to charges filed against 12 others.

Hageman has since been sentenced to five and half years in prison for “receipt of child pornography.” Hageman’s attorney, Christopher Macchiaroli, told the Sun-Times that Hageman “immediately accepted responsibility” for making a “terrible mistake” and “is paying the consequences for it.” The Sun-Times reported that other defendants received “significant prison time.” One defendant, Michael William Spatz of Tempe, Arizona, seemingly received the largest sentence of any defendant that HSI has uncovered so far, sentenced to 30 years in prison for sex crimes.

Authorities such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in recent times, have controversially sought ways to get around encryption, a privacy concern that the American Civil Liberties Union has previously reported on. For Operation Swipe Left, authorities did not need so-called "backdoors" to access encrypted chats, instead relying on Hageman's cooperation to access additional evidence and trigger more arrests.

Telegram’s policy explains how the platform resists some law enforcement requests for data. A Telegram spokesperson did not directly comment on Operation Swipe Left, instead providing Ars with a statement, saying that Telegram moderators partly depend on user reports to stop the spread of CSAM on the platform.

“Telegram uses a combination of proactive moderation of publicly visible content and user reports to combat such harmful content in private spaces,” Telegram’s spokesperson told Ars. “Every incoming report is carefully examined by moderators within an average of two hours and such content is taken down.”

The Sun-Times reported that defendants were skilled at hiding their illegal activity on the app for months, and thus it seems unlikely that Telegram would receive a user report in this case.

An HSI spokesperson verified the accuracy of all statements that the agency made to Sun-Times for Ars. The spokesperson could not immediately confirm how rare it is for HSI to gain access to encrypted Telegram messages. A search on HSI’s site confirms that in 2020, at least one other arrest was made when Australian authorities gained access to a Utah man’s Telegram account and found he had been exchanging CSAM on the platform.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/02/former-trump-official-led-feds-to-telegram-group-livestreaming-child-abuse/