I mean, we know that Erik Prince was trying to sell a plan to the Trump administration to put these - for him, in fact, to put a private, you know, army of a bunch of mercenaries in Afghanistan and sort of take over those responsibilities from the government, sort of, in some ways, replace the U.S. forces on the ground there. He's a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for The New York Times. 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 Do we know why? And so we're all familiar with that, I think, to some extent. Both operations were run by Project Veritas, a conservative group that has gained attention using hidden cameras and microphones for sting operations on news organizations, Democratic politicians and liberal advocacy groups. 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. You know, in this recent story that you wrote with Mark Mazzetti of the Times, you introduce us to a couple. And he comes from a wealthy, conservative family in Michigan, right? 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. Published October 16, 2017. 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. That was certainly a catalyst. And they admitted doing, you know - engaging in political activity while working for these government institutions, which Project Veritas asserted was, you know, wrong or even, you know - I can't remember if they said it was illegal or not. DAVIES: We need to take a break here. 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. Prince have ties to President Trumps aides and family. DAVIES: This is FRESH AIR, and our guest is Adam Goldman. Well, that and - by the way, at some point - I don't know the time period. What was this about? Prince a former C.I.A. 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. This item is available in full to subscribers. 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? But then January 6 happened, you know, the insurrection. 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. We'll talk about Project Veritas in a moment. James OKeefe, a conservative activist, founded Project Veritas. And in the end, you know, O'Keefe would release them and, you know, make a big deal out of them. 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." He said that he did not think so. 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. Neither party wants to be, you know, exposed to this kind of spycraft - right? I mean, people did shoot guns. They targeted The Washington Post. 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. There is little publicly available information about the company, but multiple Prince ventures, including Blackwater, have been based out of Moyock, North Carolina. GOLDMAN: They were thwarting the president's agenda. Last year, Project Veritas submitted a proposed list of witnesses for the trial over the lawsuit. DAVIES: And when we say they targeted these public officials or FBI agents, what would they do? Other Project Veritas employees on the emails include Joe Halderman, an award-winning former television producer who in 2010 pleaded guilty to trying to extort $2 million from the comedian David Letterman. And they targeted - Project Veritas had a whole series. Mr. So while Times staff members may vote, they are not allowed to endorse or campaign for candidates or political causes. 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. Mr. One of the documents indicates that Marti Halverson, a former Wyoming state lawmaker, provided a list of people for the operatives to target. Jim Mattis, then the defense secretary, rejected the idea. And her picture wasn't her name GOLDMAN: It was a fake name, Maria. GOLDMAN: Yeah, I think they nearly tripled the number of people they hired. Richard Seddon, in 2018, I guess, decided to stop working with Project Veritas. DAVIES: Right. 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. But "one of the most brazen operations of the campaign" was an attempt to take down H.R. He comes in late '16 or '17 - around that time period. And they will get, you know, negative information from public records. But I didn't reveal that I knew Beau and Sofia had lived at that house at the time because we were working - concurrently, we were working on this larger story about them. I don't know. Set some context for us here. Of course, everybody's familiar with Watergate, right? They need some spy training and covert military, paramilitary training at his ranch. When a muckraking news site published a story alleging private security contractor and Blackwater founder Erik Prince had offered his services to a Russian mercenary firm, the connections to Wyoming were not obvious; the state was never mentioned in the piece. And if they were given money, if the money was distributed by this former spy, Richard Seddon, and they pulled from that pot of money, which was part of that operation, that could also be problematic. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. 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. Efforts to locate Mr. Thomas were unsuccessful. He's a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for The New York Times. Erik Prince, the founder of controversial private military firm Blackwater and a supporter of former President Donald Trump, jumped into the COVID-19 business late last year with a deal to . Mr. OKeefe and his group have taken aim at targets over the years including Planned Parenthood, The New York Times, The Washington Post and Democracy Partners, a group that consults with liberal and progressive electoral causes. GOLDMAN: That's a good question. Prince recruited Mr. Seddon to join the conservative group Project Veritas to teach espionage skills to its operatives and manage its undercover operations. Copyright 2021 NPR. That's a name some people will know. DAVIES: Right. Erik Prince conducts business around the globe, but in a pending lawsuit, he says he does the bulk of his work from Wyoming. For example, a 2017 meeting he attended with a crown prince of the United Arab Emirates and an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin became a part of the impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump, whom he has served as informal adviser. And, of course, that was an entree into a larger circle of prominent Democrats. But the effort is a glimpse of a vigorous private campaign to try to undermine political groups or individuals perceived to be in opposition to Mr. Trumps agenda. 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. So O'Keefe's Instagram photo, you know, led people to realize that, you know, Prince had played a role, at least in letting Project Veritas use the ranch for training. We are speaking with Adam Goldman. GOLDMAN: Yeah. You know, we had - we talked to many, many people who worked there, and, you know, they described Seddon as wanting to do more long-term operations - right? GOLDMAN: It's my understanding that they met during a training at the Prince ranch in Wyoming in the spring of '17 and then grew closer over time. So it was a fascinating moment in time last year when I realized what I suspected Beau and Sofia were doing. During the 2018 meeting with Ms. Gore, according to one person familiar with it, Mr. So he's certainly moved in this world before. Now, you mentioned Project Veritas. You know, he's a businessman. 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. People have probably heard of this organization. Drawing on information from three unnamed sources, The Intercept reported Prince met with a top official from Russias Wagner Group at an undisclosed location earlier this year and offered his mercenary forces to support the firms operations in Libya and Mozambique.. In early 2017, Prince reportedly welcomed James OKeefe and others from the conservative group Project Veritas, which describes itself as an army of guerrilla journalists. That February, OKeefe tweeted an image of himself taking aim with a silenced handgun amid snowy mountains, saying the team was undergoing intense training from a classified location as we make Project Veritas the next great intelligence agency. The Intercept ultimately identified the site as the Prince ranch in a 2019 article. DAVIES: You know, the other thing that I wanted to just clarify to the extent I can is how much of a driving force Erik Prince was in this. New details reveal the ambitions of an operation intended to infiltrate opponents of Donald Trump, including moderate Republicans as well as progressives and Democrats. Previously, he covered national security for The Washington Post and worked on the investigative team at the Associated Press, where he and his colleagues revealed the New York Police Department's Muslim spying programs. Defendants wrote and published a false and defamatory article about a Wyoming residents Wyoming-based business activities knowing that it would cause harm principally in Wyoming, New York attorney Matthew Schwartz charged in one filing. 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. Anyone can read what you share. Prince said he thought hed registered to vote when hed obtained a Wyoming drivers license in October 2017. They had a - someone came to the Post. 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. DAVIES: Right - Erik Prince, the security contractor who we'll talk more about. So while Times staff members may vote, they are not allowed to endorse or campaign for candidates or political causes. Currently, Prince leads a Hong Kong-based firm providing security, logistics, insurance and infrastructure services in parts of Africa and other high-conflict areas. Click here to see your options for becoming a subscriber. O'Keefe did not respond to the substance of the Times' report but did accuse the newspaper of running a "smear piece" on Project Veritas. Do we know? And, you know, we wrote the story about the operation targeting McMaster and Georgetown. After Mr. And as the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press summarizes, New York provides absolute protection from forced disclosure of materials received in confidence by a professional journalist, including the identity of a source.. She was involved in that. And the operatives had to give a - you know, had to give a cover story under duress. 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. When does he do this, and do we know why? Emails sent to Mr. Seddon went unanswered. DAVIES: Right. Mr. Halderman was copied on several messages providing updates about the Michigan operation, and in one message, he gave instructions to Ms. Jorge. If he enters the race, he would be challenging Republican incumbent John Barrasso in the 2018 primaries, with the encouragement of Steve Bannon. 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. 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. And I think the Intercept geolocated that photo and determined it was Erik Prince's ranch. They targeted somebody from the Justice Department, and I wrote they also targeted FBI employees. James OKeefe, the head of Project Veritas, declined to answer detailed questions about Mr. He passed away recently. This is FRESH AIR. 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