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<ul class="summary-list"><li>GOP operatives trained by ex-spies embedded themselves in Democratic operations across the West, NYT reported.</li><li>The operation was spearheaded by a hardline Trump ally and a former British spy.</li><li>It highlights the GOP's push to dominate national <keyword id="6358883" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="politics">politics</keyword> by taking over at the state and local level.</li></ul><p>An ultrawealthy Republican donor and a former British spy spearheaded an effort to train GOP operatives to go undercover and infiltrate liberal organizations, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/25/us/politics/spies-conservatives-left-political-enemies.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times reported Friday</a>.</p><p>The donor, <keyword id="4323281" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Erik-Prince">Erik Prince</keyword>, is a hardline Trump supporter who founded the private military contractor Blackwater, now known as Academi. Prince worked with a former British spy, <keyword id="1722998" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Richard-Seddon">Richard Seddon</keyword>, on a conservative operation to "infiltrate progressive groups, political campaigns and the offices of Democratic as well as moderate Republican elected officials during the <keyword id="7600569" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="2020-election">2020 election</keyword> cycle," The Times reported, citing extensive interviews and documents.</p><p>The outlet reported that Prince first recruited Seddon at the beginning of the Trump administration and asked him to hire ex-spies to train Republican operatives in the art of political sabotage on his Wyoming ranch, adding a new layer to the term "<a href="https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/01/25/roger-stone-and-rating-a-short-history-224218/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ratf---ing</a>."</p><p>Two of the undercover operatives were Beau Maier and Sofia LaRocca. They embedded themselves in the Democratic operation in Wyoming, and targeted both progressives and moderate Republicans they believed were a threat to the Trump administration. According to The Times, Maier and LaRocca were based in Wyoming but ingratiated themselves in Democratic politics in Arizona and Colorado as well. Neither Maier nor LaRocca responded to the NYT's requests for comment.</p><p>And in retrospect, many of the personal details LaRocca offered to her new friends in Wyoming politics didn't add up: she claimed that she had to live in Colorado and not Wyoming because of her dog, and that she went under a fake name because of a stalker but changed it back because the police told her the stalker had "reformed."</p><p>The outlet reported that Seddon secured financial backing from Susan Gore, the wealthy Gore-Tex heiress, by the end of 2018 and began recruiting operatives from the right-wing group Project Veritas. The organization frequently traffics in <a href="https://www.theverge.com/interface/2019/6/27/18760463/project-veritas-youtube-sting-james-okeefe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">misinformation</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/nov/29/project-veritas-how-fake-news-prize-went-to-rightwing-group-beloved-by-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">propaganda</a> and is known for <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/nedd9w/five-times-james-okeefe-embarrassed-himself-trying-to-out-liberal-bias" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deceptively editing videos</a> as part of its <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/a-woman-approached-the-post-with-dramatic--and-false--tale-about-roy-moore-sje-appears-to-be-part-of-undercover-sting-operation/2017/11/27/0c2e335a-cfb6-11e7-9d3a-bcbe2af58c3a_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sting operations</a> against mainstream-media outlets; its CEO, James O'Keefe, defended the group's work in a previous statement to Insider, saying that "not a single one of our videos has been deceptively edited or taken out of context."</p><p>One of the targets of the undercover GOP operation was the progressive group Better Wyoming. The head of the group, Nate Martin, told The Times that he believed the operation's goal was to "dig up this information and you sit on it until you really can destroy somebody."</p><p>After becoming deeply enmeshed with the Democratic party infrastructure in Wyoming, Maier and LaRocca got their feet in the door to a higher level of Democratic politics with sudden, substantial contributions to other western Democratic candidates like Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold and Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, raising questions about the duo's campaign finance activities.</p><p>"Sometimes when you're looking at patterns of contributions, you start to see people with relatively limited resources making sizable political contributions," Brendan Fischer, director of the federal reform program at the Campaign Legal Center told The Times. "That can be a red flag."</p><p>George Durazzo Jr., a Democratic fundraiser in Colorado who secured sizable donations from Maier and LaRocca, was outraged when The Times told him of the two operatives' true goal.</p><p>"If they are indeed Benedict Arnold and Mata Hari, I was the one who was fooled," he said.</p><p>The extent of Prince and Seddon's effort underscores the Republican Party's push to dominate national politics by taking over at the state and local level. Indeed, since the 2020 election and Trump's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/doj-officials-mark-meadows-italy-conspiracy-theory-pure-insanity-emails-2021-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">failed efforts</a> to nullify Joe Biden's legitimate victory, Republican state legislatures across the country have passed <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/06/14-gop-controlled-states-have-passed-laws-to-impede-free-elections/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a slew of laws</a> that would not only make it more difficult for voters to cast ballots, but also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/congress-likely-wont-take-action-on-gop-election-subversion-2021-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">make it easier</a> for partisan forces to control and potentially overturn states' election results.</p><h3><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/25/us/politics/spies-conservatives-left-political-enemies.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read The Times' full report here</a></h3>

Undercover GOP operatives trained by former spies infiltrated liberal groups to try and compromise them from the inside, report says

<ul class="summary-list"><li>President <keyword id="11899444" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="vladimir-putin" source="Orion">Vladimir Putin</keyword> has long tried to project an image of abundant good health.</li><li>Ukrainian officials claimed in May that he is hiding that he is "very ill" with cancer. </li></ul><p>Speculation about President Vladimir Putin's health reached fever pitch on Sunday after former MI6 <keyword id="11894337" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="russia" source="Orion">Russia</keyword> spy Christopher Steele indicated <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-is-seriously-ill-according-trump-pee-tape-spys-sources-2022-5">the Russian president could be seriously ill</a>. </p><p><a href="https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-war-ex-british-spy-and-russia-expert-christopher-steele-backs-claims-vladimir-putin-is-ill-12612937">Speaking to Sky News</a>, Steele said Putin's health could be a factor in the unfolding invasion of Ukraine.</p><p>Since invading Ukraine Putin has had shaky media appearances and has been described — with varying reliability — as suffering from everything from Parkinson's disease to dementia. </p><p>Putin has for decades cultivated an image of virile masculinity at peak fitness — but <a href="https://www.proekt.media/en/investigation-en/putin-health/">an investigation by independent Russian media outlet Proekt</a> alleged that this was only possible with significant deception.  </p><p>Most specifics about Putin's health are almost impossible to confirm. His top spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, has repeatedly denied any issues. Medical professionals have refused to give weight to the rumors, <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/putin-and-parkinsons-what-experts-say-about-his-health/a-61597476">as Deutsche Welle reported</a>, arguing that accurate diagnoses can only be made by in-person examinations. </p><p>Here is a timeline of moments when Putin's health has come into question. </p><h3>October 2012: Kremlin denies looming surgery after hang-gliding accident</h3><p>In fall 2012, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-russia-putin-health/kremlin-dismisses-talk-putin-has-back-trouble-idUKBRE89O1KY20121025">Reuters cited three government sources</a> saying Putin had back trouble and would need surgery soon.</p><p>The Kremlin denied this, but after Russian newspaper Vedomosti said that Putin had hurt himself while hang-gliding, Peskov said the trouble was due to "an ordinary sporting injury" in which Putin had strained a muscle, <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com./international/archive/2012/11/vladimir-putin-has-suffered-mysterious-sports-injury/321887/">as The Atlantic reported</a>. </p><h3>November 4, 2012: Kremlin suppresses footage of Putin with a limp </h3><p>By the end of December 2012, Proekt alleged that Putin was wearing a corset and significantly limiting — or even skipping — sit-down engagements due to likely back problems. The outlet cited unnamed Russian officials for the information.</p><p>On November 4, Russia's National Unity Day, the Kremlin limited itself to still photos of Putin's appearance at a ceremony in Red Square, according to Proekt. However, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQD5CxWA3xE&amp;t=24s">footage posted by religious leaders in Moscow</a> showed the president with a slight limp. </p><h3>2016-2017: At least five doctors with Putin wherever he goes</h3><p>By matching the check-in dates of medical specialists with Putin's travel schedule, Proekt found that Putin was regularly accompanied by at least five doctors in these years — a number that would later swell to 13.</p><p>They included an ENT specialist, an infectious diseases specialist, a staff rescuscitologist, and a neurosurgeon, the outlet reported. </p><h3>November 2016: Putin disappears for possible back surgery</h3><p>Between November 25 and December 1, Putin appeared only in pre-recorded meetings, Proekt reported. Meanwhile, 12 specialists suddenly checked in at the Sochi hospital near his residence, including his personal doctors, neurosurgeons, and a rehabilitation specialist, according to Proekt. </p><h3>May 2017: Putin tumbles during ice hockey crash</h3><div type="image" title="President Vladimir Putin, in ice hockey gear, falling on his back in a match in Sochi, Russia, in 2017." height="1276" width="1701" msid="91646110" hostid="261"></div><p>Putin, an avid ice hockey player, almost somersaulted when he crashed to the ground during a match in Sochi at the age of 64, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2017/05/11/sport/vladimir-putin-ice-hockey/index.html">CNN reported</a>.</p><p>According to Proekt, the player Pavel Bure had crashed into him. After this, an orthopedic traumatologist known to regularly treat the president checked in to a hospital just outside Putin's residence, Proekt reported. </p><h3>August 2017: Putin disappears with cancer doctors in tow</h3><p>Between August 8 and 16 that year, the president disappeared from public view, with oncologist-surgeon Evgeny Selivanov, Proekt reported. The presence of an ENT doctor suggested a thyroid issue, the outlet said.</p><p>Selivanov joined Putin's medical entourage, flying to his location 35 times in the space of four years, the outlet reported. Only ENT doctors have seen him more often, the outlet said.</p><h3>February 2018: Putin vanishes with "cold" at height of election campaign</h3><p>Putin disappeared from view from February 12 to 1 in 2018, just one month before polling day, Proekt reported. Acknowledging his canceled events, Peskov said Putin has a cold, <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/International/vladimir-putin-cold/story?id=53081509">per ABC News</a>. </p><h3>Fall 2021: An obsession with COVID-19 self-isolation </h3><div type="image" title="Putin, Macron" height="512" width="1024" msid="91646111" hostid="261"></div><p>A COVID-19 outbreak among presidential staff in September last year <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-self-isolating-coronavirus-cases-found-in-circle-2021-9">led Putin to self-isolate for two weeks</a>. Ten days later, he <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-everything-is-fine-after-seen-coughing-on-tv-2021-10">denied any ill health</a> after he was seen coughing during a televised meeting. </p><p>Soon after, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/30/world/europe/putin-virus-russia-bubble.html">The New York Times reported</a> that Putin was imposing increasingly stringent isolation procedures on anyone due to see him face-to-face — including isolation for two weeks prior and the requirement to pass through a disinfectant tunnel.</p><p>This came weeks after Russia lifted most of its COVID-19 measures nationwide, the paper reported. </p><p>By February 2022 — as world leaders implored him not to invade Ukraine — Putin was having his in-person meetings <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/macron-refused-coronavirus-test-putin-meeting-russia-dna-2022-2">at an extraordinarily long table</a>. </p><h3>April 2022: Shaky meeting footage fuels speculation </h3><p>Bizarre footage of Putin meeting with his defense minister on April 21 showed the president gripping the edge of the table, looking uncomfortable and fidgety, <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/vladimir-putin-health-speculation-meeting-video-1699854">as Newsweek reported</a>.</p><p>Along with his bloated appearance, the video prompted a welter of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reviews/out?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mirror.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fworld-news%2Fvladimir-putin-health-update-russian-26790101">tabloid</a> <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10606487/Is-Putin-suffering-roid-rage-Spies-suggest-bloated-appearance-drugs-effect.html">speculation</a> — none of which was confirmed — that he could be suffering from the effects of steroid treatment or Parkinson's disease. </p><p>Further unverified rumors were emanated from an anonymous Telegram account claiming to be a former Kremlin insider. </p><h3>May 2022: Anonymous oligarch says Putin has blood cancer</h3><p>In early May, <a href="https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/is-putin-sick-or-are-we-meant-to-think-he-is/">New Lines Magazine</a> obtained a recording of an unnamed Russian oligarch saying that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-oligarch-recorded-saying-putin-has-blood-cancer-report-says-2022-5">Putin "is very ill with blood cancer."</a></p><p>The oligarch, who did not know he was being recorded, went on to criticize Putin's invasion of Ukraine, saying that "we all hope" he dies, and that "the problem is with his head."</p><h3>May 14: Ukrainian military intelligence chief claims Putin "is very sick" and a coup is under way</h3><p>Ukrainian intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-war-military-intelligence-chief-optimistic-of-russian-defeat-saying-war-will-be-over-by-end-of-year-12612320">told Sky News</a> on May 14 that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-coup-underway-impossible-to-stop-ukraine-military-intel-2022-5">plans to overthrow Putin were in motion within Russia</a>, and that the 69-year-old was in a "very bad psychological and physical condition and he is very sick."</p><p>Putin is sick with cancer, Budanov said. He denied trying to spread that idea for propaganda to advantage Ukraine, but did not provide evidence for his claims. </p><h3>May 18: MI6 experts weigh in, with one saying Putin will be "gone by 2023"</h3><p>The former head of Britain's MI6 spy agency, Richard Dearlove, <a href="https://podfollow.com/onedecision/view">suggested on a podcast</a> Putin has long-term illness by saying <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-out-of-power-by-2023-sanatorium-former-mi6-chief-2022-5">he will be "gone" by the end of the year</a>, and would be put into "the sanatorium, from which he will not emerge as the leader of Russia."</p><p>Former MI6 Russia bureau chief Christopher Steele also said in <a href="https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/putin-surrounded-doctors-illness-kremlin-chaos/">an interview with British talk radio station LBC</a> that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-constantly-surrounded-by-doctors-kremlin-in-chaos-former-spy-2022-5">Putin is "increasingly ill,"</a> to an extent that is affecting his leadership in the Kremlin and managing the war in Ukraine.</p><p>He said that Putin often has to take breaks from meetings to receive medical treatment. </p><p>Steele compiled the partially discredited Trump-Russia dossier that contained the explosive "pee tape" allegation, whose existence has never been confirmed.</p><h3>May 23: Western officials pour cold water on health-related rumors</h3><p>Western officials <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-assassination-attempt-unlikely-western-officials-2022-5">cast doubt on numerous rumors about Putin</a> and how his health affected his leadership. The comments came after Budanov claimed there had been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-survived-attempt-on-his-life-ukraine-intelligence-official-2022-5">a failed assassination attempt on Putin</a> two months prior. </p><p>But the officials, who spoke anonymously, made no confirmation either way about Putin's health but called it "speculation." They also refused to confirm the assassination claim. </p><p>One said: "President Putin is firmly in control of his inner circle, the country, and the decisions which are being made, irrespective of any speculation about his health."</p><h3>May 24: Ukrainian intel chief doubles down on Putin sickness claims, but says he has "a few more years"</h3><p>In <a href="https://www.pravda.com.ua/articles/2022/05/24/7348122/">an interview published May 24 with Ukrainian newspaper Pravda,</a> Budanov claimed that he can "fully confirm" that Putin has cancer. He did not offer any evidence for his claims, however.</p><p>"He has several serious illnesses, one of which is cancer," Budanov said. </p><p>"But it is not worth hoping that Putin will die tomorrow. He has at least a few more years," he added. "Like it or not, but it's true."</p><h3><strong>May 29: Russia's foreign minister denies that Putin is unwell, experts agree it's unlikely</strong></h3><p>Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told French TV station TF1, <a href="https://tass.com/society/1457587?utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=smm_social_share">according to Russian news agency TASS</a>: "President Vladimir Putin makes public appearances on a daily basis. You can see him on TV screens, read and listen to his speeches.</p><p>"I don't think that a sane person can suspect any signs of an illness or ailment in this man.</p><p>"I'll leave it on the conscience of those who disseminate such rumors despite daily opportunities for everyone to see how he and others look like."</p><p>Three US intelligence and military experts also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/no-credible-evidence-putin-is-ill-despite-appearance-anger-in-public-experts-2022-5?r=US&amp;IR=T">told Insider's </a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/john-haltiwanger">John Haltiwanger</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/no-credible-evidence-putin-is-ill-despite-appearance-anger-in-public-experts-2022-5?r=US&amp;IR=T"> and </a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/mattathias-schwartz">Mattathias Schwartz</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/no-credible-evidence-putin-is-ill-despite-appearance-anger-in-public-experts-2022-5?r=US&amp;IR=T"> </a> that they are not taking the claims of illness very seriously, citing a lack of evidence.</p>

Timeline shows Putin's alleged health problems after contested Ukrainian claims that he is concealing a serious illness

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Erik Prince, a sometimes unofficial advisor to President Trump, worked to recruit former spies to infiltrate left-wing organizations, The New York Times reported.</li><li>Undercover operatives recorded leaders in liberal campaigns and organizations in an attempt to release information that could damage them. </li><li>The operations were spearheaded by Project Veritas, a right-wing group known for secretly recording and releasing tapes of members of the news media. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>Project Veritas, the right-wing group known for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amy-robach-abc-hot-mic-epstein-murdered-network-killed-story-2019-11">secretly recording and releasing</a> clips attempting to expose the news media, used former British and American intelligence officials to infiltrate at least two left-wing groups in an attempt to release damaging information about them, according to a report from <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/07/us/politics/erik-prince-project-veritas.html">The New York Times</a> on Saturday.</p><p>The operations were orchestrated by Erik Prince, a security contractor and founder of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/connor-perrett">Blackwater</a>, a private military company he sold in 2010 following years of controversy, criminal complaints, and lawsuits. Prince, who has ties to the Trump administration, reached out to former intelligence community members so they could assist Project Vertias' efforts, the report said.</p><p>Prince - also the brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos - has at times served as an informal advisor to the President Donald Trump, advising on projects like the president's transition into office in 2017, according to the report. Project Veritas also has known ties to Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr., is listed as an invited guest on the website for the wedding of the group's founder, according to the report.</p><p>Prince, in one instance, helped recruit a former member of M16, UK's Secret Service organization, to infiltrate the American Federation of Teachers, the New York Times reported. The man, identified in documents as Richard Seddon, directed an undercover woman to secretly film leaders of the union in order to obtain information potentially damaging to their organization.</p><p>Emails and other documents that revealed the Project Vertias operation were revealed as part of the discovery process in a lawsuit leveled against Project Vertias by the American Federation of Teachers, the NYT reported. </p><p>The same undercover individual later joined the Congressional campaign of Virginia Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA operation officer. When Spanberger's campaign discovered the woman was an undercover operative, it fired her, according to the report Saturday.</p><p>As The New York Times reported, it is unclear whether anyone with ties to the Trump administration was aware of the Prince/Project Veritas operation. </p><p>"No one tells Project Veritas who or what to investigate," James O'Keefe, the founder of Project Veritas told The New York Times. Prince declined to comment on the report, the New York newspaper added.</p><p>As <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/doj-nears-decision-on-whether-to-charge-blackwater-founder-erik-prince-11581442121">The Wall Street Journal</a> reported in February, the US Justice Department is deciding whether to charge Prince with lying to Congress as part of its probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election and determining whether he violated laws in his business dealings with foreign countries.  </p><p><strong>Read more: </strong></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-likes-to-tweet-bernie-sanders-memes-2020-3">Elon Musk is showering Bernie Sanders with memes since his own favorite Democratic candidate Andrew Yang dropped out of the race</a></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-trump-blames-obama-administration-for-slow-diagnostics-testing-2020-3">Trump inaccurately claims the Obama administration is to blame for slowing down diagnostics testing</a></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cdc-staff-ignorant-of-suspected-coronavirus-case-until-trump-remarks-2020-3">CDC staffers only found out about a suspected case of the coronavirus at the agency when Trump told reporters</a></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-says-coronavirus-wont-stop-his-rallies-but-none-scheduled-2020-3">Trump says he'll keep holding rallies amid coronavirus, but he has none scheduled after holding 6 in the past month</a></p>

A security contractor with ties to the Trump administration recruited ex-spies to infiltrate left-wing campaigns and labor unions

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Undercover GOP operatives trained by former spies infiltrated liberal groups to try and compromise them from the inside, report says

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Timeline shows Putin's alleged health problems after contested Ukrainian claims that he is concealing a serious illness

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A security contractor with ties to the Trump administration recruited ex-spies to infiltrate left-wing campaigns and labor unions

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