To say this report has been widely shared on conservative media would be an understatement; but something just doesn’t sniff right.
[Tweet Below: Samantha Power in Ukraine, October 2, 2024]
The essence of the reports is that Ukraine officials discussed a scheme to receive money from USAID, essentially from the CIA, then launder the money through fake Ukraine ‘clean energy programs’ using various front groups, eventually culminating with the money being transferred to the Joe Biden reelection effort. That’s the gist of the report.
However, as much as this story is of great interest to me, for reasons outlined below, there are multiple red flags which should indicate serious caution needs to be applied.
First red flag. Every single report about the issue links back to the original John Solomon report, written mostly by Jerry Dunleavy. [SEE HERE]. There is no follow-up reporting from any other outlet or source on this exceptionally explosive claim.
Second red flag. Despite the report centering around a “declassified intelligence intercept” under review by DNI Tulsi Gabbard, there is no citation for the interpretation of the information itself. There is no visibility into a declassified report, which if genuinely declassified would be easy to share with readers.
The absence of citation for the core claim, while simultaneously stating the information has been declassified, is a significant flag. This type of reporting relies on the reader accepting the interpretation of the author who chooses -without saying why- to keep it hidden.
Third red flag. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has not commented on the declassified originating information, nor on the reporting or interpretation of it by Solomon. This is not to say the reporting itself is inaccurate, but simply to note that no one is going on the record to substantiate it; and again, the information is hidden.
Fourth red flag. If the core information was accurate, it would be attacked (spun and shaped) in a defensive posture by the leftist media who have direct contacts with allied intelligence officials who would know about it. When an explosive IC claim is ignored by leftist media (NYT, WaPo, Politico, et al) generally that means they want to see the narrative advance or be emphasized. This posture of advancement is generally made when information is being wrongly interpreted, and that plays positively toward their interests.
