TUCKERED OUT: You may be getting as tired as we are hearing stuff about former Fox News talking head Tucker Carlson but he just keeps saying so much stupid stuff – and since he has some 16.5 million followers on X and an unknown number of subscribers to his Tucker Carlson Network – he probably shouldn’t be ignored. That’s why we paid attention when Mediaite noted Carlson calling Russian President Vladimir Putin the “most effective leader” of his lifetime and said that it is “insane” to think Vlad is more evil than former U.S. President Joe Biden. But wait, there’s more. Carlson added that while the U.S. “withered” during Biden’s four-year tenure, Putin’s country has “improved” during his 25 years in power. “The people are happier. They like him actually.” Hmmmmmm. We’re not sure where Carlson is getting his information (but then again, who is?). For a much more reliable view, check out veteran national security columnist Walter Pincus’s piece in The Cipher Brief. Pincus writes about a little-read report to Congress that says under Putin’s leadership since January 2024, Russia has seized approximately 5,000 square kilometers of Ukraine at a cost of about 250,000 Russian killed and 750,000 wounded. That’s 15X the losses the Soviet Union experienced in a decade long war in Afghanistan. No wonder the people of Russia are so happy.
WHERE CREDIT ISN’T DUE? Russia Media Monitor Julia Davis has come up with yet another jaw dropping clip from Russia State TV. In a post for The Daily Beast, she reports on Russian TV talking heads claiming that President Putin’s private talks in Alaska with President Trump led to DNI Tulsi Gabbard stripping the security clearances of 37 Americans including at least one top official whose portfolio included providing analysis about Russia for the CIA. In the clip – the commentators on “The Evening with Vladimir Solovyov” show admit that they don’t really know what was said between Putin and Trump but gosh darn it – they sure like the coincidence. A spokeswoman for Gabbard told Davis: “No, the RUSSIAN PROPAGANDA is not factual. And the fact that I need to spell this out is incredibly embarrassing for you.” Of course, if Davis had failed to offer a chance to respond - she probably would have been attacked for that as well. Sometimes you just can’t win.
WARNER ‘LOOMERIZED’: Senator Mark Warner, the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee thought he was going to visit the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s headquarters in his home state of Virginia. That was until MAGA influencer Laura Loomer got word of it and said, ‘Not so fast’. Reuters quotes Warner as saying that Loomer “launched a campaign of baseless attacks against both (him) and NGA Director Vice Admiral Trey Whitworth” over the unpublicized, classified visit. Warner does sit on the Intelligence oversight committee by the way, did we mention that? Still, some unidentified political appointees apparently canceled the visit deeming it not in the public interest, maybe? Since influencers seem to be having so much of outsized influence in Washington these days – we’re just wondering how much American voters are willing to tolerate? Did voters have a say in Loomer having so much sway over government business? Nope. Is Loomer qualified in any way – other than having a social media following – to be weighing in on these things? Nope. We’re now contemplating all the ways that Washington would be different if the influencers just took over. Expertise – out the window. Influencers – taking control. What could possibly go wrong? Send us your thoughts: thedeaddrop@thecipherbrief.com
CHEAP TRICKS: NATIONAL GARDENERS MULCH ON WASHINGTON: The controversy over the deployment of National Guard troops to Washington, DC seems to still be growing. Troops were ordered to the Nation’s Capital ostensibly to fight crime. But, in addition to standing around Metro stations and nearby coffee shops and landmarks, Guard troops have been seen raking leaves, spreading mulch and conducting “beautification” missions around the National Mall. Armed with leaf-ful weapons like rakes and brooms, the troops attacked their mission courageously. Then, over the weekend came news that troops may have been deployed on multiple “29-day orders” which would mean that they were not eligible for full housing benefits. According to Raw Story, this would save the Administration “roughly $2,500 per service member per month.” Some critics are blaming the President for shortchanging the troops, but we’re pretty sure no one in the White House understands the intricacies of National Guard troop funding because, who does? We could always ask Laura Loomer but for now, we just wanna know - when the deployment is over, will the troops receive medals? Perhaps Compost Action Ribbons?
PAGING GABRIEL ALLON: This sounds like something novelist Daniel Silva would make up. Allon is a fictional Israeli intelligence operative and master art restorer. But this tale is real. Authorities in Argentina think they may have found a lead on an 18th century Italian portrait stolen by a Nazi official 80 years ago from a Jewish art collector. The painting mysteriously showed up in a real estate ad in a Buenos Aires newspaper for a home being sold by descendants of Friedrich Kadgien, a Nazi who fled Europe at the end of World War II. After receiving a tip from Dutch newspaper reporters – Argentinian officials went to the home. Unfortunately, the painting was no longer there but art experts have new leads about its possible whereabouts. The work of art, titled “Portrait of a Lady” was painted by Giuseppe Vittore Ghislandi. The painter, also known as “Fra Galagario,” was known for his unsparing realism – which may explain why the lady in his painting, as shown in recent news articles, looks so intimidating. It was almost as if she knew she was going to be hidden in South America for quite a while and wasn’t too happy about it.The Dead Drop is now updating DAILY, using our own sources and methods to bring you the latest national security gossip. Got something to share? Hit us up at thedeaddrop@thecipherbrief.com. Need something binge-worthy? Check out our archive of Dead Drop gossip.... or the rest of the good stuff we've reported on just this week alone (below).
TAKING HONORING THE FALLEN TOO FAR? U.S. Air Force leadership is extending military funeral honors to Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force veteran who was shot and killed by a security officer as she tried to climb through a broken window of a locked door inside the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. When Babbitt was buried, her family asked for funeral honors since Babbitt had served five years on active duty and several more in the Air National Guard. But the request was turned down because at the time, participating in an insurrection was considered conduct unbecoming. That was then. Now, Undersecretary of the Air Force Matthew Lohmeir has overruled the previous decision writing to Babbitt family lawyers that “after reviewing the circumstances of Ashli’s death and considering the information that has come forward since then, I am persuaded that the previous determination was incorrect.” The decision to grant the honors has gotten mixed reviews. Retired Lieutenant General Mike Flynn was quoted as saying: "May Ashli Babbitt now Rest In Peace and her family gain some measure of solace for the wonderful person she was and the light of truth she brought to each of us.” While former Congressman Adam Kinzinger, a former member of the Air National Guard, said “Babbit dishonored her service by committing insurrection against her country. While her death is absolutely tragic and I wish it hadn’t happened, the Air Force giving her honors is in itself a dishonor." In May, the Trump administration ordered payment of $5 million dollars to the Babbitt family to settle a wrongful death lawsuit.
HEY, LET’S LET BYGONES BE BYGONES: In keeping with undoing rights – or wrongs – of the past, The New York Times reports that the Pentagon has ordered West Point to restore a portrait of Confederate General Robert E. Lee to the Military Academy’s library where it was on display until three years ago. The (much larger than life) 20-foot-tall portrait honoring one of the leaders of the insurrection against the United States in the Civil War had been hanging around the library for 70 years. No word on any plans to put up any portraits of Benedict Arnold who commanded the fort at West Point in 1780 under George Washington (and before USMA was established.)
WHO NEEDS MAVERICK? Military Times notes that National Geographic is about to launch a new six-part documentary offering viewers a chance to ride along as Navy and Marine Corps student pilots participate in “six months of high-stakes aerial training, brutal physical demands, and emotional reckoning, where only the top performers earn the chance to fly the most coveted aircraft.” The series, called “Top Guns: The Next Generation” premieres on September 16 and then starts streaming on Hulu and Disney+ the following day. But we have a link to the trailer.
TUCKER TRUTHER TALES: Former Fox News personality and current homemade media mogul Tucker Carlson posted a teaser on X recently about his upcoming 5-part documentary called “The 9/11 Files.” If you don’t really wanna watch it but want a rundown here goes: Tucker basically tells us that 9/11 is a complete lie and that the 9/11 Commission report “is a joke.” The first episode drops on September 11th…followed by one segment a week for four more weeks. The series has drawn a lot of incoming fire on social media with some noting that in 2012, Carlson was publicly calling 9/11 truthers “parasites” and saying “It’s filthy to say things like (what they were saying) with no evidence, and you have none, so you should stop.” The whole “the CIA was behind it” theory on 9/11 is also not a new one to Dead Drop readers. Way back in 2017 The Cipher Brief published a lengthy essay from the Executive Director of the 9/11 Commission Philip Zelikow who said there was no evidence that the allegations then being peddled by Rossini (which sound similar to what Carlson is not promoting( were true and “plenty of evidence that it is false.” Now, Carlson seems eager to adopt controversial views – whether traveling to Moscow to embrace Vladimir Putin, or more recently asking why he should think badly of ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad, or hosting on his show someone who said the U.S. got World War II all wrong and we should have allied ourselves with that Hitler fellow.
SOURCES ACTUALLY MATTER: We don’t know exactly what stories Carlson is now embracing to convince himself that everything you’ve heard about 9/11 is wrong. But one of his sources in the series is former FBI agent Mark Rossini. Loyal readers of The Dead Drop may remember that Rossini has been claiming for years that the CIA (where he was detailed) would not let him tell his FBI colleagues about certain al Qaeda operatives. Rossini was later arrested and drummed out of the Bureau for passing sensitive Bureau information to his girlfriend. And just last week, Rossini pled guilty to campaign finance charges of illegally passing $300,000 foreign money to the campaign of a candidate for Governor of Puerto Rico. Sounds to us like Tucker should spend a little more time cultivating more credible sources.
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