Dead Drop: May 29

CHANGE AT THE TOP: On Tuesday of this week, in a ceremony in the Oval Office, the new Director of National Intelligence, John Ratcliffe, was sworn in.  In a statement issued shortly thereafter Ratcliffe said that his “highest priority as Director of National Intelligence is to provide timely, accurate, and objective intelligence to inform the President and policymakers, and ultimately to keep all Americans safe.” On his way out the door, Acting DNI Richard Grenell gave an interview to the Washington Times. In an article titled: “Purge stifles anti-Trump resistance at White House, ODNI,” Grenell was credited during his four-month tenure with reducing staff and contractor positions at ODNI by 400. In the article, National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien says he too removed “bureaucratic bloat” from the NSC staff when he took over his job. Mr. O’Brien praised Mr. Grenell’s tenure as acting DNI. “People have accused Grenell of politicizing the place,” O’Brien said. “I think it is just the opposite. He has depoliticized it. Ric just wants the facts and impartial analysis delivered to policymakers.” Politico reported this week that now free from his apolitical DNI duties, Grenell is about to join the Trump 2020 reelection campaign – an assertion that Grenell subsequently called “fake news.”  CNN reported that Grenell was going to join the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board (PIAB.)

BILL GATES-GATE: It is on the internet so it must be true, right?  Well, not in this case.  There is a four-minute long video floating around on social media which purports to show Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates briefing the CIA about a mind-altering vaccine. The alleged incident supposedly happened in 2005 and the video has been circulating since 2011.  You might ask: what kind of mind altering did Gates want to conduct? The assertion is that the proposal was to vaccinate American citizens against thoughts and ideas about religion.  A couple problems with the conspiracy theory.  SNOPES.COM points out that the man in the video is decidedly NOT Bill Gates (that kinda seems like a big deal). The notion that the briefing was done for the CIA is odd since the video is labeled with a “DOD ID” and a Pentagon room number.  Some of the images in the video are lifted (and altered) from other real projects.  So, rest easy anti-vaxxers, Bill Gates and the CIA are not hoping to stick a needle in you and make you forget God.