Dead Drop: September 6

NOC IS CON SPELLED BACKWARDS: There was a long, convoluted, and confusing story in the Wall Street Journal recently titled, “A Fake Spy, Russian Oil and $1 Million Funneled to Democrats.” We confess that we don’t entirely understand the article – but that’s never stopped us from bringing stuff up before. The story centers around a green-card-holding Indian businessman who apparently made a ton of money – and was a generous donor to U.S. Democratic party causes. Some folks told the paper that this guy wanted to create a private paramilitary organization – not unlike Russia’s Wagner group – but this one operating on behalf of the U.S. Other folks suggest it was just a scam. The details regarding how this guy made his money – and has allegedly tried to expand his influence are very hazy. According to the WSJ, the guy, (who reportedly likes to call himself “Mr. G.”), may have scammed millions of dollars from folks by falsely portraying himself as a CIA clandestine operative working on behest of the U.S. Intelligence Community. Our favorite part of the very confusing story is that Mr. G allegedly told a Uganda oil executive that he had “joined the CIA” at the age of 16 “after seeing a roadside recruiting ad.” In his global travels, he reportedly frequently dropped hints that he was “with the CIA,” giving the impression that whatever he was doing had the approval of the CIA Director. According to the paper, he was also seen in a video wearing an “Air Force One Presidential Guest” polo-shirt.  Sounds like good tradecraft for a clandestine operative. One person told the paper that Mr. G claimed to be a “nonofficial cover operative” or a NOC – and that he was one of only 30 such operatives working for the U.S. government. (Oh, and without apparent basis, he also is reported to have claimed that Warren Buffett was also once a NOC.)  One undoubtedly true thing he said was his claim that he “never lost f—-ing one guy on a mission, man.” Also dropped into the article is the name of former career CIA officer John Maguire, whose connection to Mr. G goes unexplained – but who is quoted as implying that Mr. G “was the victim of a Russia-sponsored disinformation campaign.” It should be noted that while the FBI is conducting an investigation, no charges have been filed.

NOT A SPY: Russia tried to justify conducting a missile strike on a hotel in the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk that killed Ryan Evans, who was working as a civilian security adviser to Reuters by claiming without any evidence that Evans was a British spy.  Two other Reuters journalists and five other civilians were injured in the attack. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed that Russian “strikes are carried out against military infrastructure objects and/or against targets related to military infrastructure in one way or another.” Another Russian spokesperson, Maria Zakharova asserted that “Western intelligence agencies literally direct the mass media they control to carry out anti-Russian information campaigns. This has nothing to do with journalism, you see,” adding that “other foreign mercenaries were eliminated” in the strike. A Reuters spokesperson denied that Evans was a current or former MI6 employee and said: “it is ludicrous to suggest that Reuters is under the control of Western intelligence agencies.” Not so ludicrous that a Russian might think that though, since many of their media organizations are indeed state-owned shops.