document.write ("<\/scr"+"ipt>"); Their names are Beau Maier and Sofia LaRocca, and they're in Las Vegas for a Democratic primary debate. Wagner which The Intercept described as a semi-private military force that operates in countries or conflicts where the Russian government seeks plausible deniability for its activities reportedly turned down Princes offer. Using a different alias the next year, the same undercover operative infiltrated the congressional campaign of Abigail Spanberger, then a former C.I.A. You know, there seemed to be - what it showed was, you know, Prince is well-traveled and is always looking for business opportunities. if( width > 480 ){ Project Veritas has said its activities are legal and protected by the First Amendment, and the case is scheduled to go to trial in the fall. GOLDMAN: The Georgetown house in D.C. was used as a base to, you know, essentially launch these undercover operations in the summer of '18, I guess, into the fall and maybe later. GOLDMAN: Yeah, I would say an active - sure, an active player in certain parts of Trump's world, yeah, or conservative - the conservative world. var m3_r = Math.floor(Math.random()*99999999999); His willingness to support Mr. Seddons operation is fresh evidence of his engagement in political espionage projects at home during a period when he was an informal adviser to Trump administration officials. DAVIES: That's the Government Accountability Office. Mr. Seddon launched his privately funded spying effort after leaving Project Veritas in 2018. You know, there was one exercise, I believe, where they had a cop - you know, a local cop who was there. And, you know, we've talked to people who have given to them, including people who gave smaller donations - right? With @Project_Veritas's special training, we will be the next great intelligence agency. Other Project Veritas employees on the emails include Joe Halderman, an award-winning former television producer who in 2010 pleaded guilty to trying to extort $2 million from the comedian David Letterman. ADAM GOLDMAN: They went there after making sizable donations to the DNC, the Democratic National Committee - $10,000 each - at the request of a Colorado businessman who was a - he's a fundraiser for the Democrats and basically said, if you make this donation, you can come and hang out in Las Vegas. I don't know. We'll talk more about his stories on undercover operations by conservatives to infiltrate Democratic and progressive groups after a short break. Mr. Seddon owns a cabin that he keeps stocked with guns, food and other supplies as preparation for a cataclysmic event in the United States. Copyright 2021 NPR. He's a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for The New York Times. He passed away recently. During the 2018 meeting with Ms. Gore, according to one person familiar with it, Mr. And they targeted a reporter, a Washington - a very good Washington Post reporter named Stephanie McCrummen, who - they picked up on it very, very, very quickly GOLDMAN: And figured out that this woman was not who she said she was. And so Sofia's picture was up there. met with White House and Pentagon officials. Mr. Halderman was copied on several messages providing updates about the Michigan operation, and in one message, he gave instructions to Ms. Jorge. Click here to see your options for becoming a subscriber. This includes participating in marches or rallies in support of a movement or giving money to, or raising money for, any political candidate or election cause. GOLDMAN: No. Adam Goldman is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for The New York Times. Presented with the details of the operation, Ledeen told the Times she was just a messenger, "not part of a plot.". From 1986 through the present, hes made roughly 100 contributions totaling more than $630,000 to Republican causes and Congressional candidates, according to Federal Election Commission records. We're speaking with New York Times reporter Adam Goldman, one of a team of Times reporters who've been writing about an effort by conservatives to train operatives in undercover operations to infiltrate progressive groups, unions and the offices and campaigns of Democratic and moderate Republican candidates and elected officials. 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