The Biden administration manufactured a spectre of fake right-wing terror to justify mass surveillance, censorship and the targeting of protected speech.
This threat necessitated fake investigations, which precipitated fake expert reports and brought about very real enforcement actions. When brave individuals blew the whistle on the scheme, they were punished harshly.
- The Creation of a Fake Terror Threat
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent Garret O’Boyle was one of the first to raise concerns about the Biden administration’s deception. In 2023, O’Boyle testified before the House Judiciary Committee that the FBI was labeling each investigation as “domestic terrorism” even if it was only for a misdemeanor trespass charge.
O’Boyle objected to the FBI’s “cash bonus” system for targeting alleged extremists. He observed that the FBI’s “reward structure creates perverse incentives in which law-enforcement tools and resources are expended for the financial enrichment of FBI leadership instead of a legitimate law-enforcement basis.” O’Boyle also testified that FBI agents would be rewarded for the number of wiretaps they conducted, regardless of whether they were necessary or led to convictions.
O’Boyle was not the only FBI officer to voice concerns with the Biden administration’s tactics. Special Agent Stephen Friend informed the inspector general at the Department of Justice (DOJ) that the FBI would create duplicate case files to, in the words of the House report on the matter, “create a misleading narrative that domestic terrorism is organically surging around the country.” Friend “testified that he once was asked to ‘space out’ arrests on different days so that the arrests would count as nine separate data points.”
Friend also expressed concern that the DOJ was demanding the use of “excessive force” against suspects related to the January 6 U.S. Capitol riot. Friend disclosed that the FBI would use SWAT even when suspects had contacted the FBI and said they wanted to turn themselves in voluntarily.
- Legitimizing the Fake Terror Threat
After the FBI had manipulated data to manufacture a “domestic terror” threat, the Department of Homeland Security acted to legitimize this narrative. Enter DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Mayorkas created a nearly partisan Homeland Intelligence Experts Group to give recommendations on how the government should combat both foreign and domestic threats. Violating the Federal Advisory Committee Act’s requirement that advisory boards be balanced between political parties, Mayorkas staffed the group with partisan Democrats, at least two of which had signed the notorious 51 “Spies Who Lied” letter. This letter, manufactured by future Secretary of State Tony Blinken, had been used to justify censorship of the Biden laptop scandal.
The Intelligence Experts Group eagerly recommended turning the nation’s surveillance system against domestic political opponents, according to America First Legal. The Group claimed, falsely, that “most of the domestic terrorism threat now comes from supporters of the former president” — a claim that O’Boyle testified was based on manipulated FBI data. Nevertheless, the group used this fake narrative to argue that the DHS should enlist Americans to secretly report on their “neighbors.”
- The Administration Uses the Fake Terror Threat to Target Americans
It did not take long for the Biden administration to use the pretext of combatting “domestic terrorism” to target law-abiding Americans.
To stop “Homegrown Violent Extremism,” the Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) created a watchlist of Americans based on their speech, according to a House Judiciary report. To compile the watchlist, FinCEN demanded financial and Big Tech institutions produce the private financial information of Americans who used terms such as “MAGA,” or “TRUMP” or who shopped at sporting goods stores like “Cabela’s” or “Bass Pro Shop.” Among the institutions FinCEN pressured into compliance were Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, PayPal and Wells Fargo.
Bank of America (BoA) also faced coercion from the FBI. The bureau demanded that BoA provide the transaction history, with debit and credit card statements, of each and every customer who used a card in Washington D.C., northern Virginia or southern Maryland over three days in 2021. Furthermore, BoA, “with no directive from the FBI”, even “data-mined” customer statements, with top surveillance going to anyone who purchased a firearm.
The FBI did other things to target attendees of pro-Trump political rallies. The FBI’s Washington Field Office (WFO) “pressured” the Boston Field Office to “open cases” and begin targeting other individuals just for riding on a bus to Washington D.C., simply because two other passengers had later been arrested for trespassing at the U.S. Capitol. The passengers were targeted even though the FBI produced “no evidence” that they were involved in a crime, according to House Republicans.
When field office agents resisted, arguing that such conduct was unlawful, the WFO leadership attempted to bully them into compliance by saying that they would complain to their bosses. The Boston field office then asked to see surveillance footage from the U.S. Capitol before opening the cases. The WFO denied this request, saying that to do so would risk identifying “undercover officers.”
4. Targeting Agents Who Blew the Whistle on the Fake Terror Threat
The FBI swiftly retaliated against Friend, O’Boyle and others who blew the whistle on the administration’s fake terror threat. The House Judiciary Committee later determined there was “no doubt” the FBI’s actions were meant “to deter other potential whistleblowers” from exposing the bureau’s censorship activities.
The FBI suspended Friend without pay for being transparent with the inspector general. The FBI told Friend he could work other jobs, but then refused to produce the necessary paperwork, thereby effectively forbidding him from making an income. Friend stated in an X post July 12, 2023, that, as his job was to investigate “child pornographers,” this action had indirectly endangered Americans.
The FBI also refused to investigate O’Boyle’s concerns, so he became a protected whistleblower for Congress. Despite witness retaliation being prohibited by federal law, the FBI transferred O’Boyle across the country and then immediately suspended him without pay due to alleged leaks made to Project Veritas. This meant he was left homeless, with even his children's clothing stuck in the FBI’s storage across the country. It cost “around” over $10,000 for O’Boyle to eventually get his belongings back.
Another victim of the FBI’s crusade against whistleblowers was Special Agent Marcus Allen. Allen had a top-secret security clearance for approximately two decades and worked for the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in Charlotte.
“Part of [Allen’s] job,” the House report said, included sending links to news stories relevant to ongoing investigations to increase “situational awareness.” However, after Allen internally shared a news story with accurate but critical details of the FBI’s handling of the January 6 Capitol riot and targeting of First Amendment-protected activity, he was suspended without pay for allegedly holding “conspiratorial views.” The FBI made the suspension retroactive, stripping earnings for days he had already worked.
As Allen had no source of income, he requested permission to seek other employment. The FBI’s own rules required it to respond to this request, but the FBI refused to do so, according to Allen. He also testified that the FBI refused to give him the documents necessary to demonstrate his previous work experience.
Conclusion
The Biden administration justified censorship and mass surveillance by invoking a right-wing terror threat that was not real. When whistleblowers spoke out against the plot, they were targeted.
Conservatives are under attack! Contact your representatives and demand they investigate Justice Department censorship. If you have been censored, contact us using CensorTrack’s contact form, and help us hold government and Big Tech accountable.
