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Trait: Journalists investigating the elite are surveilled or smeared ×
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Tier 1 carried by a primary record
Corroborated 2+ independent news desks
Every result is verified and democracy-related.
Open an event to see its evidence. Attack and trait tags link to their definitions
Aug 28, 2025 FBI accessed a private encrypted group chat of immigration court-watch activists and labeled them extremists Corroborated Information, Memory and Manipulation
Surveillance of lawful civic observers of public court proceedings and mischaracterizing them as violent extremists chilled protected civic monitoring.
Independently corroborated by2 independent news desks
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- FBI accessed private Signal group chat of immigration court-watch activists — The FBI gained access to encrypted Signal conversations of New York immigration activists organizing "courtwatch" efforts to monitor public federal immigration court proceedings. An August 2025 joint FBI-NYPD report quoted from the private chat and characterized court watchers as "anarchist violent extremist actors," despite the courtwatch activities being non-violent legal observation of public hearings. The report was distributed to law enforcement agencies nationwide. The method of access to the encrypted platform remains unclear.
Verified: Corroborated — 2+ independent news desks
Week 32 – 2025-08-23–2025-08-29
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Aug 23, 2025 Tulsi Gabbard announced a 40 percent cut to intelligence office staff, including the unit monitoring foreign election interference Tier 1 · Primary Information, Memory and Manipulation
Reducing capacity to detect foreign influence operations weakened institutional safeguards against manipulation of U.S. elections.
Independently corroborated by6 independent news desks
nytimes · Associated Press · PBS · Courthouse News Service · The Hill · BBC
Supporting reports
- Director of National Intelligence announces workforce cuts — Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced a 40% cut to her office, affecting the Foreign Malign Influence Center, which monitors foreign influence operations. This decision is part of a broader trend of reducing oversight of foreign interference in U.S. democracy.
- Director of National Intelligence Gabbard announced 40% workforce cuts — Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced she will cut 40% of her office's workforce, with cuts targeting the Foreign Malign Influence Center, which collects and analyzes data on foreign influence operations seeking to undermine U.S. democracy. The cuts represent a significant reduction in the intelligence community's capacity to detect and counter foreign interference.
- Tulsi Gabbard announces plan to cut ODNI staff in half — Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced that she plans to cut her office's staff in half, marking the largest reform to the ODNI since it was created after 9/11. She also plans to scale back the Foreign Malign Influence Center, which is responsible for collecting and analyzing data on foreign efforts to undermine US democracy, with ODNI claiming the center was used by the Biden administration to "justify the suppression of free speech and to censor political opposition."
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 32 – 2025-08-23–2025-08-29
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