Twitter’s top ranks were riddled with ex-FBI agents and executives, stitching the company even closer to the federal agency now under fire for leaning on Twitter to meddle in the 2020 elections.
More than a dozen former feds flocked to the company in the months and years prior to Elon Musk’s purchase of the social network in October.
The FBI’s influence was considerably more significant than just James Baker, the FBI’s former general counsel who later worked in the same role for Twitter. He was recently fired by Musk for interfering in the billionaire’s efforts to come clean about past transgressions at the company.
The news comes on the heels of the latest Twitter Files disclosures which show how the agency dedicated dozens of agents to pressuring the company to remove political tweets it found objectionable.
In some cases, the former G-men and -women held positions that would have put them close to company leadership directly involved in censoring The Post’s Hunter Biden coverage in October 2020.
After learning that Twitter employs at least 15 former FBI agents, I searched Facebook. What I found is alarming.
Facebook currently employs at least 115 people, in high-ranking positions, who formerly worked at the FBI/CIA/NSA/DHS:
17 CIA
37 FBI
23 NSA
38 DHS
All, but a few, of the former intelligence agents, were hired, by Facebook after the 2016 Presidential Election & after the FBI established their social media-focused task force FTIF.
As Matt Taibbi detailed in Twitter Files Part 6, we know there was massive coordination of censorship between the FBI & Twitter during 2020-2022.
The following is a list (obtained through PUBLICLY available LinkedIn profiles) of former CIA/FBI/NSA/DHS that are currently working at Facebook, at least 10 work in the Trust & Safety (Misinfo) department. Many of the LinkedIn profiles are private so those will not be posted.
Aaron Berman (He/Him) leads the Misinformation Policy team at Facebook.
According to Aaron’s public LinkedIn profile, he worked for the CIA for 17 years.
On Twitter, Aaron is followed by Yoel Roth & admits he is friends with Trust & Safety people at Twitter.
Was Facebook coordinating with Twitter on info-sharing to censor posts they deem as ‘misinfo’?
Here is the entire YouTube video where Aaron and members from Twitter & Google discuss misinformation censoring
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aarondberman/
Deborah B. (She/Her). Current Facebook Trust & Safety. Former CIA Analyst 15 years.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborah-b-219225225/
Scott S. (He/Him) current Facebook Senior Manager Trust & Safety. Former CIA 7 years.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottbstern/
Bryan Weisbard. Current Facebook Trust & Safety. Formerly 9 years of “multiple senior level leadership positions in US Government Intelligence Community.” Former Twitter Online Safety & Security Analysis 4 years. Former Youtube Trust & Safety 1 year.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanweisbard/
Hagan Barnett. Current Facebook Trust & Safety Operations Lead. Former Self Employed Contractor CIA 1 year, Booz Allen 4 years, US Department of Treasury 3 years.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/haganbarnett/
Jeff Lazarus. Current Facebook Trust & Safety. Former Apple Trust & Safety 1 year. Former Google Trust & Safety 4 years. Former CIA 5 years.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-lazarus-b76846191/
Chon Rosa. Current Facebook Trust & Safety. Former US Army Intelligence & Security Command 4 years.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chon-c-rosa/
Jason Barry. Current Facebook Trust & Safety Manager. Former DHS 7 years.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-barry-808536a9/
Rick Cavalieros. Current Facebook Trust & Safety Manager. Former FBI 21 years.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-cavalieros-17a1198/
Sandeep A. (He/Him). Current Senior Investigator Trust & Safety. Former NSA SIGINT Lead Analyst 4 years.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandeep-abraham/
Amarpreet G. (She/Her). Current Facebook Product Integrity, Elections. Former FBI 6 years.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/amarpreet-ghuman/
Brian Kelley. Current Facebook Law Enforcement Outreach Manager. Former FBI 7 years.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/briankelley0717/
Aleah Houze. Current Facebook Product Policy Manager. Former NSA 7 years.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleah-houze/
Shawn Turskey. Current Facebook Global Director Security Investigations. Former NSA 19 years. Former US Cyber Command 4 years.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnturskey/
Mike Torrey. Current Facebook Security Engineer Investigator. Former NSA 3 years. Former CIA 9 years.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-torrey-01658b14a/
This is asymmetric warfare. Many of these people see themselves as soldiers, “combatants against misinfo.” And you can be certain many of them have handlers or superior officers who control battalions and regiments of hostile actors within the borders of USA, working in many other areas besides information-control. Covid has had the grisly benefit of showing anyone who cares to look how deep and dirty this side of our society is, riddled with self-righteous parasites and enemy combatants who are feeding on the wealth of this nation while disrupting all of the societal organizations that created it. ABN