Mike Benz: The CIA Spied on the Trump Campaign With This One Simple Trick!

Quick Overview

Mike Benz, Director at the Foundation for Freedom Online, argues that the CIA and other intelligence/law enforcement agencies spied on the Trump campaign using a legal loophole created by the 2012 repeal of the Smith-Mundt Act, which allowed foreign propaganda to be disseminated domestically, specifically citing the use of the Steele dossier and John Brennan's testimony as examples of this intelligence apparatus targeting political figures.

Key Points: The repeal of the Smith-Mundt Act in 2012 allowed foreign propaganda to be legally published domestically, creating a loophole for intelligence agencies to lie to Americans. Mike Benz identifies the CIA, State Department, Pentagon, and FBI counterintelligence side as entities involved in this operation, which he terms 'foreign-facing' but operating domestically. The Steele dossier, paid for by the Clinton campaign, was used as the basis for initiating the Russia Gate investigation against the Trump campaign. John Brennan, former CIA Director, testified to Congress that the Steele dossier was not used as predicate for the investigation, which Benz claims is a lie. The statute of limitations for perjury regarding Brennan's testimony is five to ten years, meaning it is difficult to enforce legally now. Benz asserts that the primary goal of these actions was to stop Trump from remaining president by creating an 'insider threat' narrative. The entire operation was designed to be easily moved, allowing agencies to 'amputate' links if one part was exposed, such as the Steele dossier.

Context: The video features an interview segment between Mike Benz, identified as the Director for the Foundation for Freedom Online and a former State Department official, and an interviewer, John Papola, Founder of the Emergent Order Foundation. The discussion centers on the alleged misuse of intelligence agencies like the CIA and FBI to surveil and influence domestic politics, specifically focusing on the origins and dissemination of information related to the Trump campaign and the Russia investigation.