The Anderson Files: Trumpist spy op in Wyoming

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Jan. 5, 2023

Volume XXX, number 20

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Trumpist spy and smear op hiding in Wyoming

by Dave Anderson

The Whine and Cheesy Mussolini is a sick joke, but the war on democracy isn’t over. Trump may fade away but the far right menace has deep roots.

Consider a scandal in our neighboring state of Wyoming. It hasn’t received much attention. I couldn’t nd any mention of it in Colorado news media.

New York Times reporters Adam Goldman and Mark Mazzetti recently revealed that Trump adviser Erik Prince, founder of the private mercenary contractor Blackwater (now known as Xe), worked with ex-British MI6 agent Richard Seddon on a spy and smear operation to in ltrate progressive groups, political campaigns and the o ces of Democratic elected o cials in Wyoming. ey seemed to be rather paranoid since Wyoming is overwhelmingly conservative and Republican.

But they also targeted Republican elected o cials who they considered to be insu ciently hardline. In addition, they messed around in Colorado and Arizona politics.

At the beginning of the Trump administration, Seddon hired ex-spies and created a little school on the Prince family ranch in Wyoming teaching the art of political sabotage to Republican operatives. e participants included members of Project Veritas, an out t run by James O’Keefe which claims to be a journalistic enterprise but is actually a far right group which engages in “dirty tricks” against progressive groups, Democratic politicians