I've spent scores of hours running creative searches through the Global Intelligence Files, better known as the Wikileaks collection of over 5 million emails digital activist Jeremy Hammond hacked from Stratfor (Strategic Forecasting).
Plenty has been unearthed already, but I've found a lot more. So let's get started...
Remember Brandon Darby? He's the guy that joined up with a group of kids from Texas, helped them plan some pretty nasty shit at the 2008 Republican convention, and then turned them in to the authorities. He had spent years as an environmental activist, and then decided to cash out apparently. Well... He tried to find work with Stratfor:
What's this guy's story? Is he nuts?
Fred Burton wrote:
He's the dude who took down the RNC activist cell.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Brian Genchur [mailto:brian.genchur@stratfor.com]
Sent: Wednesday, April 01, 2009 10:56 AM
To: Fred Burton
Subject: [Fwd: FBI Informant]
Hi Fred,
This guy called again, and wants to talk to you again. I leave it in
your hands...again. :-)
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: FBI Informant
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 2009 09:48:04 -0600 (CST)
From: Brian Genchur
To: Fred Burton
Hi Fed,
Brandon Darby called and says he is an FBI informant involving the case
of the RNC protest up in Minnesota. He says he is also an informant for
other things, in addition to being a legal aide at a law office. He
says thank you for your perspective. He'd also like to talk to you
about "things" if you would like.
His phone: 512 - 803 - 6261
Email: cottonginroad@gmail.com
I leave it in your hands, sir!
Brian Genchur
Public Relations Manager
STRATFOR
pr@stratfor.com
o: 512 - 744 - 4309
--
Brian Genchur
Public Relations Manager
STRATFOR
pr@stratfor.com
512 744 4309
It's unclear whether or not he was successful.
Our friends working to dis-empower Rush Limbaugh are going to love this one... Back in
2008, Stratfor gushed about Limbaugh. They even wanted to donate books to the "Limbaugh Library":
Let me try first and if I don't succeed we'll ask London to give it a shot.
From: Aaric Eisenstein [mailto:eisenstein@stratfor.com]
Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2008 4:24 PM
To: 'Meredith Friedman'
Subject: Limbaugh
Don't know if London has a relationship to get to Limbaugh's Library, but
I really want us to follow up on this one. Fred's book is a perfect fit,
and it's a great way for us to rekindle the relationship. If London
DOESN'T have an in there, offering to help her would also be a nice
gesture to RH.
Aaric S. Eisenstein
Stratfor
SVP Publishing
700 Lavaca St., Suite 900
Austin, TX 78701
512-744-4308
512-744-4334 fax
Six months later, from Stratfor CEO George Friedman:
Ok. Should we also cancel our deal with oreilly? We're extremely
prominent on his website.
We also have press citations on our homepage. Lose those?
Sent from my iPhone
On Feb 16, 2009, at 8:47 AM, friedman@att.blackberry.net wrote:
We are very serious on this. I don't want to be linked to limbaugh. He
is toxic. It also needs a simple and clearer explanation of what that
list is. We never worked for them. They just quoted us. we argue that we
are not the msm then list all the msm. What message are we delivering?
That we are proud to be associated with the msm after all your campaigns
rubbished them?
Make it clear at the top that they cited us and we have no affiliation.
Get rid of limbaugh and oreilly. Neither gain us reputation and our
relationship with him is potentially embarrassing.
The msm connection baffles me but make certain that people know we are
only being quoted by them.
Ithe image I want to project is non ideological, the opposite of the
mainstream media and unaffiliated. At the very least I want the most
toxic ideologues out and a very clear statement that we are merely
quoted by these people.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
Sidenote: It's clear that Stratfor was savvy about what they put down in emails. As I searched through the database, I found several emails (
like this one) that referenced other email conversations of a sensitive nature that took place on the same day. But searching for those emails reveals that they aren't among the 5 million in this database. I suspect that several executives maintained parallel email accounts for sensitive discussions (legal prophylactic).
This email is from Fred Burton, Stratfor VP for Intelligence:
NewsMax source told me Putin was out of the loop on the KGB hit in
London on the former KGB agent (polonium 210) per Wiki leak?
I've not seen the cable to verify the piece.
Are you effin' kidding me? "NewsMax source"? If Corporate America is relying on Stratfor for intelligence, it's little wonder we're losing our competitive edge.
But that's not all from Mr. Burton. Check this out:
Of course
My first bill would be to have Barney Frank arrested for high treason.
On day two I would introduce a bill to nuke Iran and to increase the size of
our military 5x.
On day three I would drag every political hack Obama has appointed up for
hearings on any chickenshit item I could find and grind the federal govt to
a halt.
On day four I would order the USAF to fly my team to Vegas.
-----Original Message-----
From: social-bounces@stratfor.com [mailto:social-bounces@stratfor.com] On
Behalf Of George Friedman
Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2009 4:15 PM
To: Social list; Walter Howerton; 'Kelly Tryce'; fburton@att.blackberry.net
Subject: Re: [Social] Anyone have a SXSW badge/wristband I can borrow?
You really need to run for congress. Your mind works like a great
congressman. Can I donate some money to get your campaign going?
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
-----Original Message-----
From: "Fred Burton"
Date: Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:13:42
To: 'Walter Howerton'; ;
'Kelly Tryce';
Cc: 'Social list'
Subject: Re: [Social] Anyone have a SXSW badge/wristband I can borrow?
Yes in deed.
All is well though, nice to see O'Bama filling out his NCAA brackets while
my 401k looks like the south end of a north bound dog.
Mr. Burton's extremism shines through throughout the trove of emails. You can spend hours mining gems from his email account. But so far as I'm concerned, when it comes to Stratfor's status, no single email says more than
this one. The jokes write themselves:
This is great Fred. Also gives you something to do on July 4th!!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Brian Genchur [mailto:brian.genchur@stratfor.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 2009 5:32 PM
To: Fred Burton
Cc: 'Meredith Friedman'; 'Aaric Eisenstein'; 'Darryl O'Connor'
Subject: Re: Premiere Radio Network's "Coast to Coast AM"
Wonderful!
Brian Genchur
Public Relations Manager
STRATFOR
brian.genchur@stratfor.com
512 744 4309
Fred Burton wrote:
Good news. I'm slated for a 3-hour special interview on my book and
terrorism investigations the night of July 4th/July 5th on the largest
overnight talk radio show in the U.S. The producer advises websites
have been brought down in the past due to webhits. More to follow on
exact times.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: DarkEditor@aol.com [mailto:DarkEditor@aol.com]
Sent: Monday, June 29, 2009 3:40 PM
To: King, London
Subject: Fred Burton - Ghost
Hi London,
I would like to pre-interview Fred Burton for Coast to Coast AM. Please
let me know how to reach him, or have him give me a call. Thanks!
"Coast to Coast AM" is the largest overnight talk radio show in the
U.S., airing nationwide on 500 affiliates including WABC, New York; WLS,
Chicago; and KFI am 640, Los Angeles. The show is the number one rated
show in most markets with overwhelming market share. We air live from
10pm to 2am Pacific time and feature interviews up to three hours long.
For more information about the show, please visit the website at
www.coasttocoastam.com
Please call me anytime between 11am and 4pm Pacific time. Thank you.
Lisa Lyon
Producer, "Coast to Coast AM"
Premiere Radio Networks
777 NE 7th Street, Suite 207
Grants Pass, OR 97526
(541) 955-0100 - office
(541) 955-0127 - fax
www.coasttocoastam.com