Connect With PPD
Follow Us:
Politics

Whistleblower’s Lawyer: “I’ve Gotten Clearances for Guys Who Had Child Porn Issues”

Mark S. Zaid, the lawyer for the “anonymous whistleblower” who sparked the impeachment inquiry in the U.S. House, bragged on Twitter about getting “clearances for guys who had child porn issues.”

The tweet, which remains undeleted and live as of this article being published, was first uncovered by Mike Cernovich. He called it a “shocking admission on Twitter about the nature of some members of the intelligence community.”

It was sent in response to a story published by Slate on former White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter, who was forced to resign amid allegations of domestic abuse.

As People’s Pundit Daily (PPD) previously reported, unrelated questions surrounding Mr. Zaid have been raised, as well. He tweeted only 10 days after Inauguration Day that the “#coup has started” and that “#impeachment will follow ultimately.”

In 2011, U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Ia., revealed thousands of intelligence community, defense department officials and contractors had been flagged for purchasing child pornography.

The revelation was the result of Project Flicker, a sting operation that started in 2006. But the results were “overlooked” and it was only years later that the findings were uncovered.

According to Senator Grassley, the report identified 5,200 defense department employees who had purchased child pornography and only 3,500 were cross-checked. The remaining 1,700 were not investigated and prosecutions have been scarce.

On July 7, 2011, Senator Grassley wrote a letter to then-Attorney General Eric Holder questioning the decision not to prosecute and delay disciplinary action. At least according to the public record, Mr. Holder took no additional action.

The rarely discussed issue of members of the intelligence community and other government employees viewing child pornography is less uncommon than most would like to believe. More concerning, few are ever investigated and even fewer are ever prosecuted.

In 2011, the Justice Department (DOJ) Inspector General found an Assistant U.S. Attorney was viewing child pornography and other adult content on his government computer. The U.S. Attorney’s office declined to prosecute the case.

On August 13, 2019, former Foreign Service Officer Steven Hadley Hassan, 52, of Frederick, Maryland, was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for sexually abusing minors to produce child pornography and transporting those images to the United States.

On October 19, 2018, Skydance MacMahon, 45, a Digital Media Administrator at the Foreign Services Institute of the U.S. Department of State in Arlington, Virginia, was sentenced for conspiring with an adult in Canada to produce over a thousand sexually explicit images and videos of minor children in Canada.

On October 4, 2019, Air Force Colonel Mark Visconi, 48, of Fairfax, Virginia, plead guilty to receiving and attempting to receive child pornography.

UPDATE: People’s Pundit Daily (PPD) reviewed webarchives from Mr. Zaid, including his professional website and a previously linked YouTube channel.

READ FULL STORY

SubscribeSign In
PPD Staff

People's Pundit Daily delivers reader-funded data journalism covering the latest news in politics, polls, elections, business, the economy and markets.

View Comments

  • n individual’s character and personality. A person may exude a particular vibe and express themselves in a particular way and that can be associated with “personality.” However, more than this “personality” we can see, their actions and decisions in specific circumstances more accurately define who they are as an individual, or in other words, show us their “character.” This most important detail, which I learned from both the lectures I received from my father and personal experience interacting with people, has helped me in choosing the people most important to me in life. It has also enhanced awareness of my own personal develop

Share
Published by
PPD Staff

Recent Posts

Media’s Worst Russian Collusion Sins May Soon Be Repeated

The most damning journalistic sin committed by the media during the era of Russia collusion…

1 year ago

Study: Mask-Mandates and Use Not Associated With Lower Covid-19 Case Growth

The first ecological study finds mask mandates were not effective at slowing the spread of…

3 years ago

Barnes and Baris on Big Tech’s Arbitrary Social Media Bans

On "What Are the Odds?" Monday, Robert Barnes and Rich Baris note how big tech…

3 years ago

Barnes and Baris on Why America First Stands With Israel

On "What Are the Odds?" Monday, Robert Barnes and Rich Baris discuss why America First…

3 years ago

Personal Income Fell Significantly in February, Consumer Spending Weaker than Expected

Personal income fell $1,516.6 billion (7.1%) in February, roughly the consensus forecast, while consumer spending…

4 years ago

Study: Infection, Vaccination Protects Against Covid-19 Variants

Research finds those previously infected by or vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 are not at risk of…

4 years ago

This website uses cookies.