FBI raids home of former Marine Intelligence Officer and government critic Scott Ritter
Ritter says the government has declared war on him
The FBI raided the New York home of Scott Ritter, a former Marine Intelligence Officer and U.N. weapons inspector, on Wednesday as it executed a search warrant seeking electronic equipment.
The raid included multiple agencies, including state police. WNYT captured video of law enforcement searching vehicles in Ritter’s driveway:
The raid comes two months after the U.S. State Department took Ritter’s passport without explanation or warrant just prior to a planned visit to Russia to speak at a conference.
https://sethhancock.substack.com/p/us-state-department-seizes-former
The raid also came a day after Ritter met with independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Ritter has been a long time critic of America’s interventionist foreign policy. He is a contributor for RT. On Ritter, RT described him:
“Ritter is a former US Marine Corps major who served as a UN weapons inspector in Iraq during the 1990s. He opposed the 2003 US invasion, insisting that Saddam Hussein’s government did not have weapons of mass destruction, as Washington claimed at the time.”
The Wednesday raid lasted for about five and a half hours, Ritter said in a video posted after the raid.
“Shortly before noon, marked State Police vehicles and unmarked law enforcement cars lined up near Ritter’s Dover Drive home. Just before 5 p.m., authorities carried more than two dozen boxes out of the house….
The FBI confirmed ‘law enforcement activity in connection with an ongoing federal investigation,’ but declined further comment. State Police said troopers were aiding the investigation.
FBI spokeswoman Sarah Ruane arrived at Ritter’s house just before 4 p.m. and told the assembled media that no one was in custody and that she could not provide information beyond the bureau’s initial statement. She was seen speaking with an FBI attorney at the scene before entering the house.”
The Times Union spoke with several neighbors who described Ritter as a “good neighbor.” Jim Hoffman, who has lived across from Ritter for at least 20 years, said:
“When he came out against the Iraq War back in the early 2000s, he was vilified everywhere. Honestly, he was right. He said there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.”
Kennedy was asked why he met with Ritter the day prior. He said:
“Because I admire his stance on foreign policy and I’m trying to keep this country out of a nuclear war.”
Ritter spoke to reporters at his home saying the warrant was related to allegations of violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
Ritter said:
“I will tell you right now, I am not in violation of the Foreign Agent Registration Act. I have not done anything that would (violate) it. And hopefully by executing the search warrant and taking the materials that they did, they will rapidly reach that conclusion. I will say that things like this have a chilling effect on free speech. There's no doubt that I'm being targeted because of statements I've made about U.S. policy in Ukraine, being targeted because I have made an effort to try and improve relations between the United States and Russia, to try and bring about arms control, to try and bring about peace. Apparently, somebody in the U.S. government takes umbrage at this, so they executed a search warrant….
This has a chilling impact on free speech. The idea that you have a free speech right in America, when you execute it in a manner that the U.S. government takes exception to and they launch a search warrant, that is an intimidation factor. I can say that I am not intimidated, and I will continue to speak out. And I will continue to do what I do because that's my responsibility as an American citizen, and I will continue to operate in that manner.”
Ritter said he was cooperating with the FBI and has “nothing to hide.” He also described the FBI agents as “extraordinarily professional,” and he did not have complaints against those executing the search. He did have problems with those officials who caused the search to happen.
And in a later video, Ritter described this as a declaration of war against him.
Ritter said that based on questioning from the FBI agents, the warrant was issued because of his work for Russian news agencies RT and Sputnik and accusations that he was manipulating Americans and working for the Russian government.
Ritter said:
“I let them know in no uncertain terms that that is absolutely not what's happening, that any compensation I get from RT and Sputnik is the same as I get from any journalistic entity that I provide articles or video products for. I am a journalist, and I get compensated for my work. We shall see where it goes….
The United States government declared war on me. They declared on war on my ability to write, my ability to speak, my ability to interact with the American people and indeed with a broader international audience. So be it. We're at war. It's not a war I plan on losing, and I can tell you that there is no chilling effect.”
Ritter has been especially vocal in recent years with regards to Russia-Ukraine as well as Israel-Palestine. Earlier this year, Life Site News reported on Ritter’s comments that the American Military Industrial Complex has been marching us towards nuclear war and how the CIA, illegally, has been running covert operations in Russia and other foreign nations.
Oh, the horror of someone trying to “manipulate” Americans into thinking nuclear war is a bad thing.
While we’re at it, when is the government going to investigate practically every member of Congress for FARA violations since they’re captured and controlled by Israel?
https://sethhancock.substack.com/p/rep-massie-tells-tucker-carlson-each