Thread by @MaxBlumenthal

John Sullivan was at the forefront of pro-Trump violence in the Capitol, egging it on as he filmed.

Now he's Exhibit A in right-wing claims that Antifa instigated the riot.

I investigate his disturbing history of sabotaging BLM while posing as a leader. thegrayzone.com/2021/01/12/cha…

I studied video shot by Sullivan (Jayden X) in the Capitol and compiled some moments of him zealously celebrating the invasion & instigating the mob all the way up to Ashli Babbit's shooting. Watch with audio on.

No committed BLM activist would say or do this – and he isn't one

As DC BLM journalist @blackhousenew explained to me, Sullivan has been banished by activist communities across the country.

He's considered a dangerous provocateur & is the subject of deep suspicion.

This thread details some of his history.

The night of the Capitol riot, Sullivan was welcomed on @andersoncooper to present himself as the heroic journalist who recorded Babbit's shooting. Cooper falsely called him a "left-wing activist" and didn't ask why he was actually in the Capitol. This was fodder for the Right.

Seated w/Sullivan on CNN is Jade Sacker, a photojournalist who followed him into the Capitol to film his exploits as part of a documentary project. Here she's heard congratulating him - "We did it!" - and he says, "Is this not gonna be the best film you've ever made in yr life?"

I learned that Sacker's project has major backers: It's being "advised" by Bryan Fogel, Academy Award winning maker of Icarus and The Dissident.

Here's Fogel with Dissident producer Thor Halvorssen, a neocon operative whose Oslo Freedom Forum trains US-backed oppo activists.

There are so many bizarre layers to this story.

Sacker's doc also focuses on Sullivan's brother, James, a Utah-based pro-Trump activist who helped recruit fellow Black Republicans for the DC mayhem.

The brothers are at odds in public, but on the same side on January 6.

This is retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Kevin J. Sullivan, the adoptive father of John and James Sullivan.

James has taken on his father's conservatism while John has apparently delved into "burn it all down" nihilism, sabotaging the cause of BLM at every turn.

In June 2020, John Sullivan emerged practically out of nowhere and began organizing BLM-esque rallies in Utah. The first one spiraled into chaos, led to this shooting where he was present, prompted mass arrests, and triggered the formation of the Utah Citizen's Alarm militia.

Following this and many other incidents, James Sullivan told me Utah's BLM chapter reached out to him to help banish John from the scene. John left for Portland, where he was banished for unusual acts that caused mass arrests, then locked out of DC for his destructive presence.

The night after the Capitol riot, John Sullivan was spotted fraternizing with Utah Proud Boy leader Thad Cisneros outside DC's Hamilton. A source sent me this photo.

In fact, John platformed Proud Boy Thad at a July 2, 2020 rally in Provo, Utah.

Moments later, John Sullivan was detained by DC Metro PD and questioned by the FBI. After an hour or so, despite the copious documentation of his role in the Capitol riot, he was let go. (Jade Sacker filmed throughout)

Now, Sullivan is back in Salt Lake City and is seeking to organize an "armed march" at the Utah State Capitol to "end government control" this month.

Note that he is not calling for a march for Black liberation, or Black lives, or anything to do with BLM. This is from his site:

Many BLM activists call John Sullivan an "agent provocateur." Some suspect he is a law enforcement asset, which he denies. Others say he's simply a nihilist who is dedicated to chaos above all else. What's clear is he is not BLM or Antifa, and is out to wreck their cause.

This is one of the strangest and more unsettling stories I've worked on in a while. I will be discussing it live with @kthalps in about five minutes. youtube.com/user/katiehalp…