Thread by @js_kaplan

THREAD: In 2023, I received an envelope with no return address. Inside was a flash drive containing tens of 1000s of secret files.

It came from a vigilante with a tumultuous past, who'd done a years-long undercover operation. He didn’t tell the FBI or his family. He only told me

Outraged by Jan 6, he spent two years getting inside the top ranks of militias like the Oath Keepers. He was stunningly successful. He penetrated a new generation of militia leaders, which included doctors, cops & government attorneys.

This is his story. propublica.org/article/ap3-oa…

The files revealed secret operations, like armed patrols rounding up migrants & the surveillance of a student reporter. There were debates over whether to commit terrorism.

And they gave a unique, remarkably intimate window into questions like: Why do so many cops join militias?

Such questions feel more urgent now than ever. Trump has promised to pardon Jan. 6 rioters when he returns to the White House.

Experts warn that could trigger a renaissance for militant extremists, sending them an unprecedented message of protection and support.

The mole’s journey was dangerous and difficult, ethically fraught and often bizarre. He kept a journal with every lie he told so he wouldn’t lose track.

Here’s some photos he provided from an Oath Keepers training.

He met fascinating people along the way, like the retired Las Vegas police detective who claims to be the new national head of the Oath Keepers.

The detective had 3 plaques mounted in his home inscribed with the same Hemingway line: “There is no hunting like the hunting of man."

Back in August, I wrote an investigation based on records the mole sent me, along with extensive interviews with militia members and files I got from several other sources.

But that was still the tip of the iceberg. Now the mole is coming forward.propublica.org/article/inside…

The infiltrator’s name is John Williams.

To learn what he revealed about the paramilitary movement — and how a mole managed to become a senior leader in a major American militia — read the full story here: propublica.org/article/ap3-oa…

The Oath Keepers leader did not respond to requests for comment. The founder of a major Three Percenter militia that John infiltrated declined to comment, then sent a short follow-up email: “MAGA.”