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Ford Fischer Profile picture
@FordFischer
Apr 12, 2024 • 19 tweets • 14 min read • Read on X
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BREAKING THREAD: On April 11, Russell Vane IV - the subject of my reporting who allegedly attempted to provoke a Virginia militia group into producing explosives - was arrested.

He is charged with "Attempted production of a biological agent or toxin."


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2) According to the criminal complaint, the FBI received multiple tips after I published the story about Vane - who went by Duke - on April 1.

He apparently tried to legally change his name on April 3, the same day a false obituary of him appeared.

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3) The feds cite my reporting, where I show unclassified government documents that the Virginia Kekoas militia members were allegedly handed by Duke, and he later appears to acknowledge giving them.






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4) The FBI says they learned "In coordination with one government agency" that Duke had printed off the documents on February 12 "Based on government records."

This appears to imply Vane has a job at the "government agency" or at least he has work access to government files. Image
5) The documents were allegedly printed as early as February 12 before being given to the militia on March 9.

A big mystery: Why, on February 27, did Duke appear to claim someone else had been arrested for doing the same?


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6) So, apparently, feds raided Russell Richardson Vane IV aka Duke's house, where they allegedly found evidence that he was extracting ricin, a toxic poison, and arrested him.

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7) Vane is currently in federal custody and faces a detention hearing on Monday.

As I previously reported, he is definitely not dead, as claimed by an obituary and someone on his phone talking to @HannahAllam.




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8) To reiterate: According to this federal criminal complaint, Vane printed documents about explosives from "his work computer" and walked out of "a secure government facility" with them and handed them to a militia group.

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9) While I'm not aware of any elements of the story taking place in Washington DC itself, it appears this arrest was conducted by a Joint Terrorism Task Force out of the Washington DC (not Virginia) field office. Image
10) Side note: Duke has an account on Airbnb, where he lists five places for rent.

"Lives in Vienna, VA"

"I'm obsessed with: Chemistry"

"Ask Duke about Shooting sports"

"My biography title: Read This Vainglorious Thing"

airbnb.com/users/show/125…Image
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11) I need to reiterate: My story came out April 1.

On April 3, an obituary for Russell Vane IV appeared online.

That same day, Vane walked into a courthouse alive and allegedly attempted to legally change his name.

12) At the moment, which "government facility" Russell Vane IV worked at is unclear, but here's the federal connections I can point out for him and his father (Russell Vane III):

-He was once a Marine Intel Specialist ()

-He then worked at Booz Allen Hamilton, a military/government/intelligence contractor. ()

-He allegedly told the militia he worked for the CIA ()

-He later insinuated to the group that he worked at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) or United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (NGIF)

-He provided the group documents marked as coming from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and NGA

-His father Russell "Russ" Vane III worked as a Data Scientist for geospatial intelligence company OGSystems () and his Facebook says "Worked at DHS" (Department of Homeland Security) ()

-Vane IV has now been arrested by the FBI.





facebook.com/russ.vaneImage
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"A whole lot of houses burning and going kaboom. I wonder if some subversive force has released some literature and is encouraging these explosions?"

-Duke allegedly weeks after leaving his job at a secure government facility with bomb making documents.

These words were allegedly spoken by Duke less than a month after allegedly walking out of a “secure government facility” per the federal affidavit with explosives-related documents printed from his work computer.
15) I missed one federal agency Duke has apparently been affiliated with: Russell R Vane IV is listed as staff at the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) in their 2007 publication Survey of Current Business.

google.com/books/edition/…Image
16) Ironically, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), Vane/Duke's employer in 2007, moved to the Suitland Federal Center in 2016.

This is the same facility Vane pled guilty to bringing guns into for a job interview in 2010.



bizjournals.com/washington/bre…
17) NEW: A LinkedIn profile appearing to portray Russell Vane IV exists online titled "Russell V" allegedly with a TS/SCI clearance.

This profile says he has worked at Deloitte since 2015, where he has "Briefed multiple intelligence agencies."

linkedin.com/in/russell-v-3…



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18) The Linkedin says Vane/Duke previously worked at OGSystems (the same workplace as his father at the time ) and Booz Allen Hamilton ().

Both of these are consistent with my and @HannahAllam's prior reporting.

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@HannahAllam 19) The LinkedIn also describes him performing "Classified Intelligence Analyst Work" with the Marine Corps at Quantico (consistent with ) and Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) (consistent with my reporting as well ).

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More from @FordFischer

Ford Fischer Profile picture
Mar 1
VIDEO THREAD: Hundreds participated today in the Transgender Unity Rally and march from the United States Capitol to the White House.

"Protect trans kids!" they chanted. "Out of the closet, into the streets!"

"Trans rights are human rights!"
2) Bree Taylor, Executive Director of the Trans Unity Coalition, described inviting members of Congress to the rally, but none showed up.

"Where are they?" the crowd asked.

Senator Chris Van Hollen sent a letter which was read out loud: "One of the most despicable things about Donald Trump is that he goes after the most vulnerable members of our society."

"We are all Americans, and we all have the right to live as our true, free selves."

"These are wonderful words, and only that. Where the f*** are you?" asked Taylor, who called him hypocritical over a prior vote on an NDAA amendment defunding trans affirming care for minors.

"We cannot rely on those who have nothing but empty, hollow words," Taylor added.
3) "Hey hey, ho ho, transphobia's got to go!" chanted protesters as they arrived at the White House. "What do we want? Trans rights! When do we want them? Now!"

"This is our place to be free to be who we want to be!" one speaker described, beginning an open mic south of the White House at the Ellipse.
Read 8 tweets
Ford Fischer Profile picture
Feb 21
VIDEO THREAD: Proud Boys Enrique Tarrio, Joe Biggs, Ethan Nordean, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola as well as Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes had a "reunion" this afternoon outside the United States Capitol, beginning at the original January 6 breach point on the west side.

All were granted pardons or commutations by Trump following decade+ prison sentences.

"Whose house?" they chanted as they posed for a photo. "Our house!"

"Whose desk?" yelled Richard "Bigo" Barnett, who was photographed with his feet on Rep Pelosi's desk on January 6.
2) Tarrio calls the Proud Boys chapters not recognized on his website (such as those that marched on Inauguration Day) "not legitimate."

"They've created their own faction," he explains. "Those are not Proud Boys."

He wouldn't answer say if he's the National Chairman again.
3) As Proud Boys and Stewart Rhodes walked around the Capitol, they joked "tactical formation, look out!"

"We don't want anyone to think we're stacking!" one said, referencing the Oath Keepers' formation on January 6, before Joe Biggs led the group in mimicking it.
Read 14 tweets
Ford Fischer Profile picture
Feb 5
VIDEO THREAD: Hundreds gathered including several members of Congress Tuesday outside the US Treasury to protest Elon Musk's access to a federal payment system.

Rep @MaxwellFrostFL said "an unelected billionaire and his team have been given full and unfettered access to our taxpayer money and our government."

"We're going to be the opposition!" he said to cheers. "We will fight, we will provide oversight, and we will win!"

All video in thread by @wallendupraw for @N2Sreports
2) Rep @JasmineForUS tells Musk and Trump "We are gonna be in your face, we are gonna be on your asses, and we are gonna make sure you understand what democracy looks like!"

"Y'all about to find out!"
3) Senator @JeffMerkley asks "did anybody vote for a government of billionaires, for billionaires?"

Crowd: "No!"

"Are you ready to defend our democracy?"

"Yes!"
Read 16 tweets
Ford Fischer Profile picture
Jan 24
CW: Racism, language

VIDEO THREAD: White Nationalist group Patriot Front marched into Washington DC to hand out flyers and rally alongside the annual March for Life, their third time doing so in four years.

Thomas Rousseau, the group's founder, was among a few out of the approximately hundred who went unmasked.

He reiterated his group's belief to press that only people with "European" heritage qualify as American.
2) A man using a puppet to perform interviews criticized Patriot Front by calling them "law enforcement agents."

"If it's such a good cause, take off the mask!" he said to Rousseau through the puppet. "Take your mask off!"
3) Independent journalist @RichieMcGinniss asked Patriot Front leader Thomas Rousseau how he feels about Trump's FBI director nominee @Kash_Patel.

Rousseau said "I don't think Indians should be in charge of any departments of the United States, because he's a foreigner."

Pressed on why Patel is a "foreigner" despite being born here, Rousseau reiterated his platform (white nationalism) that only people with European ancestry qualify as American, regardless of birth or citizenship.
Read 8 tweets
Ford Fischer Profile picture
Jan 10
VIDEO THREAD: Activists dressed as contractors took down a banner outside the National Archives in Washington DC this morning and replaced it with their own demanding Biden publish the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) into the Constitution before leaving office.

The activists brought two additional banners which they had also planned to put up in the place of existing ones, but police arrived and confiscated them before the group could get those two up.
2) Kamala Lopez, founder and president of Equal Means Equal, explained that the ERA has already been ratified by 38 states, so she insists that Biden can be a "hero" by publishing it into the Constitution to be enforced.

Without doing this, she calls Biden a "zero."
3) Responding officers told the activists to sit down on the sidewalk and disputed whether their truck had been legally parked.

Additional activists arrived dressed as women from the science-fiction Dune series to advocate for the Equal Rights Amendment.
Read 7 tweets
Ford Fischer Profile picture
Jan 5
VIDEO THREAD: Craig Sicknick, brother of Brian Sicknick who died of a stroke the day after fighting on January 6, 2021, spoke at a rally demanding Congress refuse to certify Trump's electoral victory on January 6, 2025.

"I came here today to urge Congress to do its job and block Mr Trump from taking office just a few short weeks from now," Sicknick said.

"They can do this by upholding their oath of office and acting under Article III of the 13th Amendment which clearly states that no person who was involved in trying to overthrow our government can hold any office, state or federal."
2) @JessicaDenson07, a 2017 campaign staffer for Trump who ultimately sued him, is an organizer of this weekend's rallies demanding Congress block him from retaking the White House.

"Donald Trump is an adjudicated insurrectionist disqualified and the only mechanism to remove that disability is by a 2/3 vote of both houses. That's it. We don't need new legislation," she said.

"It only takes 1/5 of both houses of congress... to raise an objection and a simple majority to sustain it!"

She says there was "mixed" reception as she and others lobbies for this idea to members of Congress.
3) "Congresspeople, keep us safe, Hallelujah!" sang protesters demanding Congress block Trump from the White House on January 6.

"Do your duty to the states, Hallelujah!"

"Insurrectionists can't be president!" they chanted. "Call your representatives!"
Read 6 tweets

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