Emmy winning investigative journalist. Telling the stories I could not tell before, where the facts have a power all their own. #CatherineHerridgeReports
Washington, D.C.
Joined November 2019
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MY FIRST AMENDMENT CASE: SUPREME COURT CERT PETITION NOW PUBLICLY DOCKETED
We believe the critical First Amendment issues in this case merit the Supreme Court’s review.
If I had been a reporter in Boston, in the First Circuit, the subpoena for my confidential sources would have been quashed by the courts years ago.
But the decisions in my case have made protections for reporters and their sources in Washington DC the weakest—even though this is where most national security stories are reported.
The outcome of our case will impact every journalist and their ability to protect confidential sources.
It should also concern every journalist — and every American who values a free press — that vital First Amendment rights are being decided in a case where the courts have kept important information hidden from public view.
I have never seen this unclassified evidence, but court records confirm it includes the Department of Defense’s decision to terminate the plaintiff's federal funding on national security grounds.
Serious journalists everywhere should demand the release of this sealed evidence, so the public can fully understand what is at stake when courts impose fines and order reporters to reveal their confidential sources.
- Catherine
NEW: Alaska 'Decoy Dan' Probes Expand @MaryPeltola
Congressional Preservation Orders via @SenRonJohnson Chairman Permanent Subcommittee On Investigations
"All communications to or from any of the following individuals referring to any effort to recruit individuals to run for the U.S. Senate election in Alaska, including but not limited to all communications referring or relating to the ballot composition project:
a. Anton McParland;
b. Andrew Piatt;
c. Jacquelyn Lopez;
d. Elisa Rios;
e. Shelbi Dantic.
Senator Johnson; "The @nytimes report on the conspiracy to create confusion in Alaska’s U.S. Senate race @DanSullivan_AK details outrageous and possibly criminal behavior on the part of Democrat operatives.
The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations has sent a number of records preservation letters to help ensure evidence of wrongdoing is not destroyed,”
Link to preservation letters after the jump👇
"....please preserve all records referring or relating to the
2026 U.S. Senate election in Alaska."
Jerid Kurtz
ronjohnson.senate.gov/wp-con…
Anton McParland
ronjohnson.senate.gov/wp-con…
Elisa Rios
ronjohnson.senate.gov/wp-con…
With @nytimes investigation into 'decoy Dan,' it's worth re-visiting @MaryPeltola’s @X account where she promises to
"....unrig the system"
.@MaryPeltola "It should be a criminal offense to lie or mislead the electorate."
Running a spoiler might not technically be illegal, but any false statements to federal or state investigators about recruiting "Decoy Dan" could mean serious trouble.
SHADOW GOVERNMENT COURT RECORDS: ALLEGED OBSTRUCTION
According to an interview with a congressional staffer, BENAVIDES and FLORIS alleged lack of candor impacted the Capitol Hill probe including the discovery process.
KEY SECTION PAGE 25
"...their respective false answers influenced the Committee’s investigation significantly, including by thwarting investigative follow-up interviews and subpoenas.'
ANALYSIS SHADOW GOVERNMENT RECORDS: THE WIKIPEDIA CONNECTION
In his congressional testimony, former senior FBI official BENAVIDES seemed to disclaim any contemporaneous knowledge of the Hunter Biden laptop probe in 2020.
He tells congressional investigators his understanding of the Hunter Biden narrative came, in part, from Wikipedia.
NOTE: FBI Insta-messages and emails indicate Benavides' involvement in Hunter Biden talking points and briefs on the laptop.
Q. And, to your understanding, what was that Hunter Biden laptop narrative?
BENAVIDES A. My understanding, and I’ll be honest, some of this came from 2 days ago.
I was on Wikipedia, anticipating what might be asked. There was a purported laptop dropped off at a repair shop attributed to Hunter Biden.
Q. And, to your knowledge, is the FBI in possession of that laptop?
A. Only because of the Wikipedia article, my understanding is, according to that article, the FBI is in possession of the laptop.
Lawyers for Benavides and Floris call their clients 'patriots' and characterize the charges as a 'disgrace."
ANALYSIS SHADOW GOVERNMENT RECORDS:
The FBI internal insta-messages capture real time communications from Floris and Benavides about the Hunter Biden case.
Whatever unfolds in court, these records are like raw intelligence, underpin the DOJ allegations that Floris and Benavides lied to Congress and reveal potential evidence of obstruction.
OCTOBER 2020:
"The same day, BENAVIDES asked the Hunter Biden case team for specifics on the laptop that he already knew existed.
BENAVIDES messaged FBI Employee 2: FBI took possession of laptop 12/9/2019, nearly a year BEFORE the 2020 election.
Their lawyers say the former senior FBI officials are 'patriots' and the charges are a 'disgrace.'
EXCLUSIVE: NEW HAVANA SYNDROME CASES
What makes the recent cluster of cases stand out is that impacted individuals were working on directed energy-related investigations including the technology and/or reverse engineering a device.
Since the summer, I understand at least six new cases with confirmed or suspected brain injuries from directed-energy attacks are being treated at Walter Reed in Bethesda, MD.
In September, I exclusively revealed that more than two dozen suspected directed-energy incidents had recently been reported inside the United States.
Many in the Washington D.C. area.
NEW: @C__Herridge shares exclusive details from her investigation of suspected directed energy attacks on U.S. soil, including six new cases of "Havana Syndrome" being treated at Walter Reed.
.@COMEY FACES NEW CRIMINAL CHARGES
- Accused of unlawfully transmitting 'national defense information' and 'conspiring' to share it with a reporter while @FBI Director
- Two-count criminal information filed OCT 5
- 18 USC 793 (d) "...willfully communicates, delivers, transmits or causes to be communicated, delivered, or transmitted...to any person not entitled to receive it, or willfully retains the same"
(g) '...If two or more persons conspire to violate any of the foregoing provisions of this section..."
KEY LANGUAGE: "..the defendant (Comey) through one or more co-conspirators directed INDIVIDUAL 1 to disclose national defense information to a reporter for a national news publication.”
CONTEXT: While the new court records do NOT identify individual 1, in August there was a subpoena for Columbia Law Professor Daniel Richman as part of investigation into @Comey's alleged leaking to the media. It is not clear whether the Richman subpoena, first reported @FoxNews, was related to these new allegations.
NOTE: According to law enforcement records previously declassified @FBIDirectorKash Comey had Richman hired at the FBI in 2015 as a “Special Government Employee” and “liaison to the media" with a high level security clearance.
Richman acted as a de facto PR media rep for Comey. His responsibilities included protecting the FBI and Comey’s public image.
Reaching out to Richman for comment and will update If I hear back from him.
EXCLUSIVE: NEW HAVANA SYNDROME CASES
Since the summer, I understand that at least six new cases with confirmed or suspected brain injuries from directed-energy attacks are being treated at Walter Reed in Bethesda, MD.
It is home to National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) which is an elite treatment and research center for traumatic brain injuries and Anomalous Health Incidents (AHIs.)
The new cases are consistent with and reinforce my September reporting, which exclusively revealed that more than two dozen suspected directed-energy incidents had recently been reported inside the United States, including a significant cluster of cases at an off-site U.S. government intelligence and research facility in Northern Virginia.
Furthermore, in recent months, I understand that at least two senior U.S. government personnel working on directed-energy-related projects have reported suspected directed-energy incidents in the greater Washington, D.C., area—one a DoW official and the other with ODNI.
The mysterious constellation of injuries known as Havana Syndrome or AHIs takes its name from a cluster of cases in Cuba in 2016. Though, credible incidents are documented decades earlier.
Many subsequent cases involved government personnel whose portfolios touched on Russia or perceived Russian interests.
However, I have learned recent reported incidents involve individuals doing DEW technology, and DEW-related projects.
The syndrome affects spies, diplomats, military personnel, and civilians.
There was no immediate response from Walter Reed to my questions. I will update if a response becomes available.
Go in-depth. 👇
Consider subscribing and supporting independent journalism @C__Herridge
.@X Article for @C__Herridge subscribers:
The 'Shadow Government' Prosecutions, FBI Insta-Messages Are Forever...
And The Culture of Narrative Manipulation.
New reporting and analysis all in one place. Thank you for making independent journalism possible!
INSTA-MESSAGES ARE FOREVER: SHADOW GOVERNMENT PROSECUTION
Much of the case surrounding ex-FBI senior officials Floris and Benavides for allegedly lying to Congress about their knowledge of and involvement in the Hunter Biden probe is document driven.
Take this October 2020 email about talking points for then FBI Director Wray about the Hunter Biden laptop.
The draft talking points begin: “The most I (Wray) can say is that the FBI is in possession of an item that we lawfully seized.”
BENAVIDES responded “This is good…you could add another if asked:
Is the information we’re seeing in the press about a laptop containing emails associated with Hunter Biden part of a Russia disinformation effort? (Reference New York Post)
I can see from the perspective of anyone consuming this story that they could be concerned this is a Russia disinformation effort similar to what the FBI, ODNI, and other agencies have warned against; however, the FBI has not made that determination in this specific instance and as I stated before, I won’t comment on investigations or investigative actions.”
BENAVIDES then wrote “Nikki, thoughts???”
FLORIS responded “Looks good!”
These FBI talking points promoted a false narrative that the Hunter Biden laptop was a Russian plant before the 2020 election, a kind of October surprise.
Based on my investigative reporting, the FBI determined MONTHS before the 2020 election the laptop was authentic and the property of Hunter Biden.
FLORIS 2023 transcribed interview to Congress:
Q. Did you have any involvement in the Hunter Biden
investigation?
FLORIS A. I did not.
Q. Was there ever a discussion at the FITF (FBI Foreign Influence Task Force) about Hunter Biden?
A. No. At least not with me. And again, there’s a whole team below me, so whether or not conversations happened, I don’t know, but I personally did not have any conversations.
FLORIS STATEMENT via legal team: “Nikki Floris is a patriot. She served our nation as a dedicated FBI intelligence officer for nearly 20 years.
Yet today, the DOJ has accused her falsely of a crime on the say-so of politicians, not on the facts. It’s no coincidence the government is filing these nonsense charges now, years later, on the eve of an election.
“The government’s reasons for charging Nikki are as transparent as they are unjust: to push a false narrative for a shot at political points. It’s another sad day for the DOJ, but we look forward to Nikki’s day in court.”
FBI SHADOW GOVERNMENT CHARGES: @ChuckGrassley leads the way
“Today, we’re seeing accountability efforts in action. I appreciate the Department of Justice and the FBI’s work to root out government corruption and embrace transparency. At long last, Americans can see all the facts and evidence for themselves.”
“These two unelected bureaucrats (EX-FBI SENIOR OFFICIALS FLORIS AND BENAVIDES) used the power of government to smear my and @SenRonJohnson constitutional oversight and distract from inconvenient truths that weaponized bureaucrats and the Biden administration didn’t want you to know."
PROSECUTION 2 EX-FBI AGENTS LYING TO CONGRESS: INCLUDING FBI "SHADOW GOVERNMENT" AGENT
According to court records, "...on July 19, 2023, (NIKKI) FLORIS, and on September 28, 2023, (BRADLEY BENAVIDES,) knowingly and willfully provided materially false information about their awareness of and involvement in the FBI’s investigations into Hunter Biden."
"As described in detail below, witness accounts and contemporaneous documents from December 2019 through September 2021 show that FLORIS and BENAVIDES knew about and were actively involved in the FBI’s investigations of Hunter Biden."
The charges stem from an ongoing investigation into the since-dissolved FBI Foreign Influence Task Force.
BACK STORY: CONNECTING THE DOTS DISBANDED FBI FOREIGN INFLUENCE TASK FORCE, ALLEGED SUPPRESS BIDEN INVESTIGATIONS, 2020 CHINA INFLUENCE OPERATIONS 👇
BREAKING: @FBIDirectorKash Confirms Internal Review of Foreign Influence Task Force (FITF) + Alleged Bias Favoring Bidens
"..we are investigating whether the FITF (Foreign Influence Task Force) used information...to undermine or influence ongoing investigations by only focusing on the subset of CHS (Confidential Human Sources) involving the Bidens."
- "We remain concerned that defensive briefings to Congress may have been overly focused on just Biden and Ukraine rather than the balanced picture of all foreign threats."
- "Although these alleged activities occurred during a different era within the Bureau, my team is firmly committed to identifying, investigating, and holding accountable all abuses."
- Patel writes he "immediately" disbanded this task when he became FBI Director.
NOTE: Defensive briefings are done by the FBI to warn individuals or institutions that they may be the target of foreign disinformation campaigns
@SenRonJohnson recently confirmed to me that Nikki Floris (who wrote internal 'Shadow Government' message) was one of the FBI agents who gave him and @ChuckGrassley a “defensive briefing” in August 2020 about an alleged Russian disinformation campaign targeting the Biden family.
Floris did not respond to earlier requests for comment.
NEW RECORDS: BIDEN UKRAINE CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS
Newly declassified emails and intelligence reports suggest a high priority witness for a GOP Senate investigation @ChuckGrassley @SenRonJohnson into Biden corruption allegations was blocked from entering the US.
Two weeks before the 2020 election, State DEPT email reads:
“..to follow up on the Telezhinko (sic) visa, we revoked it earlier this month because he was imminently getting on a plane and needed to move quickly…”
- FBI and Intelligence Community “weren’t checking if allegations were true, they were suffocating anti-Biden Ukraine narrative, " says administration official
CONTEXT: Visa revocation and reported sanctions on Andrii Telizhenko appear to fit a broader pattern:
•IRS agents assigned to Hunter Biden laptop probe, including Burisma, say they were blocked from investigating leads into the “Big Guy”
•51 former intelligence official claim laptop had “classic earmarks” of a Russia information operation. Months earlier FBI had authenticated laptop
•FBI HQ appears to slow roll other Biden probes
•Senators Grassley and Johnson get FBI suspect "offensive briefing" about Russian disinformation, allegedly designed to thwart Hunter Biden probe
NOTE: Declassified records also raise prospect of circular reporting.
Here’s how it works: Government officials (or their proxies) plant information with a reporter, who publishes it. The same officials then cite the resulting media story to justify further investigative steps.
Exposing “circular reporting” undermines the credibility of some journalists who built their reputations on Russia collusion scoops
New records via @WhiteHouse transparency task force
ILHAN OMAR: HOW PASSPORT FRAUD MAY BE ANOTHER AVENUE FOR PROSECUTION
Seasoned federal investigators know passport fraud may be another path to criminal charges.
18 U.S.C. § 1542 (False Statement in Application)
- Prohibits making any false statement in a passport application, using a passport obtained via false statements, or using a passport with an assumed/false name to hide criminal behavior
The 10-year statute of limitations on passport fraud is reset every time the individual renews their passport if the underlying application records, such as a Social Security Number, were obtained through fraud.
For example, the suspect lied about the true date and place of their birth to obtain a social security number.
HERE'S HOW IT WORKS: AMERICAN TERRORIST
This legal strategy was used to obtain a holding charge for the American terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki after 9/11.
Anwar al-Awlaki was a dual U.S.-Yemeni citizen.
The radical cleric, who became a top al Qaeda leader, was born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, where his parents lived at the time.
He later grew up in Yemen.
When it was time for college, Awlaki gamed the system.
He applied for tuition assistance through the State Department and USAID to finance his studies at Colorado State University.
Awlaki was not eligible for financial support as a U.S. citizen, so he used his Yemeni passport (and false claims about his birthplace) to secure roughly $20,000 in scholarship money.
It was the beginning of the big grift.
When the Joint Terrorism Task Force investigated Awlaki after 9/11 for his relationship and material support of hijackers in San Diego and Virginia, a seasoned federal investigator ran down the scholarship scam.
Unfortunately, the statute of limitations had run out on the USAID tuition fraud.
A State Department Diplomatic Security Agent then discovered Awlaki made false statements to secure a J-1 visa (a non-immigrant visa for educational purposes.)
Once in the U.S., Awlaki applied for a Social Security Number, falsely claiming he was born in Yemen.
Awlaki used the fraudulently obtained Social Security Number to fraudulently obtain a U.S. passport.
The 10-year statute of limitations reset every time the American terrorist renewed his passport.
USAID record via @browne_pamela
IMPORTANT DEADLINE: I don't usually post personal news, but this is a pivotal week for research that reduces the risk of organ rejection in children.
I know firsthand because our family was part of the original study which developed Pleximmune.
Without comparable reimbursement @CMSGov transplant specialists say this test and a related test for kidney transplant recipients will not be financially sustainable.
Families, like ours, may lose, what researchers say is the only FDA approved early warning test for organ rejection in children.
Please consider a note to your senator, and let them know to escalate the matter at Medicare
@drozcms has done important work on heart transplant and understands the issues.
Peter's story below👇
Personal News: I am writing as a mother and living organ donor.
Twenty years ago this month, our youngest son Peter received a life-saving liver transplant at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh @ChildrensPgh
With Peter’s permission, I’m sharing a photo taken with his older brother a few weeks before his 2006 transplant, when he was in liver failure.
Four years later, he won gold at the U.S. Transplant Games in Madison, Wisconsin. And here he is today—healthy, strong, and thriving.
What I didn’t fully appreciate in 2006 was that Peter and I were part of pioneering research aimed at reducing the risk of organ rejection in pediatric patients.
Even though I donated a segment of my liver to Peter—and as mother and son we are genetically similar—the new testing protocol still helped lower his chances of rejection.
Peter and I participated in a research project that developed a simple blood test called Pleximmune @plexision
It predicts the likelihood of rejection in pediatric patients by analyzing the unique immune chemistry of both the child and the donor.
The test also helps doctors determine exactly how much immunosuppression a child needs to keep rejection at bay.
Our family knows firsthand how valuable this early warning system truly is.
When Peter hit his growth spurt in his early teens, like so many pediatric transplant recipients, he needed increased immunosuppression.
The Pleximmune test predicted this need months in advance, giving his doctors time to adjust his care before problems arose.
The threat of rejection is a cloud that hangs over every transplant patient and family.
This test is making a real difference. It helps prevent rejection and can save tens of thousands of dollars for families and insurance companies.
This is where common sense matters.
In early July, the research team is preparing an appeal to Medicare @MedicareGov to price the Pleximmune test "fairly and consistently" with similar diagnostic tests.
Right now, only a small percentage of the cost of the test for pediatric patients is being reimbursed.
As the team told me, “Fair pricing is the lifeblood of a company’s ability to provide patients with more informed care and continued innovation.”
Today, Pleximmune has been used to test roughly 10% of children under age 21 who have received liver or intestine transplants in the U.S.
If you want to support this important work and help more pediatric patients and their families benefit...
Send a note to your senator, let them know to escalate the matter with Medicare so the appeal gets a fair hearing.
Catherine
ALT Peter Hayes before his liver transplant (right) Four years after transplant and today.
