NSA/CIA Whistleblower Dennis Montgomery: Trump, Chief Justice, and 156 Judges were spied on

a reply to: Boadicea

I'd take Montgomery's words here with a grain of salt. If even Sheriff Joe can't trust the guy, then that is saying something.

originally posted by: underwerks
Any other sources beside freedom watch, a right wing lobbying group?

Well, apparently, Comey has the same information... and Grassley... and Nunes... if Klayman and Montgomery are lying, I'm sure they'll speak right up.

Just another example of people from the Trump party trying to rationalize and explain the lies of the Trump administration.

Certainly not the self-proclaimed "Never Trumpers." I'm sure they'll speak up as well.

But talk is cheap. Hopefully, someone will provide actual documents and proof to the public so we can judge for ourselves in the court of public opinion. And soon.

originally posted by: shooterbrody
This is trouble.
This would explain the reported cooperation from the nsa and the reported non cooperation from the fbi.

Excellent point -- thank you! I hadn't thought about that, but you're right.

a reply to: Boadicea

Also from that 2011 NYT article I linked above:

‘It Wasn’t Real’

“Dennis would always say, ‘My technology is real, and it’s worth a fortune,’ ” recounted Steve Crisman, a filmmaker who oversaw business operations for Mr. Montgomery and a partner until a few years ago. “In the end, I’m convinced it wasn’t real.”

Government officials, with billions of dollars in new counterterrorism financing after Sept. 11, eagerly embraced the promise of new tools against militants.

C.I.A. officials, though, came to believe that Mr. Montgomery’s technology was fake in 2003, but their conclusions apparently were not relayed to the military’s Special Operations Command, which had contracted with his firm. In 2006, F.B.I. investigators were told by co-workers of Mr. Montgomery that he had repeatedly doctored test results at presentations for government officials. But Mr. Montgomery still landed more business.

In 2009, the Air Force approved a $3 million deal for his technology, even though a contracting officer acknowledged that other agencies were skeptical about the software, according to e-mails obtained by The New York Times.

Mr. Flynn, who was still Mr. Montgomery’s lawyer, sent an angry letter to Mr. Cheney in May 2007. He accused the White House of abandoning a tool shown to “save lives.” (After a falling out with Mr. Montgomery, Mr. Flynn represents another party in one of the lawsuits.)

But Mr. Montgomery’s company still had an ally at the Air Force, which in late 2008 began negotiating a $3 million contract with Blxware.

In e-mails to Mr. Montgomery and other company officials, an Air Force contracting officer, Joseph Liberatore, described himself as one of the “believers,” despite skepticism from the C.I.A. and problems with the no-bid contract.

If other agencies examined the deal, he said in a December 2008 e-mail, “we are all toast.”

“Honestly I do not care about being fired,” Mr. Liberatore wrote, but he said he did care about “moving the effort forward — we are too close.” (The Air Force declined to make Mr. Liberatore available for comment.)

The day after Mr. Obama’s inauguration, Mr. Liberatore wrote that government officials were thanking Mr. Montgomery’s company for its support. The Air Force appears to have used his technology to try to identify the Somalis it believed were plotting to disrupt the inauguration, but within days, intelligence officials publicly stated that the threat had never existed. In May 2009, the Air Force canceled the company’s contract because it had failed to meet its expectations.

I recommend reading the NYT piece in its entirety, it explains his relationships with Gibbons and others. It sounds like Mr. Montgomery is a snake oil salesman who convinced the right people to get his foot in the door and managed to con various government agencies into giving him contracts for software that didn't do what was claimed. (and if you read the claims, some of it like identifying terrorist from predator drone footage sounds on its face absurd.)

If you read everything, it appears that Montgomery was a contractor throughout the Bush Administration but the gig was up by the time Obama came into office and that the last contract he was involved with was cancelled in May of 2009.

Now it sounds like he's shilling. I say release what he has and get to the bottom of it one way or another. Interesting that the statement from Klayman completely ignores all of this and tries to present a picture of Montgomery being a contractor working closely with the Obama Administration when that seems implausible considering that the last contract was cancelled within 4 months of Obama coming to office, that his name was already mud with many agencies years before Obama came into office and by early 2010, Playboy was publishing articles about how he'd pulled off all these con jobs.

Furthermore, hyperpartisan operator that he is, Klayman neglects any mention of the Bush Administration and accuses Nunes of "undercutting" Trump which is hilarious as we all know that Nunes essentially compromised himself by perosnally going to the White House and briefing Trump and others so that they could coordinate about the bone he was about to throw Trump.

I'm not putting any stock in anything this guy says (Montgomery or Montgomery via Klayman) but if he's got concrete evidence, by all means, let's see it.

But like I said, why not go straight to the WH? It sounds like this guy is a lying clown but if he's got the goods, I'm sure they'll give him a platform.

originally posted by: Boadicea

originally posted by: underwerks
Any other sources beside freedom watch, a right wing lobbying group?

Well, apparently, Comey has the same information... and Grassley... and Nunes... if Klayman and Montgomery are lying, I'm sure they'll speak right up.

Just another example of people from the Trump party trying to rationalize and explain the lies of the Trump administration.

Certainly not the self-proclaimed "Never Trumpers." I'm sure they'll speak up as well.

But talk is cheap. Hopefully, someone will provide actual documents and proof to the public so we can judge for ourselves in the court of public opinion. And soon.

Hey, find me someone saying the same thing who isn't head of a right wing lobbying organization or a true Trump believer and it'll be easier to believe.

Right now I'm wondering how much of the $1.8 million in bad checks will be taken care of by the Trump admin that Montgomery is going to trial for. Nothing is free, especially a story like this.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Just FYI, Dennis Montgomery was the dude who got caught scamming the Pentagon with a fake software to expose terrorists. That guy has zero credibility.

Your point is well taken. My problem -- my admitted confirmation bias -- is that I don't trust any of 'em! My default position is that they're all lying or hiding something.

Maybe the best we can hope is that at some point they all start spilling their guts in an effort to take the other guy down, and in the process they all take each other down.... Implosion!!!

(And it couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch)

originally posted by: theantediluvian
But like I said, why not go straight to the WH? It sounds like this guy is a lying clown but if he's got the goods, I'm sure they'll give him a platform.

Expect Trump to get wind of this at some point today and Tweet about it. Tomorrow will then be spent telling countless Trump supporters about Montgomery's already WELL established lack of integrity.

Hell. I distinctly remember hearing about this guy before. Sure enough. I read a Cracked article on him a few years back:
5 Badass Con Men Who Fooled the Experts There to Catch Them

One Guy's Nonsense Anti-Terrorism Software Fools U.S. Intelligence

In 2003, catching terrorists was right at the top of the government's to-do list, thanks to a certain obscure incident that had recently happened in New York. The U.S. government was pretty jumpy about the whole thing and was enthusiastic about any new technology that might help them stop any future tragedies before they happened.

Enter Dennis Montgomery, a computer programmer from California. He developed software that he claimed could decode messages broadcast by the Arab television network Al-Jazeera. He said he'd found them to contain coordinates and flight numbers used for planning terrorist attacks. Having learned from Hollywood that there's nothing you can't do with a computer, the Department of Homeland Security decided they'd take it and promptly handed over $20 million. That's quite a bit of money, considering Montgomery was pulling these secret messages out of his ass.

Flights were grounded all over the world on Christmas in 2003 after officials were warned by Montgomery's software that a terror attack was imminent. French authorities detained six people in connection with the supposed plot, then let all six go because they weren't terrorists at all. Frustrated, the French intelligence agency decided to test the software themselves, finding it to be "merde de cheval complete," or "total horse#." The CIA agreed with this assessment and told the DHS what a bunch of morons they were, presumably with a comical slap across the back of the head.

You'd probably assume Montgomery was fired and locked up in Guantanamo Bay for his deception, right? Of course not. He kept working for various government agencies for years, and in 2009 he was awarded a $3 million contract with the Air Force. At the end of that year, Montgomery was charged with passing bad checks at casinos in Vegas, at which point the intelligence services finally decided they should probably stop giving him money.

originally posted by: FauxMulder
a reply to: Boadicea
I guess we'll find out if he really has anything on them on March 25th then. Though I do get tired of these dates we always seem to get with nothing ever really coming out.

I'm definitely with you there! Since he did set that deadline, that's one of the reasons I thought it important to keep it on the radar. Sure, it may come and go without another peep... but at least we'll know.

a reply to: Boadicea

But the difference between them and Montgomery is that Montgomery has been caught lying over and over and over again. Even established Trump figure heads are on the record of distrusting this guy. On scales of trustworthiness, politicians are more trustworthy than this jackass. Keep in mind that he created a national security incident with his fake software.

originally posted by: theantediluvian
a reply to: Boadicea
as we all know that Nunes essentially compromised himself by perosnally going to the White House and briefing Trump and others so that they could coordinate about the bone he was about to throw Trump.

If that was true then why did Nunes brief the media BEFORE going to the white house? Why shouldn't he go to the white house after finding that information in his investigation?

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
a reply to: Boadicea

But the difference between them and Montgomery is that Montgomery has been caught lying over and over and over again. Even established Trump figure heads are on the record of distrusting this guy. On scales of trustworthiness, politicians are more trustworthy than this jackass. Keep in mind that he created a national security incident with his fake software.

Yeah, all true... no argument here. And remember, they trusted Flynn originally too -- and look what happened there!

Sometimes they're liars and sometimes they're just wrong and sometimes they just don't tell the whole truth. And pretty much always with their own agenda.

But I will keep all this in mind -- thank you.

a reply to: Boadicea

ATS should have a section entitled "Known Scammers", so we can all keep tabs on those who promise much and deliver nothing.

a reply to: Boadicea

To be honest, I feel like this guy should be in jail right now. I can't believe he was never arrested and tried for the # he pulled. Now he's back in the public eye again cashing in on this Trump wiretap fiasco.

originally posted by: theantediluvian
a reply to: Boadicea

I'm not putting any stock in anything this guy says (Montgomery or Montgomery via Klayman) but if he's got concrete evidence, by all means, let's see it......It sounds like this guy is a lying clown but if he's got the goods, I'm sure they'll give him a platform.

That's pretty much where we're at and all we can do: watch, listen and learn. Talk is cheap. Klayman and Montgomery issued a challenge with a deadline. If that deadline passes without response, they can either put up or shut up.

originally posted by: carewemust
a reply to: Boadicea

ATS should have a section entitled "Known Scammers", so we can all keep tabs on those who promise much and deliver nothing.

What a great idea! I'd like that... We could even keep ongoing OPs on particular persons for regular updates and easy reference. That'd be great.

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
a reply to: Boadicea

To be honest, I feel like this guy should be in jail right now. I can't believe he was never arrested and tried for the # he pulled. Now he's back in the public eye again cashing in on this Trump wiretap fiasco.

You may be right. If I remember rightly, you know about that stuff, yes? I don't, so I'll respect your more informed opinion.

I do wonder though if any malfeasance could be proven. For example, could it be defended as "Yeah, it works -- I can't help it if they expected more than promised," or maybe, "It really does work -- they just did it wrong," or something like that?

I keep thinking about that difference between "reasonable doubt" and a "preponderance" of the evidence.

Or maybe Comey will just say Montgomery didn't "intend" to defraud the government and compromise our security!!! (wink! wink!)

TRUMP WINS AGAIN.

Funny how his tweets keep coming true.

Well he has either got the 600 million page documents and the 6 usbs full of classified info about an orwellian surveillance state systematically breaking the law or not.

One to watch it could be that he has had his reputation damaged in the past deliberately to stop him bringing truth to light.

For a scam artist it would be either pretty brave or pretty stupid to want to testify at a senate intelligence hearing if you were a criminal?

Have you boys considered that Mr. Montgomery"s head is in a vice for reason ???
His credibility as well as motives are very questionable.
But, if he has something of worth, he'll deliver.
He doesn't have a choice in the matter.

Buck

originally posted by: oxford
Well he has either got the 600 million page documents and the 6 usbs full of classified info about an orwellian surveillance state systematically breaking the law or not.

Exactly.

One to watch it could be that he has had his reputation damaged in the past deliberately to stop him bringing truth to light.

Excellent point -- thank you. Sure wouldn't be the first time.

It isn't unreasonable to also wonder if his previous efforts weren't undermined by competition, conflicts of interest, and/or crony capitalism.

For a scam artist it would be either pretty brave or pretty stupid to want to testify at a senate intelligence hearing if you were a criminal?

Or blackmailed??? These are very serious and specific claims to make for a bluff...