Many, many many people have asked me if I have seen this story, so I think I’ll post it. (As some of you know, I’m still in litigation with him. Yes, still.) There’s much more to the story than what I quote here, so read the whole thing; this is just a teaser.

The piece revolves around the efforts of a fellow named Yoni Ariel to get leftists or Big Media (but I repeat myself) interested in an anti-Trump story that turns out to be based on documents that several media organizations have concluded were forged. The story, at BuzzFeed, is titled The 1.6 Billion Dollar Hoax. The involvement of Jason Leopold as a contributor to the story makes me wary, so caveat lector. Brett Kimberlin makes his appearance here:

Ariel, intrigued, decided he would need help paying for trips to Rome to acquire the documents and also with authenticating them. A string of contacts, including the chairman of Democrats Abroad France, and a former Democratic National Committee operative in Washington, DC, eventually led Ariel to Brett Kimberlin, a left-wing political activist who is also notorious as a felon convicted of setting off bombs in the American heartland.

A string of contacts eventually led Ariel to Brett Kimberlin, a left-wing political activist who is also notorious as a felon convicted of setting off bombs in the American heartland.

In September 1978 a series of homemade explosive devices blew up in Speedway, Indiana, including one that maimed a Vietnam veteran who later fell into a deep depression and killed himself.

Kimberlin was convicted of planting all of them and spent a total of 17 years in federal prison for that and other crimes, including drug conspiracy and impersonating a federal officer.

In 1988, while still behind bars, he famously claimed that he sold marijuana to a young Dan Quayle when the vice presidential candidate was a law student in Kimberlin’s hometown.

Kimberlin’s story and his claims that powerful people in Washington, DC, were silencing him won over New Yorker writer Mark Singer, who penned a sympathetic profile. But four years later, when Singer turned that article into the book Citizen K: The Deeply Weird American Journey of Brett Kimberlin, the author concluded that Kimberlin’s story about Quayle was a lie.

Kimberlin appears to have had lots of cash to use to fly this Ariel fella around from place to place:

Ariel recalled that he contacted Kimberlin, who then arranged for him to travel to Washington. Ariel had been sounding alarm bells about Russia’s meddling in the presidential campaign so, he said, Kimberlin wanted him to meet people on Capitol Hill. Kimberlin covered the cost of the trip, according to Ariel.

Ariel had not yet seen the documents at that time, but what he did know about them seemed like exactly the sort of thing Kimberlin was interested in digging up. When told about them, Kimberlin quickly agreed to finance Ariel’s efforts to acquire them, according to Ariel and two people with knowledge of the arrangement.

Kimberlin ultimately covered the costs for Ariel to travel to Rome three times, Ariel said. On the first trip, just before Christmas, Pasetti showed him portions of the documents; on the second trip, a price was negotiated; and on the last one Ariel actually purchased the documents. The $9,000 payment was also covered by Kimberlin, according to Ariel and the two people familiar with the arrangement.

Reached Sunday evening at his home in Maryland, Kimberlin declined to discuss the documents or his relationship with Ariel.

“I don’t want to be part of this story. It has nothing to do with me. I have nothing to say,” Kimberlin said.

So there you have it.

[Cross-posted at The Jury Talks Back.]

[guest post by Dana]

This is so not what the Secret Service wants to be in the news for:

A laptop computer containing floor plans for Trump Tower and other national security information was stolen from a Secret Service agent’s vehicle in New York City on Thursday, a law enforcement official told ABC News.

The agency confirmed that an agency-issued laptop was stolen, but it did not offer details on its contents. The Secret Service did say the stolen laptop itself could not have contained classified material but could have been used to access such material on a server.

In addition to the laptop, the thief made off with official Secret Service lapel pins, according to law enforcement sources with knowledge of the matter.

…

The computer is encrypted and authorities are able to wipe the hard drive remotely if needed.

The device, which belonged to a female Secret Service agent, was stolen during a break-in in Brooklyn, New York, law enforcement sources said. The burglary happened Thursday morning at 8:40 a.m. in the Bath Beach section of Brooklyn.

Here is the official statement from the Secret Service:

(Washington, D.C.) The U.S. Secret Service can confirm that an employee was the victim of a criminal act in which our Agency issued laptop computer was stolen.

Secret Service issued laptops contain multiple layers of security including full disk encryption and are not permitted to contain classified information.

An investigation is ongoing and the Secret Service is withholding additional comment until the facts are gathered.

The Secret Service requests anyone with information regarding this crime to please contact the New York Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service New York Field Office.

And contrary to popular reports, ABC News is reporting that “the Secret Service did not investigate Clinton’s emails and there would have been no reason for such information to be on a Secret Service laptop.”

Oh, and there’s this: That female agent who “was the victim of a criminal act,” had left the laptop in a backpack. On the car seat. In Brooklyn. New York City.

Also, another mishap involving the Secret Service happened just one week ago, when a young man from California jumped over the fence surrounding the White House:

Washington police identified the intruder as 26-year-old Jonathan Tran of Milpitas, Calif. When approached by a Secret Service officer on the south grounds about 11:38 p.m. Friday and asked whether he had a pass authorizing him to be in the restricted area, Tran replied, “No, I am a friend of the president. I have an appointment,” the police report said.

Asked how he got there, he said he “jumped the fence.”

The Secret Service said in a statement that the intruder, whom it did not identify, had climbed an outer perimeter fence near the Treasury Department and East Executive Avenue. He was arrested without further incident and no hazardous materials were found in his backpack, the agency said.

Yesterday, we found out that the intruder was on the grounds for quite some time before being arrested:

A new Secret Service timeline of the incident revealed the fence jumper scaled the first barrier at about 11:21 p.m. on March 10 — and wasn’t arrested until 11:38 p.m.

The Washington Metropolitan Police Department identified the man as Jonathan Tran, 26, of Milpitas, Calif. He is charged with entering or remaining in restricted grounds while using or carrying a dangerous weapon.

President Trump was in the residence at the time but was not threatened, the Secret Service said.

Further:

The Secret Service said in a statement that the intruder breached a 5-foot outer perimeter fence and scaled an 8-foot vehicle gate to gain entry.

The agency stressed the intruder never made it inside White House.

Well, that’s a relief.

(Cross-posted at The Jury Talks Back.)

–Dana