The Air Force Inspector General will investigate the use of of surveillance planes to monitor Black Lives Matter Protestors in D.C. and Minneapolis earlier this month, the New York Times reported.
Another pesky inspector general to can. The investigation will be turned over to an acting inspector general, ex-PFC Wintergreen.
Quo vadis indeed.
Presumably, the investigation will focus on DOJ, right?
Cut to the chase.
One plane deployed to Minneapolis was flown by Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL)
Wait, what? Is this a real thing? A member of the United States House of Representatives was deployed by the Air Force to pilot a surveillance mission against American citizens exercising their First Amendment rights?
“Protected?” From what? Words? Special Ops in vests, with guns, clubs, gas, surveillance aircraft, and helos, against the words of a kaffeeklatsch of peaceful demonstrators? Kinzinger is a wanker. He should hold his breath waiting for a “retraction”.
Yeah that’s what got me too. And Adam doesn’t seem to be phased at this.
Okay. Now, someone file a FOIA so we can see all the footage they took and listen to ground-air comms. Definitely want to see and hear Rep. Kinzingers’
Yeah, I really really really need to see some reporting on this. It ain’t no casually tossed-in fact. Not that I have any reason to doubt the always excellent Josh K.
Do you think that there will be someone mentioning the “Patriot Act”?
I thought Gov Wolf denied PA Nat’l Guard troops to be sent down there?
What elite unit???
Did Kinzinger fly that TYPE of plane in a past life? Or did he actually perform the mission detailed in the report. TPM clarify please…
The more facts come out about this thing, the fishier it smells. The who, what, why, where, when, and how could be pretty interesting and damning when it comes out.
National Guard.
Wisconsin Air National Guard, to be precise.
Not the first time, either: I recall his being deployed last year on the border with Mexico.
He’s a lieutenant colonel, I believe.
Well yeah, I know all that. I’m talking specifically about being deployed to pilot a surveillance mission aimed at protesters in the streets of Minneapolis, which seems rather obviously outrageous and problematic.
Sure, but I guess it’s the Wisconsin Air National Guard that would know exactly what orders were issued – and if they were obeyed.
I’m not prepared to accept the paraphrase in the TPM article or any paraphrase derived from it. The Air Force Inspector General is investigating. Let’s see what surfaces.
From the NYT article:
Representative Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican who is also an RC-26 pilot in the Wisconsin Air National Guard, said he flew two night missions this month in support of domestic law enforcement officials in Minneapolis, sending real-time video feeds to the authorities on the ground.
In a telephone interview, Mr. Kinzinger said the aircraft were activated at the request of Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota to help provide the authorities with a bird’s-eye view of any potential threats on the ground moving toward National Guard troops or buildings that they were protecting.
The NYT article also states that Pa Gov Wolfe (who said no PA Nat Guard troops would be sent to DC), sent 7 NG troops to DC to supposedly monitor these surveillance planes and keep them from crashing into commercial traffic.
This is insane. There is no reason in the world that state and local police agencies could not do their own damn air reconnaissance. It’s like deploying an active-duty M1 Abrams platoon to work crowd control.
The nascent Punto Junta appears to be underway.
Is anyone else wondering how an Illinois gop is also a pilot in the Wisconsin Air National Guard? How does that work, exactly? I thought he had to actually be a resident of the state he represented and had to be a resident of the state for National Guard purposes. What is up with all this?