A Man Charged in the U.S. Capitol Riot Worked for the FBI, His Lawyer Says

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Time

BY ALANNA DURKIN RICHER AND MICHAEL BALSAMO / AP FEBRUARY 8, 2021 9:50 PM EST

WASHINGTON — A man who authorities say is a leader of the far-right Oath Keepers militia group and helped to organize a ring of other extremists and led them in the attack last month at the U.S. Capitol has held a top-secret security clearance for decades and previously worked for the FBI, his attorney said Monday.

Thomas Caldwell, who authorities believe holds a leadership role in the extremist group, worked as a section chief for the FBI from 2009 to 2010 after retiring from the Navy, his lawyer, Thomas Plofchan, wrote in a motion urging the judge to release him from jail while he awaits trial.

The defense said Caldwell, who has denied being part of the Oath Keepers, has held a top-secret security clearance since 1979, which required multiple special background investigations, according to Plofchan. Caldwell also ran a consulting firm that did classified work for the U.S. government, the lawyer said.

“He has been vetted and found numerous times as a person worthy of the trust and confidence of the United States government, as indicated by granting him Top Secret clearances,” Plofchan wrote.

Most section chiefs within the FBI rise through the ranks of the bureau and it is unclear whether Caldwell would’ve been directly hired for that position or whether he held any other positions with the bureau. The FBI did not immediately comment Monday evening and Caldwell’s lawyer didn’t immediately answer questions about his client’s work.

Caldwell is one of three people authorities have described as Oath Keepers who were charged last month with conspiracy and accused of plotting the attack on the Capitol in advance. He has been locked up since his arrest at his home in Berryville, Virginia, on Jan. 19.



Read more: https://time.com/5937535/us-capitol-riot-fbi-oath-keepers/

[Fiendish Thingy]

1. I'm guessing he won't have his security clearance for much longer...nt

[lagomorph777]

24. He'd better not!

It takes very little to lose a clearance (unless you're a Trump or Kushner).

[C_U_L8R]

2. Division Q, no doubt.

[Marthe48]

32. X Files

What is on tv, should stay on tv!

[Wawannabe]

3. Damn

Damn them all for doing this!

[magicarpet]

4. His future seems trashed.

Flip burgers maybe ?

[lagomorph777]

25. Stamp license plates.

[truthisfreedom]

5. Was he present during the insurrection? Did he enter the building?

[Leghorn21]

7. Absolutely, t -- he's an oathkeeper, busted along with these two cohorts

I cannot find a photo of him, but OH YEAH, he was there

Article:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/thomas-caldwell-oath-keepers-capitol-attack-plot/

[MustLoveBeagles]

6. K&R

[Deuxcents]

8. Say it isn't so

Why? I just wanna understand why. How can we change this? It cannot be ignored.

[NBachers]

9. There should be higher standards expected for people like this, if true. And higher penalties.

[Ford_Prefect]

10. I'm not buying it. He wouldn't be the first law enforcement agent to have turned against

established authority. As noted above and seen in print there are more than a few former police and military people who were in on or supporting the Jan. 6th events. The immediate evidence of his actions are what should bear on his release and any charges.

[Dem2theMax]

11. Ooops. There goes the rest of his life.

Hopefully.

[Tactical Peek]

12. Robert Hanssen held a FBI top secret clearance, too. Aldrich Ames had TS clearance, too.

They will both remain in a U.S. prison until they die.

If you can't do the time, Tommy, then don't do the crime.

[OldBaldy1701E]

27. Exactly! (n/t)

[oasis]

36. Good point

[PSPS]

13. LOL. Assuming this is true, "he's an FBI agent gone bad, your honor, so let him free."

[tiptonic]

14. Mexico

Maybe he wants to go to Mexico.

[ellie]

15. Wow

I hope he enjoys prison

[Crash2Parties]

16. A number of current law enforcement & armed services participated

Particularly those in the CSPOA / Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association have ensured that being part of American law enforcement sadly no longer holds the same cachet it once did.

[Duppers]

17. Someone posted here not long ago

About the high probability of many law enforcement people being, not just repub, but solidly far rightwing crazy.

[Jetheels]

18. Here's a link to Caldwell's arrest warrant/ criminal complaint...a lot more detailed than article...

https://www.justice.gov/opa/page/file/1356326/download

[milestogo]

19. Either he changed or they never really knew him.

[bucolic_frolic]

20. I don't want to recognize it

They have located the swamp.

[UpInArms]

21. Related: Man charged in Capitol riot worked for FBI, lawyer says

Charging documents show messages between Caldwell and the others about arranging hotel rooms in the Washington area in the days before the siege. In one Facebook message from to Caldwell, one the others says: “Will probably call you tomorrow … mainly because … I like to know wtf plan is. You are the man COMMANDER.”

Authorities say the Oath Keepers communicated during the attack about where lawmakers were. At one point during the siege, Caldwell received a message that said “all members are in the tunnels under the capital,” according to court documents. “Seal them in turn on gas,” it said.

Other messages read: “Tom all legislators are down in the Tunnels 3floors down” and “go through back house chamber doors facing N left down hallway down steps,” according to court documents.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-charged-capitol-riot-worked-fbi-lawyer-says-n1257121

If this guy can be vetted ... who else like this is in the FBI?

[dawn frenzy adams]

22. Not surprised.

I never thought of the FBI or any federal, state, city, law enforcement agency, as anything else- other than right-wing.

[Nay]

31. Thank you. I worked for years with several sets of LE -- feds, staties, sheriffs, etc., and

many are majorly right-wing. Some of them are smart enough to not have "88" tattooed on their necks, but they are still total sympathizers.

[Evolve Dammit]

33. my experience as well

[msfiddlestix]

23. White Supremacists infestation throughout our Entire Government

And this is the issue that has to be addressed within the Law Enforcement Agencies throughout our Government, our Military, our entire Justice System.

"He has been vetted and found numerous times as a person worthy of the trust and confidence of the United States government, as indicated by granting him Top Secret clearances,” Plofchan wrote.

[rso]

26. Oathkeeper

I speak from experience, and there is absolutely no way that a GS-12 would hold an FBI Section Chief job, a senior position within the Bureau. Even first-line supervisory Agents are GS-14, so there is no way he was a Section Chief or even Agent for that matter.

[LeftInTX]

35. The WaPo says his lawyer is claiming this:

But Caldwell’s attorney, Thomas K. Plofchan, says he isn’t just a retired lieutenant commander. Caldwell also had a top-secret security clearance and served as a section chief for the FBI after leaving the armed forces in 2009, Plofchan said.

Those details were revealed in a motion filed Monday asking a judge to release Caldwell from custody, citing his long military career and ability to pass vetting for the high-security clearance. His attorney also said that Caldwell has disabilities from his military service that would have prevented him from storming the Capitol.

The FBI did not immediately return an inquiry late Monday about Caldwell’s past employment status. Caldwell’s filing, which says he was paid as a GS-12, does not explain how he could have served as an FBI section chief while also being classified at a significantly lower federal pay scale than typically comes with such a position.

The claims about Caldwell’s high-security clearance and FBI service add to concerns about extremism in the military and law enforcement. The indictments against numerous alleged rioters with military and police connections have led local agencies to open investigations and the Pentagon to order each military branch to dedicate time to addressing the problem in the coming months.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/02/09/capitol-riot-oath-keeper-fbi/

Emphasis on "had"...Still who knows???

One would think that a security clearance is terminated when an employment is terminated.

When one reads about Caldwell, after he retired, he had failed spinal surgery in 2010....All these things happen to people once they are no longer employed. Now he is a guy with lots of free time and lots of time to "play" with his security clearance......

And if the FBI is keeping these clearances after employment, then something is very wrong....Very disturbing if this is true...

[OldBaldy1701E]

28. Yeah

The defense said Caldwell, who has denied being part of the Oath Keepers, has held a top-secret security clearance since 1979...

**Looks at the US government over the past 60 years.**

Yeah... and this proves...?

[Ingersollman]

29. All

the more reason NOT to let that sedionist bastard out of jail. With all he knows he is undoubtedly a flight risk.

[Xipe Totec]

30. "You may not know it but this man is a spy

He's a undercover agent for the FBI
And he's been sent down here to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan!"

He was still bent over holding on to his knee
But everybody else was looking and listening to me
And I laid it on thicker and heavier as I went

I said, "Would you believe this man has gone as far
As tearing Wallace stickers off the bumpers of cars
And he voted for George McGovern for President"

"Well he's a friend of them long haired hippy-type, pinko fags!
I bet you he's even got a commie flag
Tacked up on the wall inside of his garage"
"He's a snake in the grass, I tell you guys
He may look dumb but that's just a disguise
He's a mastermind in the ways of espionage"

- Uneasy Rider
Charlie Daniels Band

[Stuart G]

34. Thank You for Posting..Great Article...

[intheflow]

37. Yeah, vetting via the ol' White-Men's Boys Club isn't going to cut it any more.

They didn't know about him and his racism because they didn't screen for it. That's just a bullshit defense.

[cntrfthrs]

38. I think its total bullshit...

If he was actually who he claims to be, he wouldnt be all over the news. the FBI would have seen to that...