A Curious Stack

    Part II – COINTELPRO 2.0: Old Tricks. New Toys

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    ghosts in the machine

    In the late ’60s, COINTELPRO was the FBI’s blunt instrument for controlling domestic dissent. They infiltrated civil rights groups, spread fake letters, smeared reputations, and manipulated the press. The point wasn’t just to catch criminals — it was to fracture movements, make people paranoid, and neutralize political opposition.

    When it was exposed in 1971, the nation swore it would never happen again. And yet — here we are.

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    september 2025: kirk’s murder and the rush to frame

    On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk was shot dead mid-speech in Utah. The murder was shocking. But what came next was even more telling: within hours, the administration and its allies were shaping the narrative — not around evidence, but around enemies.

    trump’s immediate blame game

    That very night, before a suspect had been publicly identified, Donald Trump took to the airwaves from the Oval Office. His remarks weren’t about uncertainty or caution. They were about blame:

    • He said Kirk’s killing was the product of “radical left political violence,” claiming that for years the Left had compared people like Kirk to Nazis and criminals — rhetoric Trump said was “directly responsible” for the murder. (WUSF)
    • He doubled down the next morning: “We have radical left lunatics out there and we just have to beat the hell out of them.” (Politico)

    At that point, the gunman was still at large. No motive had been established. The FBI had not named Tyler Robinson. Yet the narrative had already been set: the Left did it.

    That is the psyop logic of COINTELPRO in its purest form: assign blame before evidence, stigmatize entire communities, and let the public outrage fill in the blanks.

    the suspect, the evidence, the “transcript”

    Two days later, the FBI named Tyler Robinson, 22, as the suspect. His father reportedly recognized him in photos and called authorities. Prosecutors laid out their case:

    • DNA linked Robinson to a towel and screwdriver found near the scene.
    • A note expressing intent was recovered.
    • Investigators said they had Discord activity tied to Robinson.
    • Family members allegedly heard him confess.

    Then came the most controversial claim: prosecutors alleged that Robinson had messages with a possibly transgender partner, and that some records may have been reconstructed even after Robinson destroyed his phone. No physical “paper transcript” has been publicly produced.

    Whether such a transcript exists, and whether it’s reliable, remains untested in court. But politically, the allegation was obvious dynamite. It wasn’t just about Robinson. It was about framing queerness itself as suspicious and implicated in political violence.

    COINTELPRO once mailed Martin Luther King Jr. a forged letter urging suicide by exposing alleged infidelity. In 2025, prosecutors float contested “reconstructed texts” to smear not just a man, but an entire community. Same tactic. New packaging.

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    the scapegoating machine in action

    The administration’s line was clear: this wasn’t just a lone shooter; it was the inevitable outcome of leftist extremism and “radical gender ideology.” LGBTQ communities were dragged into the spotlight, blamed collectively. Progressive organizations were accused of “fostering” the climate of hate.

    This is how psyops work:

    • Then: Plant rumors inside movements to fracture trust.
    • Now: Leak alleged texts and make LGBTQ communities the villain.
    • Then: Infiltrate groups and push them toward paranoia.
    • Now: Flood social feeds with talking points that progressives and queers are inherently dangerous.

    The tactic hasn’t changed. Only the delivery system has.

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    the real danger

    The Kirk case is in court now. Tyler Robinson will stand trial. That’s the legal process.

    But outside the courtroom, the case is already being weaponized. The administration used it to smear progressives before there was a suspect. Prosecutors leaked contested evidence that paints queer identity as motive. Media outlets amplified soundbites without skepticism.

    That’s the civic danger: when tragedy becomes a propaganda tool. When grief is exploited to redraw the political battlefield. When psyops old and new merge into one seamless playbook.

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    what must be demanded

    • Evidence with provenance. Don’t leak “reconstructed transcripts” — show chain of custody.
    • Oversight with teeth. Congress and courts must audit how surveillance and leaks are being used in politically charged cases.
    • Media with backbone. Stop parroting claims before they’re tested.
    • Public with memory. The lesson of COINTELPRO is clear: psyops thrive when people forget the last one.

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    Stay curious.

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    sources

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