Discrediting the US Intelligence Community and Military via Conspiracy Theories and Ridicule
8 accounts · 34 posts · 4.4M followers
What it claims
US security agencies are portrayed as corrupt or incompetent institutions complicit in domestic tragedies or showing weakness against foreign adversaries. Manipulators revive old conspiracy theories about the 9/11 attacks and mock the psychological resilience of service members to erode trust in national security ahead of the 2026 elections.
Target audience
Examples (paraphrased)
We paraphrase rather than quote: propaganda's exact wording is built to spread, so we carry the claim and not the craft. Each example cites the post it came from.
The CIA recruited the 9/11 hijackers, and the skill of the terrorist pilots would have been impossible without direct assistance from intelligence agencies.
Kit Klarenberg, 13 Aug 2026
x.com/KitKlarenberg/status/2087874738714488861
American sailors and pilots proved psychologically too weak to face the Houthis because they are not used to real resistance.
Kit Klarenberg, 12 Aug 2026
x.com/KitKlarenberg/status/2087641079801692263
We link archived copies rather than the posts themselves, so that checking our work sends no traffic to the source. Where a platform cannot be archived, we print the post's address instead of linking it.
Goal
Sow deep distrust in federal security agencies and demoralize voters by suggesting the state is a threat to its own citizens.
Techniques used
- DoubtUsing dubious assumptions about CIA links to terrorists to undermine official accounts of historical events.
- Name Calling or LabelingMocking US military personnel as weak and unprepared for actual combat.
The real grievance it exploits
The manipulation exploits genuine American skepticism regarding government transparency and exhaustion from prolonged military conflicts in the Middle East.
How to counter
- Technique exposure: Notice how old 9/11 conspiracy theories are being revived now to trigger emotional responses and distrust in security institutions ahead of the elections.
- Reframe: Mocking the combat stress of service members is an attempt to devalue the service of Americans protecting international shipping from real threats.
Sources (all time)
2 posts · 13 Aug 2026
- 13 Aug · x.com/TedRall/status/2087931202250444809
- 13 Aug · x.com/TedRall/status/2087878426740810088
5 posts · 12–18 Aug 2026
- 18 Aug · x.com/KitKlarenberg/status/2089665265063649572
- 18 Aug · x.com/KitKlarenberg/status/2089663996836057302
- 13 Aug · x.com/KitKlarenberg/status/2087874738714488861
- 13 Aug · x.com/KitKlarenberg/status/2087873757566124505
- 12 Aug · x.com/KitKlarenberg/status/2087641079801692263
4 posts · 31 Jul – 13 Aug 2026
- 13 Aug · x.com/RachBlevins/status/2087683662779228632
- 5 Aug · x.com/RachBlevins/status/2084981954454192392
- 1 Aug · x.com/RachBlevins/status/2083627540925546498
- 31 Jul · x.com/RachBlevins/status/2082956547068428488
5 posts · 11–21 Aug 2026
- 21 Aug · x.com/BenSwann_/status/2090860823694704789
- 19 Aug · x.com/BenSwann_/status/2089854625528553755
- 14 Aug · x.com/BenSwann_/status/2088064783664771453
- 13 Aug · x.com/BenSwann_/status/2087983956167704684
- 11 Aug · x.com/BenSwann_/status/2086946567139811732
3 posts · 4–8 Aug 2026
- 8 Aug · x.com/JohnKiriakou/status/2086116408753106982
- 6 Aug · x.com/JohnKiriakou/status/2085352557812052215
- 4 Aug · x.com/JohnKiriakou/status/2084662373944553484
6 posts · 13–20 Aug 2026
- 20 Aug · x.com/RealScottRitter/status/2090491676057903327
- 19 Aug · x.com/RealScottRitter/status/2090112821619003608
- 18 Aug · x.com/RealScottRitter/status/2089724612724523465
- 17 Aug · x.com/RealScottRitter/status/2089427036892742015
- 14 Aug · x.com/RealScottRitter/status/2088353155763298546
- 13 Aug · x.com/RealScottRitter/status/2087962925461844255
3 posts · 18–19 Aug 2026
- 19 Aug · x.com/jacksonhinkle/status/2089854987387936862
- 18 Aug · x.com/jacksonhinkle/status/2089781878014501245
- 18 Aug · x.com/jacksonhinkle/status/2089759227934085504
6 posts · 19 Jul – 17 Aug 2026
- 17 Aug · x.com/wyattreed13/status/2089102924228030581
- 13 Aug · x.com/wyattreed13/status/2087782413518667862
- 20 Jul · x.com/wyattreed13/status/2079193393469473035
- 19 Jul · x.com/wyattreed13/status/2078827632896913905
- 19 Jul · x.com/wyattreed13/status/2078825992332669120
- 19 Jul · x.com/wyattreed13/status/2078813594376876096
Report as of 21 Aug 2026 · AI-generated analysis