FBI paid racist blogger Hal Turner for help
Johnny Asia
Turner's FBI connections began in 2003 with the Newark-based Joint
Terrorism Task Force and continued on and off until this year,
according to the newspaper. He claims his postings and other
inflammatory statements were part of an undercover operation to ferret
out violent left-wing radicals.
http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20091130/ap_on_hi_te/us_blogger_threats
Report: FBI paid controversial NJ blogger for help
* Posted on - Mon Nov 30, 2009 8:22AM EST
TRENTON, N.J. -
A New Jersey blogger about to stand trial on charges he made death
threats against federal judges apparently was paid by the FBI in its
battle against domestic terrorism, according to a published report.
The Record of Bergen County reported Sunday that Hal Turner received
thousands of dollars from the FBI to report on neo-Nazis and white
supremacist groups and was sent undercover to Brazil.
Turner also claims the FBI coached him to make racist, anti-Semitic
and other threatening statements on his radio show, but the newspaper
also found many federal officials were concerned that his audience
might follow up on his violence rhetoric.
The newspaper reviewed numerous government documents, e-mails, court
records and almost 20 hours of jailhouse interviews with Turner.
He goes on trial Tuesday in New York, accused of making death threats
against three Chicago-based federal appeals judges after saying in
Internet postings in June the judges "deserve to be killed" because
they had refused to overturn handgun bans in Chicago and suburban Oak
Park.
The postings included the photos and work addresses of the judges �
Richard Posner, Frank Easterbrook, and William Bauer � along with a
picture of the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in downtown Chicago and
notations indicating the placement of "anti-truck bomb barriers."
Turner's FBI connections began in 2003 with the Newark-based Joint
Terrorism Task Force and continued on and off until this year,
according to the newspaper. He claims his postings and other
inflammatory statements were part of an undercover operation to ferret
out violent left-wing radicals.
His lawyer, Michael Orozco, has subpoenaed Chris Christie, the former
U.S. Attorney for New Jersey and the state's governor-elect, to
testify on Turner's behalf.
In an affidavit filed with the subpoena, Orozco says Christie knew of
Turner's activities between 2002 and 2008 while Christie held his
federal post. Orozco says Christie issued a letter saying he would not
prosecute Turner for his statements.
It was not known whether Christie would be called to testify.
He said last week that he had not yet seen the subpoena, but said "any
advice I gave as U.S. attorney regarding prosecutions is something I
am not going to talk about publicly."
Federal prosecutors and FBI officials declined comment on Turner's
claims.
"We do not comment on matters before the courts, and will not address
Mr. Turner's allegations in the press," said Weysan Dun, who runs the
FBI's Newark field office.
Turner said he feels double-crossed by the bureau after his June
arrest.
But other documents show federal agents growing more anxious about his
extremist views while valuing his ties to right-wing hate groups, the
newspaper said. It noted one memo that stated Turner "has proven
highly reliable and is in a unique position to provide vital
information on multiple subversive domestic organizations."
In a separate case, Turner was charged with "inciting injury to
persons" for urging blog readers to "take up arms" against Connecticut
lawmakers who proposed legislation to give Roman Catholic lay members
more control over parish finances.
___
Information from: The Record of Bergen County.
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