Scott Ritter, a former United States Marine Corps intelligence officer and United Nations weapons inspector, had his home raided last Wednesday in what he described as an intimidation tactic aimed at silencing his work as a journalist. The raid followed Ritter’s outspoken opposition to Washington’s foreign policy approach toward Russia and is reportedly part of an ongoing FBI investigation.
On August 7, FBI agents conducted a raid on Ritter’s property that lasted several hours. Local news photographers captured footage of law enforcement officers inspecting two vehicles in the former UN weapons inspector’s driveway. The FBI’s Evidence Recovery Team removed approximately two dozen boxes of material that they consider potential evidence. According to FBI spokesperson Sarah Ruane, the raid was executed as part of a continuing federal investigation.
In a statement given to reporters in front of his home after the raid, Ritter expressed concern about the implications of the FBI’s actions. “Things like this have a chilling effect on free speech. There’s no doubt that I’m being targeted because of statements I’ve made about US policy in Ukraine,” he said. Ritter further added, “I’m being targeted because I have made an effort to improve relations between the United States and Russia, to try to bring about arms control, to try to bring about peace. Apparently, somebody in the US government takes umbrage at this, so they executed a search warrant.”
Ritter claims that he is under investigation on suspicion of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) for allegedly failing to register as a foreign agent of the Russian government—a charge he vehemently denies, describing it as an intimidation tactic. Now working as a journalist who occasionally contributes articles to outlets like RT and Sputnik, Ritter stated in follow-up interviews that FBI agents informed him they had been investigating his case for years but had yet to produce evidence that would justify his arrest.
In June, Ritter’s passport was seized and revoked by the U.S. State Department at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport as he was about to board a plane to Istanbul, en route to St. Petersburg, Russia, to attend the International Economic Forum.
Individuals accused of violating FARA can face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. FARA, which evolved from Section 951 of the Espionage Act of 1917, was enacted in 1938 to compel “foreign agents” to register with the U.S. government. Originally used during World War II to combat Nazi German propaganda, the Act has seen renewed enforcement since the 2016 election of former U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Trump campaign faced repeated accusations of colluding with the Russian government. Despite extensive efforts to substantiate these claims and prosecute those involved, what is now referred to as “Russia Gate” has largely faded into obscurity in recent years.
There is, however, growing concern that the weaponization of anti-Russian sentiment in the United States could lead to politicized witch hunts, reminiscent of the infamous McCarthyism that targeted Left-wing activists for alleged collusion with the Soviet Union during the early decades of the Cold War.
Since the onset of the war in Ukraine, the European Union and the United Kingdom have aggressively moved to shut down Russian state-funded media outlets, including banning internet access to Russia Today’s (RT) website. Germany has gone even further by specifically targeting Leftist media platforms like RED Stream, accusing them of having ties to Moscow and running smear campaigns against their founders.
Over the past 10 months, Ritter has increasingly voiced his disapproval of Israeli foreign policy. Once a supporter of Israel, particularly under the leadership of former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Ritter has since shifted his stance, now advocating for the downfall of the Zionist state. However, Ritter does not believe that his criticism of Israel is the focus of the federal investigation against him. Instead, he asserts that the investigation is more likely related to his commentary on the Russia-Ukraine war and his efforts to persuade the U.S. to alter its current foreign policy stance.
There is growing concern that if the case against Ritter—who played a key role in debunking the U.S. Bush Jr. administration’s false claims about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the lead-up to the 2003 invasion—proceeds, it could set a dangerous precedent for a broader witch hunt against critics of American foreign policy.
Feature photo | Former United Nations Chief Weapons Inspector on Iraq Scott Ritter talks to readers during the presentation of his book Disarmament Race, dedicated to nuclear security, at the Pobeda Culture and Leisure Centre in Novosibirsk, Russia. Andrey Bortko | Sputnik via AP
Robert Inlakesh is a political analyst, journalist and documentary filmmaker based in London, UK. He has reported from and lived in the occupied Palestinian territories and hosts the show ‘Palestine Files’. Director of ‘Steal of the Century: Trump’s Palestine-Israel Catastrophe.’ Follow him on Twitter @falasteen47