Interviewed by Joe Lauria of Consortium News, Ritter and Henningsen (who runs 21st Century Wire and works with Mike Robinson at UK Column) discussed the emergence over the past year or more of an overt McCarthyism, police state operations against the so-called left. Ritter identified the NSPM7 (National Security Presidential Memorandum 7—Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence) issued by Trump in September 2025. He said this was an extension of the COINTELPRO of the 1960s and 70s,identified by EIR (at the time) as a coordination of FBI and ADL operations against both “right” and “left” wing operations, but essentially police state thought control. Ritter added that this operation exists today in the National Security Division of the FBI, adding that it was this unit which searched his home, “took everything,” and “debanked” him. Ritter attacked the Ukrainian/State Dept. CCD (Center for Countering Disinformation), blacklisting journalists as “information terrorists treated like jihadists.” “I was marked for death, the Ukrainian government told them to kill me, and they tried several times.” (most recently when he was visiting the Donbas during his latest trip to Russia-ed.)
The recent Rubio operation claiming a massive left-wing infiltration of the nation, blaming it on “communism” and Cuba in particular, is part of this, both Ritter and Henningsen said. Henningsen added it is connected to the claim of “right wing” operations also targeted in the US and in Europe, as with the anti-AfD (Alternative for Deutschland) and anti-LePen operations. This traces back to the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and some updating of that in the current year.
