FBI Raids NY Home of Former UN Weapons Inspector

Facts

• The FBI raided the upstate NY home of former chief weapons inspector in Iraq Scott Ritter on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters outside his home, Ritter said the raid was part of a federal investigation into alleged violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).^[1]
• This comes after Ritter, who has been critical of the US government's policies toward Moscow, had his passport confiscated by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) while he was headed to a conference in Russia. He claimed CBP agents told him they were ordered to do so by the State Department.^[2][3]
• In the 1990s, Ritter served as a weapons inspector for the UN as part of an investigation into whether the then-Saddam Hussein regime was developing weapons of mass distruction (WMDs). He accurately predicted the US would not find any WMDs.^[2][1]
• Ritter has also been convicted twice of sexual misconduct. In 2001, he tried to meet with a police officer who was pretending to be a 16-year-old girl — the case was dismissed and sealed. In 2011, he was caught performing sexual activities on a webcam in front of another undercover cop pretending to be 15.^[2]
• When his sealed 2001 case reappeared in 2003, Ritter claimed it was a smear campaign due to his vocal opposition to the US invasion of Iraq. He believes the current federal investigations are also tactics being used to intimidate him.^[2][4]

Sources: ^[1]New York Post, ^[2]Timesunion, ^[3]FOX News and ^[4]TASS.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by The Daily Beast. Scott Ritter has certainly fallen from grace since his time as a weapons inspector. After being convicted as a child sex offender, he's chosen a new career as a Russian propagandist. Between his past legal troubles and his repeated visits to Russia to prop up Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, it makes complete sense that the FBI would have reason to suspect further criminality.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by AntiWar. Scott Ritter's previous run-in with the law has nothing to do with the FBI's recent attacks. Ritter is being persecuted by the US government for speaking out against Washington's continued push for war with Russia. While AIPAC is allowed to freely support the Israeli government without registering under FARA, Ritter has been targeted for simply promoting diplomacy between the US and Russia.