Ken Klippenstein

Ken Klippenstein is a national security reporter based in Madison, Wisconsin.

Saudi Arabia Using Law Firm Tied to Trump to Lobby U.S. for Nuclear Deal

Saudi Arabia has elicited the help King & Spalding, an influential law firm tied to the Trump administration, in a bid to secure US support for a nuclear program.

Ken Klippenstein
By Ken Klippenstein
U.S. President Donald Trump boards Air Force One for Israe from Saudi Arabial, the next stop in his international tour, at King Khalid International Airport, Monday, May 22, 2017, in Riyadh. (AP/Evan Vucci)

A law firm that reportedly has advised President Trump’s real estate empire registered last month to lobby the Trump administration as part of Saudi Arabia’s bid for U.S. approval for a civilian nuclear power program, federal documents show. King & Spalding, an international law firm headquartered in Atlanta that reportedly has worked for

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DEA Chief Admonishes Trump’s Endorsement Of Police Misconduct

Shadowproof obtained a memo by former DEA chief Chuck Rosenberg castigating Donald Trump following the President’s remarks encouraging police misconduct.

Ken Klippenstein
By Ken Klippenstein
Drug Enforcement Administration acting head Chuck Rosenberg is seated before a meeting of the Attorney General's Organized Crime Council and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Executive Committee to discuss implementation of the President's Executive Order 13773, at the Department of Justice, Tuesday, April 18, 2017, in Washington. (AP/Alex Brandon)

Former Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Chief Chuck Rosenberg resigned on October 1 but not before castigating President Donald Trump in an internal memo obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by Shadowproof. The July 29 memo, available to the public for the first time, opens with a reference to Trump’s exhortation that police not be “too

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FBI Can Neither Confirm Nor Deny Trump Tower Wiretap

The FBI’s response appears to be a reversal from its response to an earlier FOIA request, in which the Department of Justice stated that both FBI and NSDhave no records related to wiretaps

Ken Klippenstein
By Ken Klippenstein
In this March 16, 2016 photo,Trump Tower is shown in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

In response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed by Shadowproof, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said it “can neither confirm nor deny the existence of records” regarding a wiretap of Trump Tower. The FBI sent its response via email earlier this afternoon, hours before news broke that the United States government

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Charlottesville Police Were Warned Of Impending Violence Night Before Heather Heyer’s Death

University of Virginia professor Walt Heinecke emailed Charlottesville police chief describing violent confrontations that occurred as a result of “no police intervention” on the first day of the rally, he warned, “If this is a sign of things to come, the White supremacists will be violent tomorrow.”

Ken Klippenstein
By Ken Klippenstein
White Supremacist Chaos in Charlottesville Is Just the Beginning

A University of Virginia professor warned Charlottesville police of impending violence on the night before Heather Heyer’s death at the “Unite the Right” rally, according to documents obtained by Shadowproof under a Freedom of Information Act request. The documents include emails sent and received by the Charlottesville mayor, sheriff, and

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Emails Show Police Downplayed Threat Of Far-Right Groups In Charlottesville

Emails obtained under a Freedom of Information Act request show that UVA police were made aware of the impending threat of far-right groups, but downplayed the potential for violence, even turning down offers of assistance from other departments.

Ken Klippenstein
By Ken Klippenstein
State Police in riot gear guard Lee Park after a white nationalist demonstration was declared illegal and the park was cleared in Charlottesville, Va., Aug. 12, 2017. (AP/Steve Helber)

Shadowproof has obtained all emails sent from the University of Virginia’s (UVA) police chief during the “Unite the Right” rally under a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. The emails are dated August 11 and 12, and reveal UVA police chief Michael Gibson’s internal handling of the march that resulted in the death of counterprotester

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Shadowproof Obtains Musician Gil Scott-Heron’s FBI File

Scott-Heron was a renowned African-American poet and musician, perhaps most famous for his 1974 album, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.”

Ken Klippenstein
By Ken Klippenstein
A photo of the cover art for the LP 'The Revolution Will Not Be Televised". (Michael Brown/Flickr)

Shadowproof obtained 28 pages of FBI records regarding Gil Scott-Heron under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Born in Chicago in 1949, Scott-Heron was a renowned African-American poet and musician, perhaps most famous for his 1974 album, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.” The declassified records include a memo to the FBI Director

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Documents Reveal FBI Targeted Peace Institute Over Arms Questionnaire

“If you thought that there was a nest of spies somewhere trying to get information, is it very likely that they would do it by sending out a questionnaire? It’s an image of spying out of Monty Python.”

Ken Klippenstein
By Ken Klippenstein
Photo of Hellfire missiles being loaded onto a US military Reaper drone in Afghanistan by Staff Sgt. Brian Ferguson/U.S. Air Force

Published in partnership with Shadowproof. The FBI conducted an espionage investigation into the Stockholm International Peace Institute (SIPRI), a renowned arms monitoring group. According to documents obtained by Shadowproof under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the FBI began investigating SIPRI after the group sent a generic

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