The Continuing Newsworthiness of the Weird Kimberlin-Rauhauser Story

Posted on | December 2, 2012 | 19 Comments

Brett Kimberlin could have been sentenced to 230 years in federal prison

“Keep in mind that Rauhauser, by inciting Nadia Naffe’s lawsuit against Patterico, has obligated Patterico to avoid writing about this subject on advice of counsel, and Aaron Walker‘s attorneys have advised him likewise. So two of the bloggers most knowledgeable about what I call the Kimberlin-Rauhauser Axis are not in a position to tell readers what’s happening on that front. William Hoge has been keeping tabs on the court proceedings, but Rauhauser’s methodical cyberstalking required my special attention.”
— Robert Stacy McCain, Oct. 21

“It’s as if the whole matter is just being treated as a blogger war, as opposed to something that could have gotten multiple people killed.”
— Patrick “Patterico” Frey, Nov. 8

“I believe this to be reckless endangerment if not attempted murder. The intent there was to cause harm.”
— Aaron Walker, Nov. 27

When Neal Rauhauser’s blog went dark (and Neal’s pet Twitter troll, “Occupy Rebellion” went silent) Friday, it didn’t make big headlines — even most blogs ignored it — despite the fact that it involves one of the central figures in one of the most bizarre stories of the year.

Among the minor frustrations of covering this story has been the occasional accusation that I’ve gone down a rabbit hole, chasing an inconsequential controversy that boils down to “just a bunch of crazy people arguing on the Internet.” Yet the story remains every bit as newsworthy today, in early December, as it was on May 25, when it accounted for the top seven threads on Memeorandum.

As a matter of fact, with a key court date approaching Tuesday — when Prince William County Circuit Court Judge Richard B. Potter will hear several motions in the Virginia case of Walker v. Kimberlin, et al. — the story is now more newsworthy than ever. Furthermore, the possibly related incidents of “SWATtings” (which have targeted conservative bloggers including Patrick “Patterico” Frey) recently gained notice in the mainstream press:

• Nov. 8: “SWATting, a Deadly Political Game,” L.A. Weekly — A lengthy examination of Patterico’s July 1, 2011, SWATting, placing this potentially deadly hoax in its proper context, an act of revenge for Patterico’s blogging about the Anthony Weiner scandal.
• Nov. 27: “Celebrity ‘swatting’ problem may be tough to swat,” Los Angeles Times — Relating the SWATting phenomenon to a series of hoaxes against Miley Cyrus, Asthon Kutcher and other celebrities, as well as Patterico and Walker, the question is raised of what law enforcement can do to apprehend and prosecute those responsible.

So here we have a story with a celebrity angle and nationwide significance, related to the Anthony Weiner scandal, and also involving Brett Kimberlin, the infamous “Speedway Bomber” who gained notoriety for claiming to have sold drugs to a youthful Dan Quayle. In addition, this story involves the late Andrew Breitbart because, as I explained Nov. 24, Aaron Walker first came to Kimberlin’s attention after Walker was CC’d on an e-mail that liberal blogger Seth Allen (who had been sued by Kimberlin) sent to Breitbart last year. And, if all of that is not enough to make the story sufficiently interesting:

• Kimberlin’s associate Rauhauser is suspected of having provoked the bizarre online meltdown of former “Anonymous” spokesman Barrett Brown, who was arrested in September after threatening an FBI agent.
• Rauhauser and his associates Matt Osborne and Matt “Shoq” Edelstein were also involved in the conflict that disrupted the left-wing boycott campaign against Rush Limbaugh.
• Kimberlin, who served 17 years in federal prison, is the principle figure in two tax-exempt 501(c) organizations that have collected some $2 million in contributions since 2005, including donations from foundations connected to Barbra Streisand, George Soros, and the wife of Sen. John Kerry.
• Most recently, one of Kimberlin’s non-profits was mentioned in relation to a bogus claim that hackers had prevented Karl Rove from stealing the presidential election by taking down the Mitt Romney campaign’s “Orca” vote-counting operation. The key phrase “tidy little package” indicates this claim originated with Rauhauser.

The strange relationships between all these incidents and individuals could scarcely be sorted out and explained in a single blog post, but as confusing as it may be, the point is — as Patterico told L.A. Weekly‘s Simone Wilson — this isn’t just “a blogger war.”

The Internet is being used as a weapon of what Patterico has called “political terrorism.” Law enforcement seems indifferent to this threat to First Amendment freedoms, and a similiar indifference has been shown by many journalists and bloggers.

“It is very easy to decide ‘this isn’t any of my trouble’ and permit vicious behavior. . . . Who wants to get involved? Easier, and surely safer, just to duck one’s head and hide, and hope the danger visits someone else.”
— Ace of Spades, May 22

Over the past six months, the danger of which Ace spoke has been visited on many innocent law-abiding American citizens, some of whom had nothing to do with the Kimberlin story. Neal Rauhauser has boasted of his skill at playing “conflict cupid” with his enemies, and has evidently incited several vile creatures to join a sort of troll army, attacking not only those who have spoken out against Rauhauser’s client Kimberlin, but also anyone who has rallied to the defense of Kimberlin’s targets. Larry Sinclair, Bill Schmalfeldt and Brooks Bayne are among those who have assisted in sowing confusion, conflict, suspicion and fear around these targets. This is part of what I’ve called the “accuse the accusers” strategy and, as I said in September:

I am not deceived. I am not distracted. And I sure as hell ain’t afraid.

There was an election campaign to cover and so, except for the occasional mention of new developments, “The Kimberlin Files” were laid aside until that ended. Now I’m back on the story.

Aaron Walker’s lawsuit against Kimberlin, Rauhauser and Ron Brynaert aims to hold people accountable for their dangerous and harmful activities. The hearing Tuesday in Manassas, Virginia, will resolve several preliminary motions in that case:

• Kimberlin’s motion to dismiss the suit. Click here to read Walker’s response to that motion.
• Walker’s motion for a default judgment against co-defendant Neal Rauhauser, who has failed to respond to the suit.
• Walker’s motion for a default judgment against co-defendant Ron Brynaert, who has similarly failed to respond to the suit.
• Walker’s motion for sanctions against Kimberlin for his misconduct in the case, including leaks of discovery documents which Judge Potter ordered sealed at Kimberlin’s request.
• Kimberlin’s motion seeking a protective order from discovery. Click here to read Walker’s response to that motion.

Kimberlin’s conduct in the case, acting as his own attorney, has been decidedly weird. At one point in August (see “Exhibit J” here), Kimberlin sought to delay the case to Dec. 15 and e-mailed Walker’s attorney Dan Backer:

“I am cooperating with the FBI and other law enforcement officials regarding several issues involving your client and I believe that the resolution of those matters will have a bearing on this case.”

The idea that a notorious criminal like Kimberlin would be “cooperating with the FBI” is strange enough, but what “issues involving” Aaron Walker could be of interest the FBI?

My guess is that Kimberlin was talking about Rauhauser’s effort to depict Walker (along with Patterico, HB Gary, Jen Emick and others) as part of a conspiracy that exists only in Rauhauser’s twisted imagination. Rauhauser has been pushing this craziness for months. In February, it was the “Kookpocalypse“; a few months later, Rauhauser adapted the conspiracy theory to his false claim that Brandon Darby was to blame for the SWATtings. By September, Rauhauser (aka “Carlito2000”) was pushing this insanity at Barrett Brown.

If Kimberlin thought he could save himself the trouble of defending against a lawsuit by getting the feds to prosecute Walker based on Rauhauser’s false “Kookpocalypse” theory, wouldn’t that implicate Kimberlin in an attempt to obstruct justice? What other purpose could Rauhauser’s falsehoods serve, except to distract and confuse authorities investigating the SWATtings? And, as Patterico points out, why would Kimberlin plead the Fifth Amendment when asked what he knows about SWATting?

There are people who think they know the answers to those questions, just as there are people who think they know why Rauhauser’s blog suddenly went “dark” on Friday. Rather than supply the common-sense inferences — readers may connect the dots however they please — my main goal is to encourage journalists and bloggers to bring attention to this case as Tuesday’s hearing approaches.

More than six months after I canceled a planned trip to the G-8 Summit in order to cover this story, Walker’s lawsuit against Kimberlin promises to bring some sort of clarity (and, perhaps eventually, closure) to this savage tale. Reader contributions to The Shoe Leather Fund have permitted me to stay on this story despite every effort by Kimberlin and his henchmen to intimidate me into quitting, and I know readers don’t want me to quit now. So once again I remind you of the Five Most Important Words in the English Language:

HIT THE FREAKING TIP JAR!

 

 

 

 

THE KIMBERLIN FILES:

• May 17: Is Democrat Operative Neal Rauhauser an ‘Associate’ of Convicted Terrorist Brett Kimberlin? (And Why It Matters)
• May 17: Convicted Terrorist Brett Kimberlin Received $70,000 From Tides Foundation, $10,000 From Streisand, $20,000 from John Kerry’s Wife
• May 18: Who Warned Us About Brett Kimberlin?
• May 19: Domestic Terrorist Now Using ‘Lawfare’? Convicted Felon Kimberlin’s 501(c)3 Raised $1.8 Million in Six Years UPDATE: ‘Convicted of Perjury’
• May 20: Deadline Loometh, and the Raven Is Croaking Brett Kimberlin’s Name
• May 20: ‘Other Computer Savvy Activists’
• May 21: Never Doubt That God Answers Prayer
• May 22: Brett Kimberlin Saga Takes a Bizarre Turn, Forcing Me to Leave Maryland
• May 23: ‘He Has No F–king Soul’
• May 24: Lying Felon Can’t Stop Lying
• May 25: KimberlinFiles.org
• May 26: Kimberlin v. Walker Hearing Scheduled: 8:30 a.m. Tuesday in Rockville, Maryland
• May 27: Brett Kimberlin’s Heiress Aunt Helping Fund His Tax-Exempt Harassment
• May 27: ERICK ERICKSON GETS SWATTED
• May 28: Somebody Tell Nina Totenberg Her Buddy Brett Kimberlin Is Making News Again
• May 29: Matthew Vadum Talks Brett Kimberlin
• May 29: REPORT: Aaron Walker Arrested After Maryland Hearing on Kimberlin Case UPDATE: Walker Now Released
• May 31: Aaron Walker Court Hearing Confirms Kimberlin-Rauhauser Collaboration
• June 1: Radicals Justify Their Evil by Invoking Their Presumed Moral Superiority
• June 2: When Neal Rauhauser Complained About ‘Menacing’ and ‘Cyberstalking’
• June 3: The Profoundly Dishonest Brett Kimberlin
• June 3: Raw Story Disavows Ties to Kimberlin
• June 3: Inside Neal Rauhauser’s Twisted Mind
• June 4: ‘A Faint Whiff of Vigilante Hysteria’: Weinergate’s Kimberlin Connection
• June 5: Ali Akbar Says, ‘World War Three’
• June 5: Fear and Loathing on Capitol Hill: The GOP Caucus Is Decadent and Depraved
• June 6: Walker Files Appeal in Kimberlin Case; Ali Akbar Says: ‘We’re Not Stopping.’
• June 6: Sen. Saxby Chambliss Requests DOJ Investigate SWATting
• June 7: CNN Gets Scooped on Its Own Story UPDATE: ACLJ Joins the Fight!
• June 8: NATIONAL DAY OF BLOGGER SILENCE UPDATE: Remember Seth Allen
• June 8: @AceOfSpadesHQ BREAKS SILENCE: #BrettKimberlin’s Escalating Threat
• June 10: Brett Kimberlin, Neal Rauhauser, and Their Transparent Empire of Lies UPDATE: ‘Anonymous’ Connection
• June 11: Florida Rep. Sandy Adams Leads 85 House Republicans in ‘SWATting’ Letter
• June 11: #BrettKimberlin Says He Was ‘SWATted’; Why Do Maryland Cops Say Otherwise?
• June 11: HUGE! Neal Rauhauser’s Vicious Lies Exposed by Yet Another Leaked E-Mail
• June 12: ‘Team Kimberlin’ Meltdown Continues
• June 13: A High Time on the Low Road: Smears Target Brett Kimberlin’s Enemies List UPDATE: SWATting Supect ID’d?
• June 13: Time to Ask: What Did Brett Kimberlin Know and When Did He Know It?
• June 14: Patterico: ‘Certain Big Media Reporters Are Scared to Write About Kimberlin’
• June 14: ‘Real Reporter’ @NYT_JenPreston vs. Blogger @Prepostericity (Seth Allen)
• June 14: Neal Rauhauser’s Online Slander Factory
• June 15: Neal Rauhauser’s Game Plan Involving Velvet Revolution and Anonymous
• June 16: Team Kimberlin’s Busted Hustle Now Beginning to Unravel Rapidly UPDATE: Perhaps Not a Coincidence
• June 17: ‘Scrubbed’ Writings Show Kimberlin Associate Neal Rauhauser’s Obsessions
• June 18: The Kimberlin Files: Ali Akbar, the Fight for Liberty and … a Disturbing Silence
• June 19: Neal Rauhauser’s Criminal Complaint Against Blogger Greg W. Howard
• June 19: Neal Rauhauser: Internet Super-Spy!
• June 20: ‘Persona Management’ for Wackjobs: Rauhauser’s Methods of Deception
• June 21: Recording: Leader of Anti-Limbaugh Effort Brags About Obama Campaign Ties
• June 21: ‘Iowa Boy,’ ‘Stranded Wind’ and the Sadistic Personality of Neal Rauhauser
• June 22: E-Mails Expose MSNBC Host’s Involvement in #StopRush Boycott
• June 22: BREAKING: Motion Filed Seeking Federal Injunction on Behalf of Blogger
• June 23: Imani Gandy, #StopRush and Neal Rauhauser: Confirmation and Credibility
• June 23: Neal Rauhauser’s Bizarre Suspicions, and Profiling the (Hypothetical) ‘UnSub’
• June 24: The Silence of Mark Singer; Also: Kimberlin v. Walker Hearing Monday
• June 25: UPDATED: Aaron Walker Granted Emergency Order in Maryland Hearing, Calls Ruling ‘Important Victory’
• June 25: Aaron Walker SWATted?
• June 26: Conspiracy Theorist ‘Qritiq’ Conspires Against Neal Rauhauser’s Targets
• June 26: #TCOT #BrettKimberlin #SWATting Important Event 9:30 p.m. ET Tonight!
• June 27: Professor Glenn ‘Exhibit E’ Reynolds
• June 27: ‘The Gaped Crusader’: Brett Kimberlin Associate Neal Rauhauser Stalked and Taunted SWATting Victim Patrick Frey
• June 29: Convicted Perjurer Brett Kimberlin Has 8:30 a.m. Hearing in Maryland Today
• June 30: UPDATE: Lying Felon Brett Kimberlin Scores a Draw in Maryland Hearing
• July 1: ‘I Know This All Sounds Crazy, But …’
• July 2: Neal Rauhauser’s War on Women
• July 2: A Drawer Full of Sockpuppets: Another Neal Rauhauser ‘Persona’ Exposed
• July 3: Freedom Is Under Attack: Help the National Bloggers Club Fight Back
• July 12: Brett Kimberlin: ‘I Want to Be Left Alone’
• July 16: How’s Your Gaelic, Neal Rauhauser?
• Aug. 6: EXCLUSIVE: Kimberlin Associate Neal Rauhauser Accuses Brandon Darby of Fake SWAT Calls, ‘Obstruction of Justice’
• Aug. 10: Brett Kimberlin Will Have to Answer Questions Under Penalty of Perjury
• Aug. 19: Neal Rauhauser Again? Yet Another Conspiracy Theory Smear Emerges
• Sept. 2: Kimberlin-Rauhauser Axis Targets Romney Campaign Staffer Bill Murphy
• Sept. 17: The ‘Accuse the Accusers’ Strategy: Attempting to Explain Social Engineering
• Sept. 18: Walker v. Kimberlin Case Moves Forward
• Sept. 21: Exit, Lying: Smear Site Quits After Being Named Walker v. Kimberlin Defendant
• Sept. 22: Neal Rauhauser’s Crazy-Evil Obsession
• Sept. 24: The Best Revenge: Ohio-Bound
• Oct. 2: ‘Someone Trying to Breathe Life into a Three-Year Old Dead Horse’
• Oct. 20: Neal Rauhauser, Who Drove Barrett Brown Off the Deep End, Continues Unrelenting Harassment of His Targets
• Oct. 21: Your Honor, May I Direct the Court’s Attention to Exhibit J, Please? UPDATE: Who Is ‘Forced to Engage’?
• Oct. 23: Is ‘Jailhouse Lawyer’ Brett Kimberlin Heading to Grief in Virginia Case?
• Oct. 25: Neal Rauhauser, Fugitive?
• Oct. 26: Neal Rauhauser as Carlito2000: How Barrett Brown Went Down
• Nov. 2: E-MAIL TO LARRY SINCLAIR
• Nov. 4: Monsters on the Internet: Sociopathic Sadism and Bill Schmalfeldt’s Madness
• Nov. 19: UPDATE: Walker v. Kimberlin, Et Al. (Also: Why ‘Doxing’ Is Always Illegal)
• Nov. 20: Skepticism, Balance and Error: A Brief Note on Kimberlin-Rauhauser Apologists
• Nov. 23: @Karoli: Weiner Truther? And Other Questions of Remaining Interest
• Nov. 23: ‘Tidy’ and Other Rauhauser Signatures
• Nov. 24: Pray for Ten Thousand Angels
• Nov. 28: ‘Neal Sounded Weird’ — Did Rauhauser Interfere in a Texas Harassment Case?
• Nov. 28: U.S. District Court in Maryland Dismisses Walker v. Kimberlin Federal Lawsuit
• Nov. 30: Auto-Marginalization: @BrooksBayne Decides to Jew-Bait (!) Aaron Walker
• Nov. 30: Neal Rauhauser Goes Dark? UPDATE: Law Enforcement?

 

 

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