BELLINGCAUGHT
By Aaron Mate, The Grayzone.
March 27, 2021 | EDUCATE!
Who Is The Mysterious Author Of Bellingcat's Attacks On OPCW Whistleblower?
After publishing fraudulent claims in a bid to smear OPCW whistleblowers,
Bellingcat has been caught in another subterfuge that contradicts its stated
allegiance to "transparency and accountability": a hidden, external author
writing its material.
The website Bellingcat promotes itself as a collective of digital sleuths
who "pledge allegiance to truth and evidence and abide by the principles of
transparency and accountability." Its self-described "groundbreaking
investigations," especially those aimed at Russia and Syria, have led to
fawning Western media endorsements of its claim to be an "intelligence
agency for the people."
But Bellingcat's carefully crafted public image as an "open source" outlet
is belied by its extensive NATO government ties and a conspicuous pattern of
conduct in line with its state sponsors' interests. Bellingcat has hauled in
grants from the National Endowment for Democracy, a US government-funded CIA
cutout. Leaked documents reported by The Grayzone revealed that Bellingcat
has collaborated with a UK Foreign Office operation that aims to "weaken
Russia."
Bellingcat has also been a regular source of interventionist material on
Syria, the target of a decade-long, multi-billion dollar proxy war waged by
the US, UK, and their allies. This includes participating in a nearly
two-year campaign to whitewash a scandal at the Organisation for the
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) - one of the most shocking and
well-documented pro-war deceptions since the lead-up to the 2003 invasion of
Iraq.
A series of leaks has exposed how top OPCW officials censored findings which
undermined US-led allegations of a Syrian government chemical weapons attack
in the city of Douma in April 2018. Together with its NATO state sponsors,
Bellingcat has worked to bury the cover-up and denigrate two OPCW
whistleblowers who challenged it from the inside.
Bellingcat's disinformation efforts resulted in an embarrassing debacle late
last year, when the outlet was caught publishing fraudulent material about
one of the dissenting OPCW scientists.
Now, emails obtained by The Grayzone reveal that Bellingcat has engaged in
more subterfuge than was previously known.
Messages sent months before the "Bellingcat Investigation Team" released its
bogus article show that Bellingcat was not the sole author of the
now-discredited piece published in its name. It also was not the first one.
The communications show that someone outside the Bellingcat organization
composed portions of the fraudulent material that ultimately appeared on
Bellingcat's website. An external author even drafted questions that
Bellingcat sent to multiple recipients. Bellingcat's duplicitous conduct
took place in the midst of a poorly coordinated effort involving HuffPost UK
and the BBC - two outlets that also enjoy close ties to the British state.
The target of the Bellingcat-led smear campaign is Dr. Brendan Whelan, a
16-year OPCW veteran and member of the mission that deployed to Syria in
April 2018 to investigate the alleged chemical attack in Douma.
The Douma team failed to find any evidence of chemical weapons use,
shattering the pretext for the US, UK, and French airstrikes on Damascus
that same month. But the investigators' original report was doctored and
suppressed, an act of censorship that Whelan protested in an email which was
subsequently leaked along with other damning internal OPCW documents.
The leaks also revealed how the Douma inspectors were sidelined from the
probe following Whelan's protest, leading to a final report that excluded
their critical findings. That report, released in March 2019, reached the
unsupported conclusion that there were "reasonable grounds" to believe that
chlorine gas was used in Douma, aligning with the US-led narrative of Syrian
government culpability.
Last October, over a year after the cover-up became public, Bellingcat
claimed to have obtained a "draft version" of an OPCW letter sent to Whelan
that disproved all of his concerns. The Grayzone quickly demonstrated that
Bellingcat's "letter" was a sham.
When The Grayzone obtained the real OPCW letter sent to Whelan, it contained
none of Bellingcat's distorted text. The Bellingcat letter claimed that new
scientific "methods" had found "chlorinated pinene compounds" in Douma wood
samples that proved chlorine gas use. It also stated that Russia and Syria
had secretly accepted the OPCW's conclusions. However, the OPCW's own
published documents undermined both assertions.
Bellingcat has refused to explain the fraud that it perpetrated. Nick
Waters, a Bellingcat staffer who was directly involved in producing the
anonymously bylined story, deleted embarrassing tweets in which he gloated
about his fake scoop. Since then, Waters has ignored queries from The
Grayzone.
Bellingcat has now been caught in another act of deception.
Identical Typos Reveal Bellingcat's Hidden Author
Emails obtained by The Grayzone show that at least eight months before
Bellingcat published its fraudulent article impugning the OPCW
whistleblower, a staffer for HuffPost UK pursued the same story. He is Chris
York, a writer responsible for a consistent stream of attacks on prominent
critics of the official story of Syrian government responsibility for a
chemical attack in Douma - an odd niche for a reporter who scarcely
mentioned Syria before 2017.
In one such email, York claimed to be on the verge of publication. Then, for
some reason, he pulled back.
Bellingcat not only published the story that York claimed he was about to
release, but used text that was identical to his in their final product.
In its October 2020 article, Bellingcat quoted the letter that it claimed
the OPCW had leaked. A side-by-side comparison of Bellingcat's transcription
of the letter in its article to the screenshot of the letter that it also
published reveals two errors: a typographical error, and an omission of one
definite article that appears in the original screenshot.
These errors were not made by Bellingcat. Instead, three months earlier, on
July 27, Chris York of HuffPostUK sent an email to Wikileaks containing the
same two errors in otherwise identical text. This can be seen by comparing
York and Bellingcat's text to Bellingcat's screenshot:
. Bellingcat's screenshot says "developed methods for analysing wood"; by
comparison, Bellingcat's article, like York's email, says "developed methods
or analysing wood."
. Bellingcat's screenshot says "different types of wood in the signatures of
the chlorinated compounds produced"; by comparison, Bellingcat's article,
like York's email, says "different types of wood in the signatures of
chlorinated compounds produced."
Left: Chris York's July 27 2020 email to Wikileaks erroneously quotes the
purported OPCW document. York's typos are highlighted. Right: Bellingcat's
October 26 2020 article repeats Chris York's typos, instead of accurately
quoting the screenshot that it published in its article. (The screenshot is
in the first table above, as well as here: https://archive.is/1O3Du).
The typos are beyond any possible coincidence, and not the only overlap.
Nick Waters of Bellingcat not only published Chris York's errors, but also
copied questions that York had sent months earlier.
Bellingcat "Investigator" Asks Someone Else's Questions
In emailing queries to Wikileaks, Whelan, and me, Bellingcat's Nick Waters
once again used text originally sent by Chris York of HuffPost UK. A
comparison shows that Waters' queries in October are near carbon copies of
queries that York sent in July.
York's and Waters' questions to Wikileaks contain virtually identical
structure and verbiage across multiple paragraphs. (Waters also used the
same language in emails that he sent to me and to Whelan).
Bold: Identical language between York and Waters. Bold italicized: Language
between York and Waters that conveys the same meaning.
Original emails from Chris York of HuffPost UK and Nick Waters of
Bellingcat, sent nearly three months apart. Waters' message used mostly
identical or similar language to York. Waters' message also follows the
exact same structure.
Given that Bellingcat copied someone else's text and did not write its own
questions, the question that now arises is how and where Bellingcat's
material originated.
One option is that Waters received York's material and copied his entire set
of questions, slightly changing the wording in a lazy effort to disguise the
copying job. That would raise the question of how Bellingcat ended up with
another outlet's question: did York pass his questions to Waters? Or did
someone else?
Another option is that neither Waters nor York wrote their overlapping
questions or text to begin with, and received them instead from a mutual
source.
What is indisputable is that Bellingcat's Nick Waters did not write the
questions that he presented as his own.
The Grayzone sent multiple queries to Waters and Bellingcat about the
overlap between their material and HuffPost UK's. They have not responded.
"I Can't Hold Off Publishing Much Longer": How Did Bellingcat Get HuffPost
UK's Leftovers?
The fact that Bellingcat had its text circulated by another outlet months
before raises serious questions about what role Bellingcat played in its
"investigation."
The chain of events began in early 2020, when Chris York of HuffPost UK
first referenced the "document" that Bellingcat would later base its story
on.
York wrote Dr. Brendan Whelan in February 2020, shortly after the OPCW
released an internal inquiry baselessly maligning two whistleblowers it
identified as Inspectors A and B. Just days before the inquiry's findings
were announced, the British journalist Brian Whittaker doxed Whelan, whose
name he said had been leaked by someone with "access to sensitive OPCW
information." That same month, Bellingcat published an attack piece that
identified Whelan as Inspector B.
In light of those attacks, the timing and nature of York's outreach to
Whelan suggests that it may have been a part of a coordinated effort to
impugn him.
"I was hoping to speak to you about some documents that Wikileaks do not
appear to have released yet," York wrote to Whelan on February 26, 2020.
Whelan did not reply. York followed up again on March 7th, which Whelan also
ignored.
Four months later, York sent Whelan a final message claiming that
publication was imminent. "I'll soon be publishing an article on the
Wikileaks Douma leaks, specifically on a document that wasn't publicly
released but appears to contradict some of the points Wikileaks and yourself
have put forward," York wrote on July 16.
During this same period, York also reached out to Wikileaks editor-in-chief
Kristinn Hrafnsson. In one email, York shared with Hrafnsson the same
error-laden transcription of part of the text of the OPCW draft letter that
would later surface at Bellingcat. Just as Bellingcat would do months later,
York additionally accused Wikileaks of hiding the document. Releasing it,
York alleged on August 17, "would have completely contradicted the narrative
you put forward that the Douma attack was staged."
York was so confident in his false belief that the document disproved the
whistleblower - and that others beyond him had actually received it - that
he chided Wikileaks for failing to issue a public correction in response.
"[A]fter HuffPost UK discovered the existence of this document and
questioned Wikileaks about it," York scolded, "you have done nothing to
correct the record and have instead let the disputed narrative about a
'staged' chemical attack go unchecked."
August 17, 2020: In an email to Wikileaks editor-in-chief Kristinn
Hrafnsson, Chris York of HuffPost falsely suggests that Wikileaks and an
OPCW whistleblower have hid a OPCW "document" which "would have completely
contradicted the narrative you put forward that the Douma attack was
staged." He also scolds Wikileaks for having "done nothing to correct the
record" in response to the document he "discovered." In reality, the OPCW
"document" was never sent to anyone and contained false claims.
The fact that York claimed to have "discovered" the document suggests that
it was only passed to Bellingcat after HuffPost UK dropped the story.
Bellingcat's omission of HuffPost UK's original role - while simultaneously
copying the fraudulent content of its text - demonstrates a flagrant
disregard for transparency, and stands at odds with Bellingcat's professed
fidelity to "open source," "verifiable" evidence.
Just as he did with Whelan, York informed Wikileaks that he was on the verge
of publishing his story. "I'll be publishing the article at the weekend so a
response before then would be appreciated," York wrote Hrafnsson on July 22.
On August 4th, York followed-up with one final plea: "Could I please get a
response to this, I can't hold off publishing much longer."
August 4 2020: Chris York of HuffPost UK tells Wikileaks that he "can't hold
off publishing much longer." He ultimately never published.
York's article never appeared at the HuffPost UK.
In a brief phone conservation with me on October 27th, the day after his
story surfaced at Bellingcat, York said that he would read the Bellingcat
article before responding to my questions. He has since gone quiet and
failed to respond to multiple emailed queries from The Grayzone. His editors
at HuffPost UK have kept mum as well.
Converging Disinformation From Bellingcat And BBC
Although the identity Bellingcat-HuffPost UK's dodgy source is unknown, the
participation of a third outlet in this story - the UK state broadcaster BBC
- offers a strong candidate.
Just weeks after Bellingcat's debunked story appeared, the BBC released a
podcast that attempted to advance the same bogus line. "Mayday" host Chloe
Hadjimatheou repeated the Bellingcat letter's falsehoods about the wood
samples and the secret Syria-Russian acceptance of the OPCW's final report.
In yet another uncanny crossover, Hadjimatheou also falsely suggested that
one of the OPCW whistleblowers received a payment from Wikileaks. In emails
to Wikileaks and Whelan one month before Mayday was aired, Bellingcat's Nick
Waters made the same insinuation.
While her uncritical promotion of the Bellingcat-HuffPost UK letter's
debunked assertions was nothing new, Hadjimatheou did offer one significant
contribution. To make her case against the whistleblowers, Hadjimatheou
interviewed someone whom she claimed was an anonymous OPCW official
operating behind the pseudonym, "Leon." Hadjimatheou did not specify what
role, if any, Leon played in the Douma investigation. The anonymous official
also offered nothing of substance beyond what was already claimed in the
bogus OPCW letter released by Bellingcat.
It is possible, therefore, that Leon was the real source of the fraudulent
information provided to Bellingcat and HuffPost UK. If the BBC is correct
that Leon is an actual OPCW official, then the implications are serious. It
means that alongside the OPCW's refusal to account for the Douma cover-up,
an OPCW staffer is spreading disinformation about former employees who
challenged it.
The OPCW did not respond to The Grayzone's questions about whether it is
investigating the "draft letter," or Leon's comments to the BBC. If the OPCW
is not probing this defamatory conduct, its inaction could be read as a
tacit endorsement.
The Grayzone also asked the BBC's Hadjimatheou about her recycling of
Bellingcat's debunked claims, Leon's qualifications to comment on the Douma
investigation, and other major lapses in her reporting. Hadjimatheou
initially said that she would reply to me in writing. After receiving my
questions, she backtracked on that pledge and declined to offer any
responses.
In the absence of any explanation from these three outlets - BBC,
Bellingcat, and HuffPost UK - on how they have targeted OPCW whistleblowers
with identical false material repeated by an unidentified OPCW source,
another common denominator might help fill in the silence. Just like the
BBC, Bellingcat and HuffPost UK have formal British government ties of their
own.
The editor of HuffPost UK, Jess Brammar, has helmed the outlet while
simultaneously serving as a member of the UK government's Defence and
Security Media Advisory (DSMA) Committee, which censors journalism on behalf
of "UK military and intelligence operations," in the name of "national
security."
For its part, Bellingcat is a founding "partner" in a UK government
propaganda operation, the Open Information Partnership (OIP), funded with
$13.7 million in taxpayer money. Bellingcat was enlisted in the OIP even
though its UK state partners have privately doubted its credibility. A
leaked internal assessment produced for the OIP concluded that: "Bellingcat
was somewhat discredited, both by spreading disinformation itself, and by
being willing to produce reports for anyone willing to pay."
Whoever is behind the attacks on veteran OPCW scientists, Bellingcat's role
in the smear campaign is absolutely clear. While marketing itself publicly
as an "open source" collective of crime-solving digital sleuths, Bellingcat
has been used as a proxy in a disinformation campaign to whitewash a major
global deception and defame the whistleblowers who challenged it. It is
duplicitous enough to let someone else write its material, and sloppy enough
to get caught.
