Jailed Right Wing Blogger Working For FBI

By aaroncynic in News on Nov 30, 2009 7:40PM

Blogger and internet radio host Hal Turner, arrested in June for calling for the murder of three federal judges, has been on the FBI payroll since 2003. According to The Record of Bergen County, Turner was approached by the FBI in 2003 to become an informant. Since then, he has reportedly received thousands of dollars from the feds to report on various white supremacist groups. FBI memos indicate as much as $100,000 were appropriated for Turner’s work.

Federal prosecutors and agents aren’t saying much about their relationship with Turner, merely calling it “unproductive.” However, Turner (code name: Valhalla) claims that the FBI coached him to make racist and threatening statements and The Record’s expose shows that Turner’s relationship with the FBI, while tenuous at best, runs pretty deep. In a 2004 memo, the FBI states that Turner “has proven highly reliable and is in a unique position to provide vital information on multiple subversive domestic organizations." Amidst agency discussions of whether Turner’s rhetoric went too far, Special Agent Stephen Haug wrote "this source's value outweighs the discomfort associated with source's rhetoric. Source's unique access provides important intelligence which, if lost, would be irreplaceable."

Two years ago, hackers broke into Turner’s computers and email and exposed the FBI relationship. Turner however, denied any FBI involvement and continued on until his arrest in June. Since then, he has awaited trial in various jails across the country. His trial will begin tomorrow in a federal district court in Brooklyn.