1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,280 You were attacked. Yes. You were attacked by an energy weapon. Yes, a directed energy weapon. 2 00:00:05,540 --> 00:00:10,240 The intelligence community has attempted to thwart congressional investigative efforts to 3 00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:16,260 uncover the truth at every turn. I mean, that sounds like a government cover-up. It's a cover-up 4 00:00:16,260 --> 00:00:21,480 and it's terrifying and it should be terrifying to all Americans. The new congressional report 5 00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:29,300 found it appears increasingly likely that a foreign adversary is behind these injuries. 6 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:37,380 Vertigo. Yes. Eye tracking issues. Yes. Traumatic brain injury. Yes. Did the CIA gaslight you? Me and 7 00:00:37,380 --> 00:00:43,560 every other HIV victim. It was designed to make us think ourselves are crazy and question our own 8 00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:49,740 injuries. Is it reasonable to think that the intelligence community doesn't want to acknowledge 9 00:00:49,740 --> 00:00:57,820 a foreign adversary? Yes. This defense department letter is significant. Yes. We believe your 10 00:00:57,820 --> 00:01:04,720 experiences are real. What explains this disconnect? We have a defense department letter and yet the 11 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:11,120 intelligence community, the CIA, says there's nothing to see here. The brave people of the 12 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:15,940 Department of Defense willing to stand up to the CIA. If they're politicizing this, what else are they 13 00:01:15,940 --> 00:01:30,500 not telling the president? And that's scary. The intelligence community has attempted to thwart 14 00:01:30,500 --> 00:01:37,740 congressional investigative efforts to uncover the truth at every turn. I mean, that sounds like 15 00:01:37,740 --> 00:01:42,980 a government cover-up. It's a cover-up and it's terrifying and it should be terrifying to all Americans. 16 00:01:42,980 --> 00:01:49,660 Now requiring the aid of a service dog just a few years ago, this retired CIA officer handled 17 00:01:49,660 --> 00:01:55,620 national security missions, which remain classified to this day. At that time, what was your portfolio? 18 00:01:56,360 --> 00:02:01,900 I am not at liberty to assure that. Alice, an alias, is speaking out for the first time about 19 00:02:01,900 --> 00:02:07,600 debilitating injuries reported among hundreds of U.S. government personnel. The new congressional 20 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:17,300 report found that it appears increasingly likely that a foreign adversary is behind these injuries. 21 00:02:18,340 --> 00:02:24,220 Your reaction? Thank God they're saying it. Thank God they were brave enough to stand up to the CIA. 22 00:02:24,980 --> 00:02:30,940 The Republican House report accuses the intelligence community leadership, the CIA, and the director of 23 00:02:30,940 --> 00:02:36,360 national intelligence of shaping a politically palatable conclusion. If they're politicizing this, 24 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:43,820 what else are they not telling the president? And that's scary. That's where it becomes like more 25 00:02:43,820 --> 00:02:49,560 real. A decade ago, this national security memo confirmed intelligence about a high-powered 26 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:55,680 microwave system weapon that may have the ability to weaken, intimidate, or kill an enemy over time. 27 00:02:55,980 --> 00:03:01,820 Nicknamed Havana Syndrome, after a cluster of cases in Cuba, the mysterious cognitive and neurological 28 00:03:01,820 --> 00:03:05,960 symptoms strike diplomatic, intelligence, and military personnel. 29 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:12,040 You were attacked. Yes. You were attacked by an energy weapon. Yes, a directed energy weapon. My ear 30 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:17,340 started hurting. I started having vertigo. The room was spinning. My head started pulsing. Like, 31 00:03:17,460 --> 00:03:25,200 it hurt so badly. I had a ton of pain in my left ear. And my ears started ringing. And I thought I was 32 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:31,340 going to pass out. The official name is Anomalous Health Incidents, or AHIs. The recent congressional 33 00:03:31,340 --> 00:03:36,560 report found they have been reported domestically as well as abroad, including Austria, China, 34 00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:40,240 Colombia, Georgia, Germany, India, Poland, Russia, and Vietnam. 35 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:47,960 I was serving in Africa, and I experienced an anomalous health incident in my home on a Saturday night, 36 00:03:47,960 --> 00:03:54,480 and I heard a weird noise. It was a really weird sound that I'll never, I'll never forget it. And 37 00:03:54,480 --> 00:03:59,540 after about a second or two, I felt it in my feet, kind of like the reverb from a speaker. 38 00:03:59,880 --> 00:04:04,680 So you're feeling a vibration. So you're like, I felt, I heard a noise, a weird noise, and then I felt it. 39 00:04:05,020 --> 00:04:09,400 So what do you think the weapon looks like? I think that there are probably multiple weapons. I think 40 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:13,920 there are weapons that can be fit in backpacks, ones that can be fit in the trunks of cars, ones that can 41 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:21,080 be planted at a position with line of sight to people from across the street. Based on our investigative 42 00:04:21,080 --> 00:04:27,200 reporting, many victims were assigned portfolios linked to Russian interests, from cybersecurity to election 43 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:34,700 interference and disinformation. Others had specialized language skills. This government record says that you 44 00:04:34,700 --> 00:04:41,840 have a traumatic brain injury. I believe the Russian GRU came to my house late at night. 45 00:04:41,840 --> 00:04:49,860 and took me off the battlefield. Russian intelligence. Yes. Alice's injuries are so 46 00:04:49,860 --> 00:04:56,200 debilitating, she needed multiple breaks during our interview. At times, she wore dark glasses to 47 00:04:56,200 --> 00:05:02,040 blunt the studio lights. Let's talk about the symptoms you've experienced. Ringing in the ears. Yes. 48 00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:09,760 Vertigo. Yes. Head and ear pressure. Yes. Eye tracking issues. Yes. Cognitive difficulties. Yes. 49 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:17,620 Traumatic brain injuries. Yes. Taken altogether. Is it a struggle every day? Yes. I never thought I'd be 50 00:05:17,620 --> 00:05:27,140 retired in my 40s. Medically retired? Yeah. Do you feel like your old self died the day of the attack? 51 00:05:27,540 --> 00:05:33,720 A little bit. You know, I was paid for my brain. I was paid for my ability to write well and to write 52 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:39,640 for the president. I was paid to meet with foreigners and to get information that would 53 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:44,600 help advance U.S. security objectives. And I can't do that anymore the way I used to. And it's really, 54 00:05:45,100 --> 00:05:51,680 that's one of the hardest parts. As cases spiked in 2021, the same year Alice says she was attacked, 55 00:05:51,920 --> 00:05:58,220 multiple sources told us CIA Director Burns said privately that it was his personal belief 56 00:05:58,220 --> 00:06:05,520 Russia was behind some of the attacks. Has CIA Director Burns, based on your experience, 57 00:06:05,800 --> 00:06:10,680 tried to do the right thing? I think he's a really good person at his core. I think he was being 58 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:15,460 honest when he said he thought it was Russia. You know, he is a Russia expert. He was the U.S. ambassador 59 00:06:15,460 --> 00:06:22,540 there. I mean, I think it's a sign of like how political this is that even he fell in line. 60 00:06:22,540 --> 00:06:29,640 While experts uncovered evidence suggesting a weapon, in 2023, the intelligence community took 61 00:06:29,640 --> 00:06:34,980 a controversial position that it's very unlikely a foreign adversary is responsible. 62 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:41,080 If I had received the finished paper on my desk as a team chief, I would have sent it back to the 63 00:06:41,080 --> 00:06:46,140 analysts and said, you have to start over again. It didn't meet any of our basic, most basic tradecraft 64 00:06:46,140 --> 00:06:52,120 standards. Was the 2023 report a slap in the face completely? Was it demoralizing? 65 00:06:52,940 --> 00:07:00,500 Yes. Humiliating? Yes. Was it a betrayal after you pledged to serve your country? Yes. I miss my 66 00:07:00,500 --> 00:07:05,840 colleagues and I miss the work every single day. It was really tough work. But you love the work. 67 00:07:05,840 --> 00:07:06,560 I love it. 68 00:07:07,860 --> 00:07:15,980 Merriam-Webster defines gaslighting as psychological manipulation that causes the victim to question 69 00:07:15,980 --> 00:07:21,400 the validity of their own thoughts. Did the CIA gaslight you? 70 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:29,740 Me and every other HIV. Was the CIA gaslighting designed to hurt you? It was designed to make 71 00:07:29,740 --> 00:07:38,400 us think ourselves are crazy and to like question our own injuries. Did you expect more from the CIA? 72 00:07:38,400 --> 00:07:46,540 100 percent. We swore this oath and every day I watch them continue to deny people's humanity and their 73 00:07:46,540 --> 00:07:53,660 injuries. Is it reasonable to think that the intelligence community doesn't want to acknowledge 74 00:07:53,660 --> 00:08:00,340 a foreign adversary? Yes. Because then they would have to do something? Yes. And it's complicated 75 00:08:00,340 --> 00:08:05,840 with Russia, right? One theory we bet around is, is it possible that's Russia and China? Is it possible 76 00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:13,100 that, you know, one country created it, sold it, or gave it to another country? While the CIA still 77 00:08:13,100 --> 00:08:19,320 questions the cause, the Labor Department does accept Alice's traumatic brain injury as a work 78 00:08:19,320 --> 00:08:25,320 injury. Alice qualifies for limited compensation through a law called the Havana Act. It is a full-time 79 00:08:25,320 --> 00:08:33,180 job to try to get medical treatment and is another full-time job to try to handle the bureaucracy of 80 00:08:33,180 --> 00:08:40,060 trying to access benefits. I've gotten over a hundred thousand dollars, um, in, like, out of pocket for 81 00:08:40,060 --> 00:08:44,860 this. A hundred thousand dollars? Because none of these places take health insurance. And if they're 82 00:08:44,860 --> 00:08:52,520 experimental, which we need, um, the reality is a normal physician cannot help us. This is different. 83 00:08:52,680 --> 00:08:57,540 AHIs are much more complicated and we're basically like ticking time bombs, Catherine. You know, 84 00:08:57,540 --> 00:09:02,060 I've already started having to go to funerals. My friends of mine, 85 00:09:03,180 --> 00:09:12,260 I mean, my friend that was with me the day I got my dog has already passed away. A fellow AHIs forever 86 00:09:12,260 --> 00:09:20,460 of a rare form of cancer. I have friends in nursing homes. I have friends with dementia and Parkinson's. 87 00:09:20,840 --> 00:09:26,540 In some ways, you know, people have a heart attack and if you don't die of it, we know how to fix a 88 00:09:26,540 --> 00:09:31,460 heart attack. We don't know how to fix this. According to these heavily redacted government records, 89 00:09:31,460 --> 00:09:37,540 after Alice was medically retired, the CIA pulled her security clearance, citing psychological 90 00:09:37,540 --> 00:09:44,660 conditions. It sounds like retaliation. Yes, my lawyers, um, also believed that as well. Did CIA 91 00:09:44,660 --> 00:09:55,260 treat women officers differently? Yes. I've done some reporting where I've heard complaints that, um, 92 00:09:55,260 --> 00:10:03,620 female officers were told, um, do you think you're having problems because of your hormones? Yes. 93 00:10:04,340 --> 00:10:11,260 Yes. It's like we're in the 1950s. Pregnant, they brought up, could you be pregnant? Are you upset 94 00:10:11,260 --> 00:10:18,300 because you're not pregnant? Is it hormones? Is it menopause? Is it perimenopause? Do you have an 95 00:10:18,300 --> 00:10:24,640 anxiety disorder? Were any of the men asked if their hormones were to blame for their symptoms? 96 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:32,180 Not that I am aware of. I'm not saying that men have been treated well, but nothing to the extent. 97 00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:36,800 There, there hasn't been a systemic action against them. After recent government studies found no 98 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:42,180 medical explanation for their symptoms, a senior military official sent this letter obtained by 99 00:10:42,180 --> 00:10:48,160 our investigative team that validates their experiences and reaffirms a commitment to identify 100 00:10:48,160 --> 00:10:55,660 the cause. This Defense Department letter is significant. Yes. It states, we believe your 101 00:10:55,660 --> 00:11:01,720 experiences are real and we are unwaveringly committed to continue to provide quality care 102 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:08,200 for you and those who are eligible. The Department of Defense believes us and has actually gone to 103 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:13,300 bat for those of us from across the U.S. government. I would not be getting care if it wasn't for 104 00:11:13,300 --> 00:11:19,060 senior DOD leadership. What explains this disconnect? We have a Defense Department letter 105 00:11:19,060 --> 00:11:28,060 that says, we believe you, and yet the intelligence community, the CIA, says there's nothing to see here. 106 00:11:28,420 --> 00:11:33,320 The brave people of the Department of Defense that have worked on this issue and were willing to stand 107 00:11:33,320 --> 00:11:40,360 up to the CIA. Is it fair to assess that the CIA, the intelligence community's motivation is that 108 00:11:40,360 --> 00:11:49,460 this story is bad for recruitment? This story is bad for retention? This is true. I don't know if 109 00:11:49,460 --> 00:11:54,180 that's why they're doing it, but this is terrible for recruitment and retention. After so many years 110 00:11:54,180 --> 00:12:01,360 of quiet advocacy, why come forward now? Because the CIA is betraying, and not just betraying, 111 00:12:01,360 --> 00:12:07,040 but like making friends of mine and my life a living hell. I want them to stop denying what is 112 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:13,160 happening to us. And so there can be opportunities to collect the information that we need so that we 113 00:12:13,160 --> 00:12:20,460 can prevent this from happening to more people. Will a Trump-Vance administration make a change? 114 00:12:20,900 --> 00:12:27,040 I really hope so. What would the change look like? I'm not sure, you know, the phrase cleaning up the 115 00:12:27,040 --> 00:12:32,500 swamp, you know, is thrown around a lot in D.C., but at a bare minimum, I do not believe that those 116 00:12:32,500 --> 00:12:37,600 people that were involved in their earlier reports should be allowed to touch this. I think they need 117 00:12:37,600 --> 00:12:43,980 to actually recuse themselves or should be replaced. You know what the CIA is going to say. We're so sorry 118 00:12:43,980 --> 00:12:52,480 some of these former employees are struggling, but we don't see that there's any there there. 119 00:12:52,480 --> 00:13:00,800 They're also going to say that we take every reported case seriously, and we're committed to 120 00:13:00,800 --> 00:13:06,120 taking care of our people, and that's what hurts so much. Because they're not. 121 00:13:06,120 --> 00:13:19,780 You're not. 122 00:13:19,780 --> 00:13:28,960 We're not, you know, the first. 123 00:13:28,960 --> 00:13:58,940 Thank you. 124 00:13:58,960 --> 00:14:28,940 Thank you.