Scott talks to Chip Gibbons about his research into FBI spying on nonviolent pro-Palestinian activist groups. Although these activists are made out to be dangerous terrorist sympathizers, Gibbons says that the actual evidence against them amounts to criminalization of political speech and some very questionable guilt by association. Unfortunately, these abuses of surveillance power are far from rare, as the FBI has almost no oversight from other branches of government. Political will to reform the Bureau is also practically nil, given that everybody wants to preserve the ability to use them for their own purposes when they take power.

Discussed on the show:

• “US Government Still Spying on Dissent: A People’s Briefing” (Institute for Policy Studies)
• “FBI Investigated Nonviolent Pro-Palestinian Group for Terrorism” (The Intercept)

Chip Gibbons is a journalist whose work has been featured in In These Times and the Nation. He is also the policy director of Defending Rights and Dissent, where he authored the report “Still Spying on Dissent: The Enduring Legacy of FBI First Amendment Abuse.” Follow him on Twitter @ChipGibbons89.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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