Pentagon caught illegally surveilling Americans with “covert” aircraft following George Floyd incident

After the mainstream media started reporting on George Floyd, which fueled massive riots and looting all across America, the Pentagon proceeded to launch “covert surveillance” aircraft into our skies for the purpose of illegally spying on Americans, it is now being reported.

Defending its actions, the Pentagon says this illegal spying operation was necessary to keep track of what was developing in the streets of America, which is similar to what the National Guard did – and has since been exonerated of – when it launched reconnaissance airplanes over at least four U.S. cities to collect data on the “protests.”

Defense Secretary Mark Esper claims that he never personally approved of the Guard’s spying program, but Guard officials insist that they did not need any higher-up approval to do what they did because all the military arm supposedly did was “observe crowd sizes,” as well as assess whether or not any emergencies “such as large fires” were unfolding.

According to an Air Force inspector general investigation that was ordered by Esper, the surveillance planes were not used to “monitor individuals,” but rather to “gather information about crowd size, crowd flows and fires.”

“The probe was ordered by Defense Secretary Mark Esper in response to questions within the department and Congress about whether the military illegally conducted surveillance of American citizens during the unrest after the death of George Floyd,” the Associated Press (AP) further reported.

Never trade freedom and liberty for the illusion of safety and security, America

While some would argue that this was a harmless endeavor meant to keep Americans “safe” from escalating violence, it sets a dangerous precedent that, like the many new restriction that were put into place following 9/11, clearly and undeniably violates the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution.

Further, military intelligence under no circumstances should be monitoring anyone, even under these circumstances, because such jurisdiction belongs to state and local authorities, or possibly even the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), depending on the circumstances.

The military-industrial complex, however, disagrees. It claims that protests can be monitored using national intelligence just so long as groups and / or crowds are being monitored, and not individuals.

According to the results of the investigation, the seven flights by aircraft that took place in Minnesota, Arizona, California, and Washington, D.C., contained sensors that only had the ability to show buildings and vehicles.

These sensors “were not capable of identifying any distinguishing features of people,” the report went on to explain. They supposedly also did not have the capacity to collect any information from people’s mobile phones or radios.

From a legal perspective, the technological outfit of these aircraft is a determining factor in whether or not the military-industrial complex violated any laws with these operations. The conclusion that was reached, it would seem, is that if “domestic communications” cannot be picked up, then the operation is permitted.

While the specific aircraft used is said to have been RC-26 spy planes, there are widespread reports about federal and local agencies also using drones. Of particular concern was the Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) use of drones to “conduct covert surveillance,” as authorized by the Trump administration.

“Regardless of the issue being protested, this creates a disturbing precedent,” warns Zero Hedge, echoing the sentiment that it is never a good idea to slide down this slippery slope of tyranny merely to attain the illusion of safety and security.

“Recall for example, the large-scale protests against Obama’s preparations to bomb Syria in August and September of 2013. Should there be any future mass anti-war demonstrations which gain steam in the US, for example, will the Pentagon conduct intelligence gathering missions on these too?

For more related news about why the federal government should never be allowed to abuse its power, even to address a perceived threat, check out Tyranny.news.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

NaturalNews.com