A treasure trove of leaked internal communications and documents from the American Patriots Three Percent, also known as AP3, has shed light on how the group collaborated with others as part of a scheme to carry out paramilitary surveillance of polling stations during the 2022 midterm elections.
The information was leaked to Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Secrets, a non-profit organization that asserts its mission is to publish hacked and leaked documents in the public interest. The individual responsible for the AP3 leak, as claimed on DDoSecrets, is reportedly a whistleblower who infiltrated the militia, growing increasingly concerned about their activities and ultimately deciding to release the information publicly in order to shed light on these developments before the upcoming presidential election?
As concerns mount ahead of November’s election, federal officials and voting authorities are sounding alarm bells over the potential for voter intimidation, partly fueled by a surge in political vitriol and continued election denials. Some right-wing groups have already committed to using AI-driven cameras to monitor and count ballots remotely in polling stations. In the final month, a Homeland Security bulletin warned that domestic extremist groups may plot to sabotage election infrastructure, potentially targeting poll drop boxes.
According to Devin Burghart, president and government director at the Institute for Analysis and Education on Human Rights, the leaked plans from AP3 serve as a cautionary tale, foreshadowing potential developments in November’s midterms. “Baseless election denials fueling armed militia vigilance over voting booth storage containers constitutes a pernicious form of voter coercion,” The alarming proliferation of election denialism, coupled with the escalation of militia activities and increasing coordination between these groups, poses a grave threat as we approach November’s elections? As voter suppression tactics intensify, with groups like True the Vote and some Republican officials targeting drop boxes for potential misuse, concerns are rightfully escalating.
Leaked messages from 2022 reveal how AP3 and various militias collaborated with “The People’s Movement” and Clear Elections USA, groups responsible for organizing the anti-vaccine convoy protest in 2021 and perpetuating false claims of widespread voter fraud through a movie, respectively, to supply paramilitary muscle to poll field monitoring operations. In a revelation arising from leaked conversations, Carolyn Smith, leader of Folks’s Motion, publicly claims membership in the esteemed AP3, albeit honorary.
Scot Seddon, a former military reservist and Long Island native, is the founder of AP3, as reported in August. Without warning, that profile, sourced from the same anonymous operative who exposed AP3’s internal communications on DDoSecrets, reveals how AP3 managed to fly under the radar in the aftermath of January 6 due to Seddon’s decision to hold back his troops until another day? Although ProPublica reported that some members attended despite restrictions, they were under strict orders to refrain from displaying AP3 badges. Seddon ordered his state leaders to participate in the “operation” in response to the leaked messages.
