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John Podesta

American political consultant and former White House chief of staff whose correspondence with Robert Fish and Tom DeLonge about UAP became public after his emails were hacked by Russian military intelligence during the 2016 US presidential campaign.

Center for American Progress; Hillary Clinton presidential campaign · Political consultant; White House Chief of Staff (1998-2001); Counsellor to the President (2014-2015); 2016 presidential campaign manager

John Podesta is a political consultant and former White House official who served as Chief of Staff to President William J. Clinton from 1998 to 20011 and as Counsellor to President Barack Obama from 2014 to 2015,2 and is described as a confidant of both presidents.3 He later served as campaign manager for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.4 Podesta held top-secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) clearances in his roles with both administrations.5 He is also the founder of the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank in Washington DC.6

Podesta has a long record of pushing for the declassification of UAP-related material. As Clinton’s Chief of Staff, he secured Executive Order 12958, which declassified millions of pages of national security documents, including many Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) files.7 In 2002, shortly after leaving the Clinton White House, he supported a lawsuit seeking the release of government records on the 1965 UAP incident at Kecksburg, Pennsylvania.8 At a Washington National Press Club press conference, Podesta said he thought it was time to open the books on government UFO investigations, arguing that the American people could handle the truth and that disclosure was required by law.9 On his final day as Counsellor to Obama, in February 2015, he tweeted that his biggest failure of 2014 was, once again, not securing the disclosure of the UFO files.10 While working on the campaign, Podesta said he thought the American people could handle the truth about the issue,11 and in March 2016 said, from the campaign trail, that he had discussed the matter with Hillary Clinton, that people wanted to know what the government knew, and that classified UAP files remained that could be declassified.12 He has since said that not insisting on disclosure of UAP evidence while in the White House is among his regrets.13

The bulk of Podesta’s UAP-related correspondence, revealed in the 2016 email leak, was with Robert Fish, who had worked at classified aerospace facilities. Fish said he had contacted Podesta because it frustrated him that no one was seeking evidence which, from his high security clearances, he knew was held inside government files.14 On 2015-03-05, Podesta replied that it was hard for him to follow the matter up at that moment but that he would keep Fish’s contact details,15 and Fish offered to arrange a phone call or meeting to share specific programme names should Podesta want more detail,16 stressing that the exchange was entirely private and confidential and had nothing to do with the USS Hornet Museum.17 Fish told Podesta that “Fast Walkers” were routinely detected entering Earth’s atmosphere from outer space by Defense Support Program (DSP) satellites,18 and that he had been briefed confidentially on one such object by a DSP operator at a high-security US aerospace facility in California.19 He said the object had been recorded passing a satellite during the run-up to the Iraq War in 1991,20 that it appeared to be under some form of control, though whether “manned” or “robotic” could not be told, and suggested Podesta request the underlying data.21 Fish also relayed an account from a US Air Force non-commissioned officer he knew at the same facility, who flew RC-135 reconnaissance missions from MacDill Air Force Base in Florida to monitor Cuba;22 that officer said the missions were sometimes diverted to track UFOs off Florida’s east coast, which he claimed had a landing and takeoff point in the ocean east of Miami and north of Bermuda, tracked by a distinct electronic signature and filmed on several occasions transitioning between water and air.23 Fish said high-quality film of UFOs was “out there”,24 and argued that “UFO hunters” were looking in the wrong places, since only hard scientific data from reliable instruments, not personal sightings, blurred photographs or crop circles, could ever prove anything.25

Podesta’s most extensively documented UAP-related correspondence, preserved in the Podesta email leak correspondence with Tom DeLonge, was with Tom DeLonge.26 According to In Plain Sight, the leaked emails show DeLonge was in contact with one of America’s most senior private aerospace chief executives, a campaign manager for Hillary Clinton, and two senior, recently retired US Air Force generals, with UAP discussed among them.27 By around mid-2015, according to Jason Samosa, a Podesta staffer suggested a particular individual be considered for “the UFO project”, indicating such a project already existed.28 The correspondence also set out plans for a Google Hangout meeting; according to In Plain Sight, the proposed attendees were DeLonge, Podesta, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works executive Robert Weiss, a Clinton campaign assistant, and retired Major General Michael Carey.29 DeLonge told Podesta that “the General (from Wright Patt R&D)” and he spoke every other day, and that this official believed the United States Department of Defense (DoD) would embrace DeLonge’s project because it was intended to show the positive things people had done on the topic.30 DeLonge also told Podesta he planned to have dinner in September 2015 with commanding officers at Air Force Space Command in Colorado Springs to discuss moving his project forward,31 and that he wanted to bring two “important” people to meet Podesta in Washington DC, describing them as principal leadership over the most sensitive divisions of classified science and DOD topics.32 According to In Plain Sight, Podesta was DeLonge’s anonymous “top man” contact in government.33 According to In Plain Sight, a separate leaked email dated 2016-01-24 shows a person identifying himself as “Neil Mcc” responding to a Google Hangout invitation to confirm the time of a proposed meeting.34 Podcast host Jason Samosa said the leaked correspondence describes a meeting involving Neil McCasland, Michael Carey, Robert Weiss and Podesta,35 and that the exchange runs to roughly 35 messages between DeLonge and Podesta’s team.36 Many of those named in the correspondence were connected to the Center for American Progress, Podesta’s think tank.37 Samosa also said that entries in Jacques Vallee’s journals (Forbidden Science) corroborate that the conversations between DeLonge and Podesta’s circle took place.38 According to In Plain Sight, nothing in the leaked emails proves the truth of claims made in briefings by military insiders about alien visitations, purported extra-terrestrial craft crashes, or the recovery of alien bodies.39

Before 2016, Podesta had never heard of Victor Borisovich Netyksho,40 who, together with Fancy Bear, turned hacking efforts on Podesta while operating from a GRU building in Moscow.41 Within hours of Donald Trump’s comments on 2016-07-28, Russian hackers began new efforts against the Democratic Party that led them to Podesta.42 In around October 2016, Podesta re-entered his Gmail password after being prompted by a fake message, unaware it was a phishing attempt,43 and within minutes his private communications began streaming back to Netyksho and his colleagues at Russian General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) headquarters in Moscow.44 Within days, thousands of his emails were leaked on the WikiLeaks website,45 in an episode also indexed as the 2016 GRU hacking of John Podesta’s email and Wikileaks release, the Hack of John Podesta’s emails, and the 2015 WikiLeaks release of John Podesta emails. Podesta and Hillary Clinton talked a great deal about UFOs around the time of the 2016 United States presidential election.46

  1. Served as Chief of Staff to President Clinton, 1998-2001
    “John Podesta, a political consultant who served as President Clinton’s Chief of Staff in the White House from 1998 to 2001”
    In Plain Sight ch14:26259-26377 View the source record →
  2. Served as Counsellor to President Obama, 2014-2015
    “would later serve as Counsellor to President Obama from 2014 to 2015”
    In Plain Sight ch14:26387-26451 View the source record →
  3. Described as a confidant of Presidents Clinton and Obama
    “John Podesta, the confidant of Presidents Clinton and Obama”
    In Plain Sight ch28:28552-28606 View the source record →
  4. Campaign manager for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign
    “Sitting at his desk in Washington DC, this time as the campaign manager for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidency bid, John Podesta had never heard of Victor Borisovich Netyksho”
    In Plain Sight ch20:109-274 View the source record →
  5. Held top-secret/SCI clearances under both administrations
    “He is a senior and well-respected public servant who held top-secret/SCI clearances in his past roles with both Presidents Obama and Clinton.”
    In Plain Sight ch20:17002-17135 View the source record →
  6. Founder of the Center for American Progress
    “[note: Center for American Progress - Liberal think tank founded by John Podesta]”
    The UFO Cover-Up Leads to One Secret Society — and One Final Event 00:40:36.3-00:40:40.7
  7. Secured Executive Order 12958, declassifying millions of pages including UAP files
    “Podesta had enjoyed huge success securing Executive Order 12958 under President Clinton, declassifying millions of pages of national security documents, including many UAP files.”
    In Plain Sight ch18:3627-3799 View the source record →
  8. Supported 2002 lawsuit for release of Kecksburg UAP records
    “In 2002, shortly after leaving the Clinton White House, he supported a lawsuit fighting to get government records released on the 1965 UAP incident in Kecksburg, Pennsylvania.”
    In Plain Sight ch14:26457-26619 View the source record →
  9. Told press conference it was time to open the books on government UFO investigations
    “‘I think it’s time to open the books on questions that have remained in the dark on the question of government investigations of UFOs. It’s time to find out what the truth really is that’s out there. We ought to do it really because it’s right. We ought to do it because the American people, quite frankly, can handle the truth. And we ought to do it because it’s the law.’”
    In Plain Sight ch14:26699-27066 View the source record →
  10. 2015 tweet regretting failure to secure UFO file disclosure
    “In February 2015, on his final day as Counsellor to President Obama, John Podesta tweeted, 'Finally, my biggest failure of 2014: Once again not securing the #disclosure of the UFO files. #thetruthisstilloutthere cc: @nytimesDowd'.”
    In Plain Sight ch18:3396-3613 View the source record →
  11. Said the American people could handle the truth about the issue
    “'I think the American people can handle the truth about this,' he said while on the Hillary Clinton campaign.”
    In Plain Sight ch20:16344-16443 View the source record →
  12. March 2016: said he'd discussed UAP files with Clinton, that classified files remained
    “'I've talked to Hillary about that,' Podesta said in March 2016, from the campaign trail. 'It's a little bit of a cause of mine, which is, people really want to know what the government knows, and there are still classified files that could be declassified.'”
    In Plain Sight ch20:16632-16875 View the source record →
  13. Regrets not insisting on disclosure of UAP evidence in the White House
    “Podesta has long said that one of his regrets was not insisting on disclosure of UAP evidence when he was in the White House.”
    Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs ch29:13252-13371 View the source record →
  14. Fish contacted Podesta out of frustration that no one sought evidence he knew existed
    “Fish told me he contacted Podesta because it frustrated him that no one was seeking the evidence that, because of his high security clearances, he knew was held inside government files.”
    In Plain Sight ch13:30999-31178 View the source record →
  15. Podesta's 2015-03-05 reply saying he would keep Fish's details
    “Thx for the note. Hard for me follow up at this moment but I will keep your contact information.”
    Re: Leslie Kean book comment char:121-205
  16. Fish offered to arrange a call or meeting to share programme names
    “If/when you might be interested in gaining more specific information (program names) please feel free to contact me by email to arrange a phone call or meeting”
    Re: Leslie Kean book comment char:1318-1471
  17. Fish stressed the exchange was private and unrelated to the USS Hornet Museum
    “this communication with you is entirely PRIVATE and CONFIDENTIAL and has nothing to do with the museum”
    Re: Leslie Kean book comment char:1627-1723
  18. Fish said 'Fast Walkers' were routinely detected by DSP satellites
    “They showed Podesta was emailed about 'UFOs' by an associate named Robert Fish revealing that Fast Walkers were routinely detected entering Earth's atmosphere from outer space by the DSP satellites.”
    In Plain Sight ch13:27336-27523 View the source record →
  19. Fish said he was briefed on an object by a DSP operator in California
    “Fish told Podesta confidentially about the object he was briefed on by a US-based DSP operator at a high-security US private corporate aerospace facility in California.”
    In Plain Sight ch13:27535-27719 View the source record →
  20. Object recorded passing a satellite during the run-up to the Iraq War, 1991
    “The UAP was recorded passing a satellite during the run-up to the Iraq War in 1991.”
    In Plain Sight ch13:27731-27809 View the source record →
  21. Object appeared under control, manned or robotic unclear; suggested requesting data
    “'So, it was under some sort of control – although whether it was "manned" or just "robotic" there's no way to tell,' Bob Fish told Podesta, suggesting he ask for the data.”
    In Plain Sight ch13:27816-27983 View the source record →
  22. Fish relayed account of a US Air Force NCO flying RC-135 missions monitoring Cuba
    “in another email, Fish told him about a US Air Force noncommissioned officer he knew at the same classified facility who flew on RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft from MacDill Air Force Base in Florida to monitor Cuba.”
    In Plain Sight ch13:28654-28866 View the source record →
  23. Officer said missions diverted to track UFOs off Florida, with a sea landing point
    “'He said there were times when they were diverted from these missions to track UFOs off the east coast of Florida. His claim was the UFOs had a landing and takeoff point in the ocean east of Miami, north of Bermuda. There was a specific electronic signature (frequency) emanating from them when they were going into or coming out of the water, so they were easy to track. On several occasions they filmed the UFO as it transitioned from water to air or vice versa,' Bob Fish told Podesta.”
    In Plain Sight ch13:28873-29352 View the source record →
  24. Fish said high-quality UFO film is 'out there'
    “'High quality film of UFOs is "out there".'”
    In Plain Sight ch13:29362-29396 View the source record →
  25. Fish's view that UFO hunters look in the wrong places; hard data needed
    “He also told Podesta 'UFO hunters' were looking in the wrong places. 'Random personal observations, fuzzy photographers, and crop circles will never "prove" the existence of anything, especially since UFO appearances to humans are transitory and somewhat related to the observer's state of mind. What needs to be collected and publicly disseminated is hard scientific data collected from instruments that are known to be accurate and reliable,' Bob Fish wrote.”
    In Plain Sight ch13:28121-28577 View the source record →
  26. Tom DeLonge exchanged emails with Podesta
    “and with John Podesta, the confidant of Presidents Clinton and Obama.”
    In Plain Sight ch28:28543-28606 View the source record →
  27. Emails show DeLonge in contact with an aerospace CEO, a Clinton campaign manager, two generals
    “they revealed beyond any doubt whatsoever that punk rock star Tom DeLonge truly was in contact with one of America's most senior private aerospace chief executives, a campaign manager for Hillary Clinton, and two very senior recently retired air force generals – and UAPs were discussed”
    In Plain Sight ch20:10178-10455 View the source record →
  28. Mid-2015: staffer suggested a candidate for 'the UFO project'
    “And at one point, there's an individual mentioned, and one of the staffers said, John, maybe we should consider this individual for the UFO project. And you're like, okay, so obviously this staffer and all the other people on the email, including Podesta, and this is mid-2015, I think, already have a UFO project?”
    The UFO Cover-Up Leads to One Secret Society — and One Final Event 00:40:42.2-00:41:01.2
  29. Proposed Google Hangout attendees: DeLonge, Podesta, Weiss, a campaign assistant, Carey
    “The other meeting attendees were listed as DeLonge, Podesta, Skunk Works' boss Rob Weiss, an assistant to the Hillary Clinton campaign Milia Fisher, and retired Major General Michael Carey.”
    In Plain Sight 29-31 View the source record →
  30. DeLonge said 'the General' spoke every other day and expected DOD to embrace the project
    “'The General (from Wright Patt R&D) and I talk every other day. He and I talked on the phone the other night and he is excited; he really thinks that the DOD is going to embrace my project because I am out to show all the positive things people have done on this topic. And I am eager to take direction from leadership to do a good and needed public service.'”
    In Plain Sight ch20:13446-13822 View the source record →
  31. DeLonge planned September 2015 dinner with Air Force Space Command officers
    “he said he planned to have dinner in September 2015 with 'current commanding officers at the Air Force Space Command in a couple [of] days in Colorado Springs to discuss how to move this project forward'.”
    In Plain Sight ch20:15554-15746 View the source record →
  32. DeLonge wanted to bring two senior classified-science/DOD figures to meet Podesta
    “'I would like to bring two very "important" people out to meet you in DC,' he told Podesta. 'I think you will find them very interesting as they were principal leadership relating to our sensitive topic. Both were in charge of most fragile divisions, as it relates to Classified Science and DOD topics. Other words, these are A-level officials. Worth our time, and as well the investment to bring all the way out to you. I just need 2 hours from you. Just looking to have a casual and private conversation in person.'”
    In Plain Sight ch20:5268-5803 View the source record →
  33. Podesta was DeLonge's anonymous 'top man' contact in government
    “Podesta was clearly DeLonge's anonymous 'top man' in government.”
    In Plain Sight ch20:5048-5101 View the source record →
  34. 2016-01-24 email: 'Neil Mcc' confirming a Google Hangout time
    “In another leaked Podesta email dated 24 January 2016, a person calling himself 'Neil Mcc' responded to a Google Hangout invitation to check the time of another proposed meeting.”
    In Plain Sight ch20:7199-7370 View the source record →
  35. Correspondence describes a meeting involving McCasland, Carey, Weiss and Podesta
    “There's that meeting where you've got General Neil McCasland and Michael Carey and Robert Weiss, the president of the Skunk Works, along with Podesta and along...”
    The UFO Cover-Up Leads to One Secret Society — and One Final Event 00:40:10.4-00:40:19.3
  36. Roughly 35 messages exchanged between DeLonge and Podesta's team
    “I think there were 35 emails back and forth between Tom DeLonge and Podesta's team.”
    The UFO Cover-Up Leads to One Secret Society — and One Final Event 00:40:05.4-00:40:09.2
  37. Many correspondents connected to the Center for American Progress
    “A lot of these people are connected to the Center for American Progress, which is Podesta's sort of big liberal think tank in DC.”
    The UFO Cover-Up Leads to One Secret Society — and One Final Event 00:40:35.1-00:40:41.0
  38. Vallee's journals corroborate the DeLonge-Podesta conversations occurred
    “these conversations really were going on, which was then further validated by Jacques Vallée ... You read his journals, it absolutely did happen.”
    The UFO Cover-Up Leads to One Secret Society — and One Final Event 00:41:10.4-00:41:14.7
  39. Nothing in the emails proves claims of alien visitation, crashes, or recovered bodies
    “it needs to be emphasised that nothing in any of the leaked Podesta emails proves the truth of what was claimed in these briefings by these military insiders on alien visitations to this planet, or that Roswell and other purported crashes of extra-terrestrial craft happened or that the recovery of alien corpses happened.”
    In Plain Sight ch20:11940-12253 View the source record →
  40. Podesta had never heard of Netyksho before 2016
    “John Podesta had never heard of Victor Borisovich Netyksho, who headed unit 26165 of the Russian military intelligence agency, the GRU.”
    In Plain Sight ch20:224-355 View the source record →
  41. Netyksho and Fancy Bear turned hacking efforts on Podesta from a GRU building
    “deep inside a secure GRU building somewhere in Moscow, Netyksho and Fancy Bear turned their efforts on Podesta”
    In Plain Sight ch20:1295-1398 View the source record →
  42. New hacking efforts against the Democrats followed Trump's 2016-07-28 comments
    “within hours of his comments, the hackers began new penetration efforts against the Democrats; eventually their cyber-sniffing led them to John Podesta”
    In Plain Sight ch20:2577-2721 View the source record →
  43. Podesta re-entered his Gmail password via a phishing prompt, October 2016
    “Sometime in 2016, probably October, Podesta was working on his computer when he was prompted by his Gmail account to re-enter his password.”
    In Plain Sight ch20:1408-1538 View the source record →
  44. Communications streamed to Netyksho and colleagues at GRU headquarters within minutes
    “Within minutes of Podesta clicking the fake Gmail link, which was actually a so-called cyber spear-phishing hack, his private communications were streaming back to Netyksho and his colleagues at GRU HQ in Moscow”
    In Plain Sight ch20:4178-4383 View the source record →
  45. Thousands of emails leaked on WikiLeaks within days
    “in a few days, thousands of Podesta's emails were leaked on the Wikileaks website for all to read”
    In Plain Sight ch20:4391-4486 View the source record →
  46. Podesta and Hillary Clinton talked a great deal about UFOs around the 2016 election
    “Anyway, fast forward to the 2016 elections. If you look back at it now, and I've documented this as thoroughly as I can, Podesta and Clinton were talking a lot about UFOs.”
    The UFO Cover-Up Leads to One Secret Society — and One Final Event 00:39:15.9-00:39:26.8

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