October 15, 2015

We always knew any old nut job/liar could get a gig in wingnut media, but this is special. A Fox talking head who claimed for years that he used to work for the CIA was arrested today and charged with claiming he worked as an “Outside Paramilitary Special Operations Officer” for the CIA. I had an ex-boyfriend who also claimed he worked for the CIA -- is it too late to get him indicted?

Wayne Simmons, a 62-year-old who lives in Annapolis, Maryland, was arrested by federal authorities following his indictment by a federal grand jury for allegedly committing major fraud, wire fraud, and making false statements to the government. Simmons claims to have worked for the CIA from 1973 to 2000, and "used that false claim in an attempt to obtain government security clearances and work as a defense contractor, including at one point successfully getting deployed overseas as an intelligence advisor to senior military personnel," according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia.

In court documents, federal prosecutors alleged that Simmons had a "significant criminal history, including convictions for a crime of violence and firearms offenses, and is believed to have had an ongoing association with firearms notwithstanding those felony convictions." They successfully petitioned a judge to keep Simmons' indictment sealed until his arrest today, noting that Simmons "has a history of acting in an aggressive manner, and is likely aware of the imminent nature of the charges in this case."

Simmons has been interviewed by Sean Hannity, Neil Cavuto and has appeared on "Fox & Friends." He has discussed a wide range of issues on the network, including CIA interrogation techniques and, ironically, a former CIA official found guilty on fraud charges.

He is a member of the "Citizens Commission on Benghazi," a panel created by the conservative media organization Accuracy in Media that has trafficked in in conspiracy theories about the 2012 attack on a U.S. compound in Libya, in which several officials were killed.

In a radio interview with Brian Kilmeade earlier this year, Simmons -- who was identified as a Fox News contributor -- said the Obama administration is the worst the country will ever know. But a Fox News spokesperson told The Huffington Post that “Kilmeade falsely identified Simmons as a contributor in April,” and said that Simmons "was a guest only and is not a paid commentator for the network, nor has he ever been.”

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