In June, Ritter had his passport seized by the U.S. Department of State as he attempted to fly to Russia for a conference. Ritter's work on behalf of the Russian government has been scrutinized for years and seems to be coming to a head. Dozens of boxes as well as electronics were taken out of his house.
Source: Albany Times Union
BETHLEHEM — FBI agents and State Police on Wednesday descended on the home of Scott Ritter, a former United Nations weapons inspector who in June had his passport seized by the U.S. Department of State as he attempted to fly to Russia for a conference.
Shortly before noon, marked State Police vehicles and unmarked law enforcement cars lined up near Ritter’s Dover Drive home. Just before 5 p.m., authorities carried more than two dozen boxes out of the house.
After the agents and officers drove away, Ritter emerged from the home and briefly spoke with reporters. Dressed in shorts and a T-shirt with an image of the character Inigo Montoya from the 1987 fairy tale comedy "Princess Bride" on it, Ritter said the investigators were there to execute a search warrant “related to concerns apparently the U.S. government has about violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act.” That federal law requires individuals and entities that represent foreign interests in the United States to register with the Department of Justice and disclose their activities.
Ritter said the search warrant allowed agents to look for electronic equipment in his home. "They were clearly interested in communications that I've had with people related to the work that I do," Ritter said. "That's all I can say about it. It's up to them to review it."
Ritter maintains an active online presence, writing articles critical of U.S. foreign policy towards Russia and appearing on podcasts friendly to his views.
He said that he has nothing to hide and that he had cooperated with investigators.
"There's no doubt that I'm being targeted because of statements I've made about U.S. policy in Ukraine, I'm being targeted because I have made an effort to try and improve relations between the United States and Russia to bring about arms control to bring about peace," Ritter said.
Some background on the former UN weapons inspector and twice convicted pedophile.
Dining out with Bobby Kennedy yesterday in Albany.
And earlier this year, speaking Russian to thousands of AI-generated Chechens.
