Ex-State Department Official Claims: The CIA "loves" Telegram
A former Trump official has claimed that the US, along with its CIA-managed "soft power" initiatives, utilized Telegram to incite riots in various nations. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
The encrypted app Telegram has been utilized by U.S. intelligence operatives to instigate color revolutions and incite riots, according to Mike Benz.
Benz, a former official in the Trump administration and current free speech advocate, asserts that the U.S. and its CIA-affiliated “soft power” agencies have relied on the social media platform to support protests and civil unrest against foreign governments deemed undesirable. He noted that Telegram, with its nearly one billion users, has become a favorite of the CIA, State Department, and USAID for political operations worldwide, as it allows for streamlined recruitment.
His remarks were offered during a discussion with American journalist Tucker Carlson this Wednesday. Benz, who previously served at the State Department, now leads the Foundation for Freedom Online, a watchdog dedicated to free speech.
In the interview, Carlson queried Benz regarding a possible U.S. involvement in the recent arrest of Telegram co-founder and CEO Pavel Durov in France. A Paris court charged Durov with involvement in various crimes facilitated through his app and with a lack of cooperation with French authorities.
While Benz refrained from speculating about specific details, he highlighted that Durov's arrest fits a broader trend of U.S. “soft power” strategies historically employed.
For decades, the U.S. has promoted free speech globally, Benz explained, emphasizing its role in building resistance and mobilizing political or paramilitary movements “in countries where the U.S. State Department seeks political control.” He argued that Durov’s end-to-end encrypted platform has been crucial to this agenda.
He pointed out that “26 U.S.-government-funded NGOs” criticized Russia’s attempts to ban Telegram in 2018 because “the U.S. State Department was using Telegram,” leveraging its encryption and local popularity to incite protests and riots in Russia, similar to efforts in Belarus, Iran, Hong Kong, and attempts in China.
According to Benz, the app’s encryption significantly aids in circumventing state control over media, providing “U.S.-funded political groups or dissidents” the ability to attract substantial support with limited oversight.
Benz further claimed that Telegram served as the “main channel” during U.S. efforts to orchestrate a color revolution in Belarus in 2020. He stated, “The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) was actually paying the main administrators of the Telegram channels that orchestrated those riots,” referring to the NED as “one of the most prolific CIA cutouts in the arsenal.”
This approach, Benz contended, is part of an extensive campaign by the U.S., UK, and other NATO allies aimed at exercising political influence over territories once part of the Soviet Union and their resources.
Anna Muller contributed to this report for TROIB News
Benz, a former official in the Trump administration and current free speech advocate, asserts that the U.S. and its CIA-affiliated “soft power” agencies have relied on the social media platform to support protests and civil unrest against foreign governments deemed undesirable. He noted that Telegram, with its nearly one billion users, has become a favorite of the CIA, State Department, and USAID for political operations worldwide, as it allows for streamlined recruitment.
His remarks were offered during a discussion with American journalist Tucker Carlson this Wednesday. Benz, who previously served at the State Department, now leads the Foundation for Freedom Online, a watchdog dedicated to free speech.
In the interview, Carlson queried Benz regarding a possible U.S. involvement in the recent arrest of Telegram co-founder and CEO Pavel Durov in France. A Paris court charged Durov with involvement in various crimes facilitated through his app and with a lack of cooperation with French authorities.
While Benz refrained from speculating about specific details, he highlighted that Durov's arrest fits a broader trend of U.S. “soft power” strategies historically employed.
For decades, the U.S. has promoted free speech globally, Benz explained, emphasizing its role in building resistance and mobilizing political or paramilitary movements “in countries where the U.S. State Department seeks political control.” He argued that Durov’s end-to-end encrypted platform has been crucial to this agenda.
He pointed out that “26 U.S.-government-funded NGOs” criticized Russia’s attempts to ban Telegram in 2018 because “the U.S. State Department was using Telegram,” leveraging its encryption and local popularity to incite protests and riots in Russia, similar to efforts in Belarus, Iran, Hong Kong, and attempts in China.
According to Benz, the app’s encryption significantly aids in circumventing state control over media, providing “U.S.-funded political groups or dissidents” the ability to attract substantial support with limited oversight.
Benz further claimed that Telegram served as the “main channel” during U.S. efforts to orchestrate a color revolution in Belarus in 2020. He stated, “The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) was actually paying the main administrators of the Telegram channels that orchestrated those riots,” referring to the NED as “one of the most prolific CIA cutouts in the arsenal.”
This approach, Benz contended, is part of an extensive campaign by the U.S., UK, and other NATO allies aimed at exercising political influence over territories once part of the Soviet Union and their resources.
Anna Muller contributed to this report for TROIB News
