Unveiling ‘Big Intel’: “He spares no one and nothing”

Editor’s Note: This piece by Steve Baker is based on J. Michael Waller’s new book, Big Intel.

J. Michael Waller and I became acquainted exactly one week after the events of January 6, 2021. We both published our first observations of that day on January 13. Waller’s account, “Covert Cadre: What I saw leading up to the US Capitol attack,” was published on the Center for Security Policy website. My story, “What I Saw on January 6th in Washington, DC,” was posted to my blog.

Readers began to cross-pollinate the two articles, sending Waller and myself messages suggesting we should “check out” each other’s work. We did, and a friendship was born. As such, I’ll dispense with the stylebook requirements and henceforth refer to him as “Mike.”

My first observations about January 6 were based on pure instinct while Mike’s came from four decades of experience in the intelligence community. Still, the similarities in what we individually saw were substantial. From his primary list, he saw:

Plainclothes militants;
Agents provocateurs;
Fake Trump protesters; and
Disciplined, uniformed columns of attackers.

My “list” was less informed but essentially the same. My first conversation with Mike was one of mutual admiration for our correspondent observations and deductions. I was relieved to have someone of his background and experience offer me validation. While many specific January 6 instances and characters have required reconsideration and changed conclusions — based on the preponderance of now-available video and trial discovery — the bulk of what we published on January 13, 2021, still holds up.

For over three years, Mike has become an ongoing and invaluable resource when my investigations intersect with his expertise.

Mike began his career with the CIA under the legendary William J. Casey working in Central America with the Nicaraguan Contras to overthrow the Sandinista regime and collecting intelligence on Soviet support for regional Communist insurgencies. From there, it gets interesting.

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