You've probably heard or read about this story--John Solomon's laptop being stolen "near the White House." My first reaction was, I can't believe he left the laptop in his car, even if it was backed up. The excerpt below from Zerohedge helps explain that--although there's a lesson in this for all reporters, official or otherwise:
John Solomon's Laptop Stolen Near White House Using 'Sophisticated Device'; Contained Sensitive Data On Ukraine, Bidens
A thief absconded with John Solomon's laptop on the eve of the Senate impeachment trial, snatching the evidence-filled device out of the investigative journalist's car which was parked near the White House, according to RealClearInvestigations, citing a report by the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.
Solomon told RCI's Paul Sperry that the laptop - which has since been recovered - contained 'notes on Ukraine and former Vice President Joe Biden and other sensitive information.'
The case is currently under investigation by a MPD detective.
The Secret Service is also involved in the matter, which appears suspicious. Break-ins are rare in the high-security area where the crime occurred, just outside the White House perimeter, and a sophisticated device appears to have been used to get into the vehicle.
In the early evening of Jan. 20, the police report states, Solomon’s Apple MacBook laptop and computer bag, valued at around $1,800, were stolen from his 2019 Toyota SUV parked at 1776 F St. NW, across from the White House’s Eisenhower Executive Office Building. No windows were broken, and there were no other signs of forced entry. Authorities suspect the thief or thieves used an electronic jamming device to open the car door lock.
Nothing else was stolen from the vehicle, according to Solomon, including his US Capitol press security badge.
The computer bag was discovered the next day a block away from where his car was parked, with the contents dumped out on a picnic bench near the FDIC building - a location with no security cameras which authorities described as one of the rare "dark spots" in the area.
Solomon says he is working with a computer forensics expert to determine whether any of the information on his laptop was exploited, or if his hard drive was scanned.
"It's a pretty professional job," said Solomon, adding "but it's probably just a coincidence."
I'd say it's WAY too early to say it's just a coincidence.
It's okay, they just took it to get it washed.
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/USelOlLBm3Q?t=54
Thieves would have stolen the entire vehicle.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that the laptop is recovered eliminates theft as a motive.
The appearance of a sophisticated means of entry, with no theft motive, and the location in which it was recovered being one of the few areas not covered by security cameras, points to the breach being designed to find out what Solomon had on the computer, and/or to install sophisticated surveillance software.
"Sharyl Attkisson, Take II."
The only likely motive appears to be political in BOTH cases.
I posted in a prior entry that I wondered if this was a sting by Solomon, et. al., because I can't believe that he would be so dumb to leave a valuable laptop exposed to theft. A valuable laptop both for its cost and its contents.
ReplyDeleteAs a conservative journalist, surely he knows that there's a lot of interest in his work. As you pointed out, think of Sharyl Attkisson and the FBI. Also, wouldn't Solomon be thinking of Epstein's "suicide" and that he (Solomon) is investigating people who play for keeps? I'm not talking about his physical safety but his intellectual property.
Either Solomon's dumb or there's more than meets the eye going on here.
That would obviously be the best case scenario.
DeleteSomething does not add up here. What does not seem to be a coincidence to me is Solomon has his laptop back--almost as if that were the intent all along. If I were Solomon, I would start over with my electronic life. I would assume everything on that laptop is compromised, and any account that laptop has access to sign into is compromised.
ReplyDeleteDear John Solomon
ReplyDeleteGeez guy! What were you thinking? You've just had your 'horse's head in the bed' Godfather moment. Good thing you left the info in the car rather than having it in your house where the wife and kids were.
All your investigative material has been downloaded and analyzed by the 'bad guys' - the Deep State cronies aided no doubt by their CIA friends in Europe and their MI6 friends working in the United States. They now have the names and locations of all your contacts that provided you the information, and all the Ukranian clerks, supervisors, translators and/or notarys that could verify its authenticity.
Im sure the local Ukrainian Mafia will be paid to give these individuals their own unique Godfather moment - warned, bribed, blackmailed, assaulted, renditioned, or worse. Think of it as breaking the links in the chain of evidence.
Now all the bad guys have to worry about is the US side of things. How's your physical safety? Remember Seth Rich? Can't do the 'robbery without a robbery' killing twice - that makes it too coincidental. Maybe a drive by shooting ..... Chicago style. The Metropolitan Police Department can easily write off that investigation and the FBI won't touch it (assuming the FBI Public Affairs Office learned their lesson and doesnt send an email out asking for information from the Field Office).
You can mess with a man's car, his wife and his dog but you can't mess with a man's graft.
In the meantime I'm hoping that history repeats itself and this gang is as incompetent as the Watergate Plumbers. I'd like to see some Democratic operatives tarred, feathered and ridden out on a rail ....
A different Anonymous
That's the size of it. As I said, I was flabbergasted. I understand he thought he was parked in a secure place, but surely he'd heard about the kind of people who work in the WH?
Delete>>AnonymousFebruary 3, 2020 at 2:13 PM
ReplyDeleteSomething does not add up here. What does not seem to be a coincidence to me is Solomon has his laptop back--almost as if that were the intent all along. If I were Solomon, I would start over with my electronic life. I would assume everything on that laptop is compromised, and any account that laptop has access to sign into is compromised.<<
DING! DING! DING! We have a winner!
Note: if Solomon is really, really clever, he could use the laptop to feed fake info to the scoundrels who are spying on him. This allows him to manipulate the bad guys, possibly forcing them to expose themselves.
I'd really like to believe that. However, he'd need professional help IMO to make that type of ruse believable. Like, they probably wouldn't believe it if it turned out his password was "password."
DeleteI think Solomon does have professional help from good people on the inside. He told a story long ago on Levin's show about being approached at night outside his home by supposed white hats who encouraged him to expose the truth.
DeleteThis story is creepy, but Solomon probably left the laptop as bait. Hope he stays safe.
Gina
What I meant was that he'd need help from IT professionals. I heard Solomon tell that same story, and I was pretty sure he was talking in that case about LE professionals.
Delete"...if it turned out his password was "password.""
DeleteWow! I have the same password as John Solomon. How cool is that! ;-)
Tom S.
You win!
DeleteYes, I'm assuming Solomon has IT professionals helping him. The evildoers have probably been spying on him for a long time, just as they spied on Rosen and Attkisson and others who are guilty of thoughtcrime.
DeleteI also suspect that, in addition to ideological differences, one of the reasons Solomon left The Hill is because his information wasn't secure there.
I have no proof of any of this, just a credulous Boomer rube imagination working overtime.
Gina
Betcha this is nothing other than burglary of a vehicle. Betcha it was just a crime of opportunity.
ReplyDeleteHandguns in unlocked vehicles, full swat gear for including automatic rifle, computer bags on floorboard. Heck, it's very common for it to happen in broad daylight in a full, busy parkinglot.
There's a reason for the normally unmanned police towers.
How do you leave your laptop visible??
ReplyDeleteUPDATE: from Solomon's podcast...
ReplyDeletehe rarely leaves laptop in vehicle; laptop was hidden from view/covered by jacket. Got call to meet with a source, parked near WH.
Security app for car alerted him via smart phone to an unauthorized access of vehicle. Returned to vehicle and "Secret Service were already there." (This is a mystery to me how they knew his car have been broken into, unless his meeting was IN THE WH complex, and he told the SS when he got the alert.)
He then explains the laptop, bought in 2013, had sophisticated security he installed with help from LE friends many years ago. A forensic exam of the computer, after it was recovered using the built in GPS, showed whoever took it tried twice to access the computer, but were thwarted. As best he can tell, no data was compromised.
Security cameras have footage of break-in -- took thief 17 seconds to get into his car. Thief is still unidentified.
The fact that thief tried twice to access computer, rather than just selling it to a fence, suggests this was about gaining access to Solomon's data, to find out what he knew, and/or to plant surveillance malware on his machine, and not a random petty larceny auto break-in.
The timing implies suspect knew when and where Solomon parked the vehicle, and that he had a meeting. This implies either Solomon's cell phone is compromised, or the person he was meeting with is having his calls monitored, or both.
Parking location probably pulled from Solomon's smart phone GPS data, which again suggests his phone is compromised, IMHO.
Thanks very much. I've done a quick post, pasting your comment in.
Delete