In following the multiple installments of the Twitter Files written by several hands, it is not easy to grasp the big picture. Lee Smith has formulated a sort of unified field theory of social media penetration by the law enforcement and intelligence agencies of the United States. He makes his case in the Tablet column “How the FBI hacked Twitter.” The Twitter Files themselves make for a part of the picture, but only a part.
Altering the metaphor, I would say that Lee pulls several threads from our recent past into his theory. He does not present the resulting case as a theory, but that is what it is. I find it helpful and persuasive. The issues raised could not be more important. I therefore want to bring it to the attention of interested readers who have followed the story so far.
Lee is of course the author of The Plot Against the President (2019) and The Permanent Coup (2020). He has been on this beat since the Obama administration and his hypothesis is based on knowledge of relevant facts.
