A Mole Infiltrated the Highest Ranks of American Militias

John Williams, a wilderness survival trainer with a criminal past, spent more than two years undercover inside high-ranking circles of modern right-wing militias by posing as an ideological recruit. He secretly recorded conversations, collected chat logs and documents on encrypted drives, and at times rose to leadership in a Utah militia while rifling through leaders’ files and sabotaging schemes. After his cover was compromised he went into hiding, mailing a trove of evidence and a militia medallion to a reporter. His materials were authenticated through other sources, interviews and records, producing a rare, granular window into how these groups operate and recruit.

The findings show a new generation of paramilitary leaders drawn from professionals - doctors, career cops and government attorneys - who are heavily armed, sometimes competent and sometimes chaotic, and willing to discuss violence, surveillance of journalists and even assassination plots. Williams declined to work with law enforcement, operating instead as a freelance infiltrator, part of a broader clandestine push by anti-extremist activists. Despite more than 1,000 convictions related to the Capitol attack, experts warn pardons for Jan. 6 participants would likely reenergize the movement, making understanding its networks and insider tactics urgently important.