The $450 an Hour Terror Industry Echo Chamber
Matthew Levitt, a prominent figure in the Terror Industry, has been testifying in the Dzhokhar Tsarnaev trial. He’s one of a number of noted figures who gets presented as experts at trials who doesn’t speak Arabic, who hasn’t bothered to learn Arabic over the course of years of this work.
Yesterday, Levitt spent several hours explaining how the explanation Dzhokhar wrote on a boat in Watertown had to have come from Anwar al-Awlaki’s propaganda.
Just before Levitt testified yesterday, he RTed an article describing him as the expert that would testify at Dzhokhar’s trial. As soon as he got done, he RTed several more articles about his own testimony, describing himself as an “expert” “decoding” the boat. And then, for good measure, he RTed a livetweet from his own testimony.
Today, on cross, it became clear the Awlaki propaganda on Dzhokhar’s computer was all Levitt got from prosectors. He didn’t know how long it had been on Dzhokhar’s computer. Nor did he know what else Dzhokhar has read. He also doesn’t know much about Chechnya, except in the context of Jihad. And though Levitt testified yesterday that there always must be a “radicalizer,” he did not know, nor was he asked, to identify the “radicalizer” in Dzhokhar’s life.
Levitt also did not, apparently, recognize some of what Dzhokhar had written as the boat as having come from the Quran.
He did, however, reveal that he gets paid $450 an hour to do this work.
When called on his RTing of his own testimony by the defense, Levitt admitted he “should have been wiser” about having done so.
I wonder, though, if Levitt was worried that the mystique of his expertise might not hold up if he didn’t constantly reinforce it with his own echo chamber?
Way to nail him! So many fraudulent “experts” out there. Perhaps you’ve read Radley Balko on bite mark evidence.
But I wonder, who is the “radicalizer” in Levitt’s life, that made him a prominent figure in the Terror Industry? The Devil?
.
Reminds me of Flip Wilson’s “The Devil made me do it!“
quote”He did, however, reveal that he gets paid $450 an hour to do this work.
When called on his RTing of his own testimony by the defense, Levitt admitted he “should have been wiser” about having done so.”unquote
Notwithstanding his humility,(insert rolling eyes here), exactly where did the “defense” call him out”? Also, where did he say “he gets paid $450 an hour to do this work?” I’m curious because it’s not clear in your post emptywheel. I looked at his twitter feed, but didn’t see anything.
However, what I did see was an ego of biblical proportions. ..
from his feed:
Matthew Levitt @Levitt_Matt · 19h 19 hours ago
Meet the @TuftsUniversity @FletcherSchool Graduate & Terrorism Expert to Testify in the Tsarnaev Trial http://bostinno.streetwise.co/2015/03/23/boston-bombing-tsarnaev-trial-witness-dr-matthew-levitt-mon-march-23/ … via @BostInno
Hollywood could take some tips from this asswipe.
Many of the reporters tweeting from the trial stated he said (while on the stand) he was being paid $450/hour to testify. He sounded very proud of the fact.
Meanwhile, apparently, this is what must have inspired Mr. Humble …
“How to Be a Terror “Expert”: Ignore Facts, Blame Muslims, Trumpet U.S. Propaganda”
http://www.democracynow.org/2015/1/13/glenn_greenwald_on_how_to_be
sheezus, you can’t make this shit up.
ps..I forgot to add. ..read his twitter feed for living proof.
ps2..someone should post that link on HIS feed. I don’t use twitter..but I’d give $25 to do it myself.
He does look like a much more credible expert by tweeting about himself in the third person, though — clearly the tweets constitute independent endorsement….. Such douchebaggery, ’tis a marvel to behold.
In the same vein can I quote Rich regarding the banking system:
“There are no geniuses to be found here, not one single great leader either, just an assortment of Cons, sycophants, ass-kissers, and willing Tools to carry out and cover up the deed.”
John Ralston Saul in Voltaires Bastards opined these “opportunists and careerists” are in never ending supply and identified by their complete and utter lack of shame.