Ex-CIA Analyst Says Mainstream Media Killed Nord Stream Bombing Story

Ray McGovern speaking at an event.
©Sputnik / Tilo Gräser

James Tweedie Write to author

The bombing of the Russian Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines supplying Germany has directly benefitted business interests in the two countries now accused of the terrorist act: the US and Norway have both increased natural gas sales to Europe.

Western media suppressed the revelation that the White House ordered the bombing of two Russian gas pipelines, a former CIA expert has alleged.

Award-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh published his bombshell exposé on his personal blog last week detailing how last September's attack on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 submarine pipelines to Germany was organized.

Russia has requested a meeting of the UN Security Council on February 22 to discuss Hersh's revelations, while China has called on the UN to investigate.

Ray McGovern, a former CIA analyst and co-founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, told Sputnik the security council presidency, currently held by Malta, could block that request.

"It's hard for the Russians to depend on the UN now since it has been pretty much co-opted by the US, but they still play by that rule," McGovern said. "They prefer the old way to what the US calls the 'rules-based international order'."

He said the most interesting aspect of Hersh's exposé was "the fact that US media, German media have been silent on all these things."

"How long can the major media keep this quiet?" McGovern asked, pointing to the continued longevity of the 'Russiagate' hoax years after it was debunked. "It's been over five years since the US government knew that there was no Russian hacking of the DNC. Five years plus. Does the American people know that?"

The intelligence expert said the American people had been "inculcated with a deep hatred of Russia and Putin personally" to drum up support for the proxy conflict in Ukraine. But now the wheels were coming off the Pentagon-orchestrated military campaign, the media narrative was crumbling.

"Things are coming to a head in the next month or two and how the US reacts to what is likely to be the abject defeat of Ukrainian forces," McGovern said. "The people running our policy are naive. They're arrogant. They think the US is exceptional. And Putin himself has said, you know, they think they can be completely immune to the consequences of their activities. That is no longer the case."

Another who has been critical is former US marine and UN chemical weapons inspector Scott Ritter.

"There are lots of people that know how stupid and how unconstitutional this act of war was," McGovern said. "So what we have is not only a lack of courage."

The former CIA insider said government surveillance was now "so pervasive" that few sources would take the risk of tipping off reporters like Hersh.

"I imagine Sy Hersh, every stroke of his pen is recorded and they can trace back as they try to trace back to who the, quote, culprit, end quote, and reality, who the patriot was," McGovern said.

He compared Hersh to persecuted whistleblowers like Chelsea Manning, Edward Snowden and Wikileaks founder Jullian Assange.

"They'll double down on stupid for as long as they can," McGovern said. "Next thing you can expect is to find out that Sy Hersh slept with some Swedish women."