Reuters ran an exclusive Wednesday reporting on allegations that Proud Boys leader and useful idiot to the right Enrique Tarrio has been a “prolific” informant for federal law enforcement after being arrested back in 2012.
Tarrio has, of course, denied the allegations against him, however, there are receipts that support the accusations that he is in fact a snitch.
First, his lawyers commented on Tarrio’s connections with law enforcement and his work as an informant to prosecute “dozens” of individuals for cases involving drugs, gambling, and human smuggling.
Then there’s the court transcripts that also contradict Tarrio’s claims:
Law-enforcement officials and the court transcript contradict Tarrio’s denial. In a statement to Reuters, the former federal prosecutor in Tarrio’s case, Vanessa Singh Johannes, confirmed that “he cooperated with local and federal law enforcement, to aid in the prosecution of those running other, separate criminal enterprises, ranging from running marijuana grow houses in Miami to operating pharmaceutical fraud schemes.”
Reuters
Now these new reports uproot some questions.
First, what does this do to Tarrio’s “street credit” within the Proud Boys, especially after their recent fallouts with police and a number getting arrested after the far-right riots at the U.S. Capitol three weeks ago? Does Tarrio hold on to his power within the neofascist organization who have had an internal struggle in terms of the optics of the group? It’s been noted that some members (seemingly including Tarrio) have wanted to rebrand and distinguish themselves as more of a covert “new-right” group whose racism and bigotry aren’t as blatant. On the flip, others have wanted to go more old school with their fascism and be more outright about the group’s support of racism and bigotry.
Otherwise, the very justified outcry from the left is “why the fuck is law enforcement working with the leader of the Proud Boys” or “it’s typical law enforcement is working with the leader of the Proud Boys”. Furthermore, were there any agreements in place with law enforcement prior to street clashes with the left? It’s no secret the pretty apparent cooperation between the police and far-right groups in the past, including the Proud Boys. I mean fuck, cops were actually thanking Kyle Rittenhouse and offering him water just before he went out and murdered people on the streets of Kenosha.