Willfull blindness

An OIA request on FYI has exposed another government agency collaboration with Thompson and Clak. This time its AgResearch, who hired them from 2006 to April 2016 to provide "risk management reporting on animal rights and GE-related issues". During that time, TCIL provided a "media scan" and other reports, and was "involved in nearly every controversial project undertaken by the Institute".

AgResearch says they didn't ask TCIL to spy for them. But given the numerous public scandals around this firm's infiltration and spying on activists, this can only be described as willfull blindness on a level similar to MI6's around CIA torture. Infiltration and spying is what Thompson and Clark do. It is what they are for. And AgResearch hiring them is effectively asking them to spy, to infiltrate, and to plant unlawful surveillance devices on people's cars.

The good news is that AgResearch dumped them in 2016, apparently due to lower risk. But the fact they hired them at all is troubling, and hopefully will be examined by the SSC's inquiry.