LEO Round Table with Chip DeBlock

S11E135, FBI Investigates The 11 Missing Or Dead Defense Scientists (S11E135)

Kash Patel files $250M defamation lawsuit against the Atlantic. FBI investigates the 11 missing or dead defense scientists. Elite warriors may soon be able to carry concealed weapons in all 50 states. Armed man shot during domestic violence call. Suspect fatally shot after pointing gun at officers.

Missing Defense Scientists, Nationwide Carry Rights, and Officer-Survival Tactics

Summary

A Defamation Fight Over Anonymous Sources

Chip DeBlock opens by reviewing an article about FBI Director Kash Patel’s reported $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic and writer Sarah Fitzpatrick. Chip and Scott Stier question the reliability of anonymous sourcing, discuss how protected sources can be privately validated in court, and argue that publishers should be accountable when allegations are false, exaggerated, or insufficiently vetted.

Eleven Scientists and a Troubling Pattern

The central discussion concerns an announced federal review of 11 missing or deceased scientists connected to aerospace, nuclear, military, planetary-defense, and fusion research. Chip describes several cases from the article, while Scott considers whether espionage, coercion, kidnapping, or foreign interference could be plausible explanations. Both emphasize that the clustering of cases warrants a serious investigation rather than an assumption that every case is an unrelated coincidence.

Police Contacts, Bias, and Limited Information

Responding to a viewer’s question, Chip and Scott distinguish professional threat awareness from prejudice. Scott recounts a police contact involving his son at a private skate facility, explaining that the encounter ended once the officer learned the relevant facts. They argue that officers often enter uncertain situations with limited information and that ordinary questioning should not automatically be interpreted as harassment.

A Proposed Carry Law for Special Operators

The hosts examine the proposed Special Operations Forces Concealed Carry Act, which the episode describes as extending nationwide concealed-carry privileges similar to LEOSA protections to qualifying active-duty and honorably discharged special-operations personnel. Scott supports the proposal, citing extensive firearms training, threat identification, judgment under stress, and the potential value of trained former operators being present during an active-shooter attack.

Cleveland Shooting and the Duty to Use Cover

The first body-camera analysis involves Cleveland officers responding to a domestic-violence call involving an armed man who reportedly wanted officers to shoot him. Chip focuses on the officer who made a difficult pistol shot and criticizes officers who remained exposed or failed to have a long gun immediately ready. Scott stresses role assignment, weapon readiness, use of cover, spacing, and positioning officers so that one attacker cannot easily engage everyone at once.

Charlotte County Manhunt and Small-Unit Tactics

The final segment reviews the fatal shooting of an armed suspect after a Charlotte County manhunt. Chip recounts the reported homicide, the suspect’s exchange of gunfire with deputies, his return from the woods, and the final confrontation. Scott critiques officers bunching behind a shield or a single piece of cover, warning about crossfire and accidental shootings, and calls for more law-enforcement training in flanking, maneuver, spacing, and small-unit tactics.