Josh Kaplan (@js_kaplan) / X

Josh Kaplan

1,192 posts

Josh Kaplan

@js_kaplan

Reporter @propublica | Email me at [email protected]

New York, NY

propublica.org/people/joshua-…

Joined February 2017

Josh Kaplan
@js_kaplan
Aug 17, 2024
I covered Jan 6 as an investigative reporter back in 2021. Ever since, I’d wondered: After the Capitol riot, where does the militia movement go from here? So I spent the last few months getting inside the turbulent, secretive world of one of the largest militias in the US...
5M
Josh Kaplan
@js_kaplan
Jan 4, 2025
THREAD: In 2023, I received an envelope with no return address. Inside was a flash drive containing tens of 1000s of secret files. It came from a vigilante with a tumultuous past, who'd done a years-long undercover operation. He didn’t tell the FBI or his family. He only told me
3M
Josh Kaplan
@js_kaplan
Nov 14, 2025
NEW: We’ve uncovered the first known example of taxpayer money flowing from DHS to businesses controlled by Kristi Noem’s allies and friends. It’s part of a money trail that’s been shrouded in secrecy—and involves $220 million, a mysterious Delaware LLC & a horse named Gill.
2.6M
Josh Kaplan
@js_kaplan
Oct 6, 2020
Last year, I started going to DC eviction court and was shocked by how many tenants lost their cases simply because they didn't show up. I started trying to understand why, and the answer was much stranger & more disturbing than I imagined.
dcist.com
Do DC Renters Who Are Evicted Know About Their Court Dates?
Process servers are supposed to deliver summonses that tell tenants about their eviction cases. But the only evidence that they actually notify tenants of their cases are sworn documents filed by the...
Josh Kaplan
@js_kaplan
Jun 21, 2023
This photo is from a bar in a remote corner of Alaska. On the right, Justice Scalia hoisting a martini made from glacier ice. To his left, the FedSoc donor paying for the vacation. He flew the justice to Alaska on a private jet and rented out a lodge. propublica.org/article/samuel…
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Josh Kaplan
@js_kaplan
Jan 4, 2025
Replying to @js_kaplan
Outraged by Jan 6, he spent two years getting inside the top ranks of militias like the Oath Keepers. He was stunningly successful. He penetrated a new generation of militia leaders, which included doctors, cops & government attorneys. This is his story.
The Militia and the Mole
From propublica.org
423K
Josh Kaplan
@js_kaplan
Aug 17, 2024
Replying to @js_kaplan
American Patriots 3% has expanded at a dramatic pace since Jan. 6, while keeping much of its activity underground. I obtained more than 100,000 internal messages from the militia and talked to many current and former members. Here's what I found:
Armed and Underground: Inside the Turbulent, Secret World of an American Militia
From propublica.org
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Josh Kaplan
@js_kaplan
Apr 6, 2023
NEW: For over 20 years, Clarence Thomas has secretly accepted luxury travel from a TX billionaire. This is him, his wife and the billionaire in Indonesia. Thomas flew there on the tycoon's private jet and spent days island-hopping on his superyacht. propublica.org/article/claren…
746K
Josh Kaplan
@js_kaplan
Jan 4, 2025
Replying to @js_kaplan
The files revealed secret operations, like armed patrols rounding up migrants & the surveillance of a student reporter. There were debates over whether to commit terrorism. And they gave a unique, remarkably intimate window into questions like: Why do so many cops join militias?
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Josh Kaplan
@js_kaplan
Jun 21, 2023
NEW: A billionaire flew Justice Samuel Alito to Alaska on a private jet for a luxury fishing vacation. In the years that followed, the billionaire regularly had business before the court. Alito never recused. w/ @JustinElliott @Amierjeski
Justice Samuel Alito Took Luxury Fishing Vacation With GOP Billionaire Who Later Had Cases Before...
From propublica.org
484K
Josh Kaplan
@js_kaplan
Jan 4, 2025
Replying to @js_kaplan
Such questions feel more urgent now than ever. Trump has promised to pardon Jan. 6 rioters when he returns to the White House. Experts warn that could trigger a renaissance for militant extremists, sending them an unprecedented message of protection and support.
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Josh Kaplan
@js_kaplan
Aug 17, 2024
Replying to @js_kaplan
A Twitter thread can only scratch the surface of what’s been happening in the militia movement the past few years. Read the full saga here:
Armed and Underground: Inside the Turbulent, Secret World of an American Militia
From propublica.org
305K
Josh Kaplan
@js_kaplan
Jan 4, 2025
Replying to @js_kaplan
The infiltrator’s name is John Williams. To learn what he revealed about the paramilitary movement — and how a mole managed to become a senior leader in a major American militia — read the full story here:
The Militia and the Mole
From propublica.org
257K
Josh Kaplan
@js_kaplan
Jan 4, 2025
Replying to @js_kaplan
The mole’s journey was dangerous and difficult, ethically fraught and often bizarre. He kept a journal with every lie he told so he wouldn’t lose track. Here’s some photos he provided from an Oath Keepers training.
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