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Did the Son of the NRA-Connected Private Spy Lose His Job Because of Mom?

Is Sean McFate the first casualty of Gun-gate?

Sean McFate is the son of Mary Lou Sapone (a.k.a. Mary McFate), the NRA-connected private spy who infiltrated the gun control movement for about 15 years. Her tale was first disclosed by Mother Jones last week. That article noted that Sean, a Brown- and Harvard-educated paratrooper, and his wife, Montgomery McFate, a controversial Pentagon adviser, had once both worked for Mary Lou Sapone's business, which specialized, according to an old version of Montgomery's resume, in "domestic and internal opposition research" and "special investigations." Sean and Montgomery McFate might also have been involved in Mary Lou Sapone's penetration of the gun control community.

More recently, Sean McFate was program director of the national security initiative at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington think tank boasting an advisory board composed of four former Senate majority leaders: Howard Baker, Bob Dole, George Mitchell, and Tom Daschle. That is, he was until the appearance of the Mother Jones story on his mother.

As that story was being posted last week, McFate was listed on BPC's staff list on its website. Days later, his name was gone.

Asked about McFate's fate, the BPC issued this statement:

Prior to the publication of the recent Mother Jones article, Sean McFate resigned from the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) to pursue a different professional project. The BPC was unaware of any allegations regarding the activities of Sean's family members and never had any reason to believe that Sean was involved in any questionable behavior.

The timing of the Mother Jones article was purely coincidental, and was in no way related to Sean's resignation. We wish him well as he pursues his professional interests.

A coincidence? Perhaps. But McFate, as noted above, was on the staff list until after the story hit. Moreover, after Mother Jones had contacted McFate for the story but before the article was posted, his title on the BPC website changed. Twice. He went from being listed as a program director to being described as a consultant to again being listed as a program director--all within a few days. Why the back and forth? (McFate refused to talk to Mother Jones about his mother or his work with her.)

It could be that Sean McFate's departure from the BPC was no more than a case of odd timing. But would the BPC--which works to develop "solutions that can attract the public support and political momentum to achieve real progress" and which happens to be located one floor below the Brady Campaign To Prevent Gun Violence, the nation's most prominent gun control organization (which McFate tried to penetrate)--want on its staff a fellow linked to an undercover operation that targeted a neighbor? And the work of Mary Lou Sapone was hardly in the spirit of bipartisanship. It's not surprising that Sean McFate picked this moment to move on.

Meanwhile, the NRA has yet to respond to the exposure of Mary Lou Sapone's snooping. Nor has she. After the story came out, Mary Lou Sapone skedaddled to Belize and has not replied to requests from various news organizations.

Comments

I'm writing this from Colorado Springs, AKA "Spooksville." An ever increasing number of us peace and justice supporters of true democracy here are aware of infiltration, surveillance, intimidation and worse (Google Colorado Springs St. Patrick's Day Seven Parade 2007 -u tube police brutality). Is anyone questioning whether McFate and son are connected in any way to the infiltration-prone "spook" organizations? Currently, ACLU in Washington, D.C. is looking into the country's 40 fusion centers (cop and spook co-operatives that specialize in infusion, etc.), and on July 18, Rep. Dennis Kucinich announced that he is pursuing a congressional investigation into such police and spook activities. Should be interesting what future litigation, during the discovery process, turns up re. the who, what, where and when of infiltration nationwide, particularly in certain locations. Think we'll ever be able to overcome heavy duty vote fraud and UNDO THE COUP? 'Twould be nice.

Posted by: Rita Ague on 08/08/08 at 12:32 PM Respond

This is all so cloak and dagger, it's almost funny. What his mother does is her business. The son shouldn't have to be punished for the acts of the mother. Nor should the NRA have to answer for its actions, provided she didn't infiltrate profitable corporations and receive pay from both. That it happened is newsworthy. That Congress should be involved or NRA "compelled" to answer questions isn't. They shouldn't.

Posted by: Wendy on 08/08/08 at 12:33 PM Respond

"That Congress should be involved or NRA "compelled" to answer questions isn't. They shouldn't."

Oh, but just think of the credibility that would bring to Mother Jones!

She might finally have some!!

Posted by: The Whole World Is Watching...NOT!! on 08/08/08 at 1:13 PM Respond

C'mon ... if steroid use in baseball is enough to hold Congressional Hearings about, why not this? There is nothing so irrelevant that Congress can't shoehorn in a little Hearing time to express their opinion about it ... before leaving for a few weeks of vacation

Posted by: Stupidscript on 08/08/08 at 2:55 PM Respond

Stupidscript:

EXELLENT point on the steroids in baseball analogy. Who the frack CAREs if pro athletes swell up like pressurized skin-bags of artificial muscle tissue? Not me; I say the more the better. Then little Johnny might have a bit better idea of the drawbacks of being a jock/freak of nature, without having to go through the heartbreak and physical torture involved in "excelling" at modern sports. (yes, I feel the same way about the Olympics)

Back to the issue at hand, I fully sympathize with MJ in this, especially since, far as I can tell, they don't claim any lawbreaking; it's just an expose of a dishonest and dirty tactic the NRA uses.

I honestly don't know why a sitting Senator would or should involve himself, except as a PRIVATE citizen on his own dime and time, if he thinks he needs to comment. I consider the late letter by that Senator to the NRA to be ill-considered at best.

The NRA wants a world wall-to-wall with loaded and cocked firearms. I'd like a world in which people were too sane, respectful, and intelligent to keep such things lying around (someone could get hurt!).

I guess if I can't have my way, the best I can do is try to make sure the NRA can't have their way, either.

Posted by: Dan Mortenson on 08/08/08 at 6:54 PM Respond

Bravo - good journalism and heck of a job uncovering sleaze, these folks ate the epitome of sleaze.

Stay on the scent it is sure to lead to deep recesses of both organizations (NRA and the supposed think tank)

Posted by: Robert on 08/09/08 at 1:31 AM Respond

Are any of the weapons in the photo with this story for sale? I would be interested in any or all of them.

Posted by: Ben Thomas on 08/09/08 at 4:51 AM Respond

This is a non-issue except with the gun grabbers. I had no idea the NRA was this on top of things!

Posted by: robster on 08/09/08 at 5:48 AM Respond

Mary Lou must be in the NRA witness protection program.

Posted by: CDW on 08/09/08 at 11:24 AM Respond

Oh please, let's get over it.
Sugarman of VPC fame was an FFL all along and the VPC, Brady Campaign and other gun control groups spread half-truths and lie about violence and firearms to mislead the public at every turn.

All *is* fair--and if you want to play such fun-and-games you must expect to get your nose bloody.

Remember, the NRA was NOT political prior to the GCA of 1968 and was very content to teach gun safety and act as the sanctioning body for the shooting sports. JFK was a Life-Member of the NRA as well.

Posted by: Mike Bishop on 08/11/08 at 11:40 AM Respond

This is outrageous and so typical of government intrusion into our lives. Wait till it happens to you as did us when the FBI infiltrated our motorcycle gang!! yes...true!! sure we had a few members with drugs and stolen guns but so what....look at the Democratic and Republican parties. jeezers we just want to ride...we are a lot like the Amish in our hearts

Posted by: Timray on 08/12/08 at 9:35 AM Respond

DOES ANYONE BELEIVE THAT THIS HASN'T BEEN GOING ON FOR YEARS? SEN. KENNEDY'S COMPUTER WASN'T HACKED BY SEN. HATCHES OFFICE BY A COMPUTER WHIZ..SOMEONE INSIDE SEN. KENNEDY'S OFFICE GAVE HIM THE ACCESS.

Posted by: JOE on 08/13/08 at 11:29 AM Respond

Thanks for stopping by to shout at us, Joe.

Posted by: Caps Lock Key on 08/13/08 at 11:52 AM Respond

Whole said: "Oh, but just think of the credibility that would bring to Mother Jones!

She might finally have some!!"

Uh, Whole, unlike you, Mother Jones has excellent credibility.

And I must point out that Mother Jones is a name for a magazine- The person known as "Mother Jones" died in 1930.

But then, that does effectively point out the fact that you are in fact, an ignorant right wing moron.

The fact that you are attempting to insult someone who died almost 78 years ago, and the fact that you are far too stoopid to know the difference between a magazine and a long dead woman...

Let me guess- If you ever make enough money, you would subscribe to Playboy magazine because you would like to read the pithy and timely articles.

OK...

Next time, please be a little more sporting.

At least force USA patriots to do the Google to expose you as an ignorant moron instead of POSTING the fact that you are a bush loving ignorant moron.

Come on- Unlike you bush loving traitors, USA patriots want to address the issues.

You have wasted far too much O2 already.

And no, I'm not going to waste my time explaining to a moron what O2 is.

Go away moronic repug troll.

Ok Whole, you don't know what that means.

SIGH!

Posted by: George Silva on 08/13/08 at 11:34 PM Respond