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Culture War Roundup for the week of August 18, 2025

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Last week, a child-predator sting operation in Las Vegas run by the FBI snagged 8 people. One of those people was Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, who is the head of the Technological Defense Division at the Israel National Cyber Directorate. This is a significant official under Netanyahu. He was booked into the Henderson Detention Center and charged with luring a child with a computer for a sex act, a felony that carries up to 20 years in prison, but then the next day he was back in Israel:

  • Netanyahu’s office and Ynet: claimed Alexandrovich was never arrested at all, only “briefly questioned” before returning to his hotel and flying home. This is a complete fabrication. I directly confirmed with police that he was arrested and charged. The following three outlets, including two in Israel, confirmed the same thing.
  • The Guardian : reported Alexandrovich “faces felony charges of luring a child with a computer for a sex act” and confirmed “all eight suspects were brought to jail after their arrests.”
  • Jerusalem Post: confirmed he was among the eight men arrested and charged, writing: “eight people were arrested, including Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, 38… all detainees are charged with attempting to entice minors online to commit sexual acts.”
  • Times of Israel: went further, reporting he was “booked at the Henderson Detention Center” and that indictments were expected.

Netyanhu's office claimed Alexandrovich was never arrested, but the arrest charges are a matter of record, which only brings us another stark example of the nation of Israel's unbelievable capacity for lying.

So why was Alexandrovich let go while the 7 others caught in the sting remained in prison and have already appeared in court? According to Shaun King's sources:

I have now confirmed with officers involved in the sting that the Trump administration personally intervened, at Israel’s request, to override U.S. law enforcement, including their own federal agents involved in the sting, to make sure that Alexandrovich got back to Israel quickly and safely.

The officers told me they couldn’t believe it. They had worked for weeks with the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Nevada Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force to run this sting. They caught Alexandrovich red-handed. They booked him, charged him, and logged him into Henderson County’s system like every other suspect.

And then — despite the Trump administration itself authorizing the sting — Trump’s own team stepped in and blew up their work. They expedited his release and return to Israel. A predator was caught. And then, to protect Netanyahu, he was freed.

The officers also confirmed for me that Alexandrovich DID NOT have a diplomatic visa or any kind of diplomatic immunity.

Inexplicably, Shaun King's tweets about this story were deleted after receiving tens of millions of views in engagement on X.

An X account run by the U.S. State Department actually released a brief statement today after the outcry on X, confirming that Alexandrovich was not on a diplomatic visa but claiming that:

The Department of State is aware that Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, an Israeli citizen, was arrested in Las Vegas and given a court date for charges related to soliciting sex electronically from a minor. He did not claim diplomatic immunity and was released by a state judge pending a court date. Any claims that the U.S. government intervened are false.

Hmmm, ok. So he was the only one released from jail while the other 7 caught in the same operation remained imprisoned and have already had court hearings, and his passport was not revoked, he was allowed to fly to Israel the next day... yet the U.S. government did not intervene. Well someone intervened, who did? Who made the decision and why?

The interim US Attorney for the District of Nevada is a radical, Israeli-born Jewish Zionist Sigal Chattah. Did she make the call and why? Of course we all know why.

So where does that leave us? The story has escaped any iota of investigation from the American mainstream press. The U.S State Department provides no explanation for how this happened.

It's another data point in support of my own prior beliefs on the Epstein case in contrast to @2rafa's position on the case. I think @2rafa's case is reasoned well enough and does provide an alternate explanation for the suspicious constellation of unanswered questions. But it really does come down to my own prior beliefs, my confidence that if Epstein were involved with Israeli intelligence the US government would do anything to stop that information from becoming public. That, in my view, provides a better explanation for the unanswered questions, the massive pivots by the Trump administration on the investigation, the suspicious caginess, than 2rafa's explanation for the constellation of evidence. If 2rafa were right, I think the feds would to a damn good job proving it to the entire world.

This is all very familiar. Alexander Acosta, the former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida who oversaw the 2008 plea deal that significantly reduced Epstein's charges, reportedly told President Trump's transition team that Epstein "belonged to intelligence" and to "leave it alone". 2rafa brushes this off as hearsay, and attributes Epstein's sweetheart deal to human error by the prosecutors and perhaps being leaned on by connected Wall Street friends. The claims of Epstein being said to belong to itnelligence? That's all hearsay (which it is to be fair). But this isn't a criminal court, I do consider repeated claims, even by Epstein himself, of being related to intelligence to be significant evidence even if it wouldn't be allowed in a criminal court.

Those exact same arguments can and will be used for this case too: there's no nefarious explanation, the prosecutors just dropped the ball and forgot to take his passport away and let him fly to Israel unlike the 7 others arrested in the same sting... any claims that U.S. government intervened are false, they say, and any claims that there was pressure by the U.S government are merely hearsay so far (and they are).

Like I said, this story does not surprise me in the least, it conforms to my prior beliefs regarding the priorities of the US government and the extent to which its institutions are compromised by Jewish-Israeli influence. However, my bold prediction is that Alexandrovich will be extradited because I do not believe those in power to be so incompetent as to not throw Alexandrovich to the wolves for the sake of retaining the diminishing shreds of credibility they have left.

There is currently a big push by Nick Fuentes against a rising JD Vance on the accusation that the MAGA movement has been compromised and appropriated by Israeli influence. Alexandrovich escaping justice under the Trump/Vance administration would be too symbolic of a proof for the exact criticisms Fuentes has of the MAGA movement. The story is going to give him credibility, animate and grow his audience, I don't see why Trump/Vance would allow this to happen just to avoid prosecuting one guy who as far as I can tell seems disposable.

If macron got caught sexting a minor on American soil, do you think he’d be boing to jail? Sirskiy? Mark Rutte? British royals?

I think the kid gloves are just ‘cabinet official in a major U.S. ally’. Whether that alliance serves US interests is another matter.

Macron is a head of state which means he has diplomatic immunity. Royals enjoy similar and very long lived privileges.

Random ministers and secretaries, even members of parliaments, unless specifically acting as diplomats do not and should not enjoy immunity from prosecution for crimes that fall under the jurisdiction of a foreign state.

You're either so important putting you in jail could start a war or you are not.

Diplomatic immunity is the legal fact, but there's also a layer of diplomatic discretion underneath it. Sometimes you sweep things under the rug to keep your friends happy. If anything it's more effective as a gesture because you didn't have to do it. "Sure thing Benny old chum, I'll take care of this as a personal favor to you."

'Guy with connections gets off with slap on the wrist' is a story as old as law itself. It happens all the time and needs no special explanation.