Ramsay failed to include ties to “radical” groups on form.
By John Friend
A young man in the Los Angeles area has agreed to plead guilty to a felony charge related to making a false statement on a questionnaire used in a background investigation in order to obtain a federal security clearance, the Department of Justice announced earlier this month.
Decker Hayes Ramsay, a 23-year-old from Rolling Hills, an upscale community on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in south Los Angeles County, agreed to the guilty plea with federal prosecutors in the Central District of California for failing to disclose his apparent membership in two white nationalist organizations aligned with the now largely defunct alt-right movement.
Federal prosecutors argue that Ramsay “knowingly and willfully” made a false statement when completing the Electronic Questionnaire for Investigations Processing (e-QIP), a questionnaire used by the United States Office of Personnel Management’s National Background Investigations Bureau in order to obtain a national security clearance. Ramsay had been seeking a national security clearance as part of the employment application process at a federal defense contractor, the name of which was withheld in court documents.
According to the DOJ, Ramsay failed to disclose his membership and previous affiliations with both Vanguard America and the Aryan Underground, two groups that are now all but inoperative. Both Vanguard America and the Aryan Underground focused on the plight of white Americans and worked to spread awareness of the perils facing white America, participating in various demonstrations and rallies, including the controversial 2017 Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, Va. It is unclear how active Ramsay was with these highly demonized organizations or if he participated in outreach activities or attended any rallies or demonstrations.
According to the press release issued by the DOJ, Ramsay “admitted that he falsely represented on his e-QIP that he had never been a member of an organization that advocates or practices commission of acts of force or violence to discourage others from exercising their constitutional rights,” an apparent reference to both Vanguard America and the Aryan Underground. This reporter is unaware of any organized white nationalist group that explicitly “advocates or practices commission of acts of force or violence to discourage others from exercising their constitutional rights.”
According to the Anti-Defamation League, which profiles, vilifies, and demonizes pro-white groups and activists, Vanguard America is best known for posting what the ADL deems to be “white supremacist” flyers at various colleges and universities across the country, as well as organizing and participating in public events focusing on preserving Confederate monuments, standing up for white Americans’ civil and political rights, and for supporting free speech rights for all. Neither Vanguard America nor the Aryan Underground explicitly engaged in premeditated violence or used force to prevent or discourage others from exercising their constitutionally protected rights.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force assisted in the investigation of Ramsay, who is currently being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Reema M. El-Amamy of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section. Ramsay is scheduled to make his first court appearance soon where he is expected to plead guilty to a single count of making a false statement. He is facing a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.
We assume the DOJ will similarly prosecute any applicants who fail to mention they have participated in Antifa or Black Lives Matter movement-inspired activities, though we are not holding our breath for a press release announcing such a prosecution any time soon. This is merely yet another indication that the U.S. and global intelligence community are taking seriously the Department of Homeland Security’s determination that “white supremacists” (anyone who has any affiliations with pro-white activist groups) and not leftist marauders, rioters, looters, and arsonists are the greatest threat to America.
John Friend is a freelance writer based in California.
