I’m a news and event photographer in DC. This is my chosen profession and I love what I do. I’ve been doing this for seventeen years; the last eleven as a bona fide member of “The Press.” I watched the Hussein administration take the reins of power and continue along the path that Bush had established vis-a-vis the absolute erosion of Press Freedom in America. Hussein used the espionage act more than any other president in our history to not only silence, but crush dissent. When I learned that Hussein had tapped the phones of the Associated Press, I was so incensed that I quit smoking to effect my own tax protest.

I give myself a lot of personal assignments. I don’t make any money from these, but I get paid in the information I glean and sometimes a meal. One of my favorite places to catch one of these is the National Press Club in Washington. Twice I have covered a fellow of particular interest to me. He spoke at a luncheon in 2013 and again at a news conference in 2015. I did not notice at the time, but as I was reviewing these image sets, I saw something on his lapel.

The lightbulb suddenly illuminated. This guy has the classic trilogy of culpability. He was a senior executive with the NSA. He is an expert on the East German Stasi and their programs to surveil the citizenry. He helped design the programs that were being abused. Means.

He went through proper channels to blow the whistle on fraud, abuse and unconstitutional programs. For his trouble he was investigated and prosecuted by the FBI. His life was nearly destroyed with the possibility of what would be a lifetime in a federal prison. Motive.

In the election of 2016, the DC establishment et. al. were delivered mortal blows with the ascension of Donald Trump to the Presidency of The United States of America. This global shift of the power balance yet to be fully felt or appreciated by many was not lost on patriots within our military and intelligence communities. This realignment provided the chance for Q to rise. Opportunity.

I believe Q is none other than Thomas Drake.

Notice the lapel pin on Drake, the tall guy to the right. Also, read the other names in the caption, he’s in some stellar company.

Here is his luncheon speech at the National Press Club from March 13th, 2013. (Note: this predates Snowden’s revelations beginning on June 5, 2013.)

https://www.press.org/news-multimedia/videos/npc-luncheon-thomas-drake