Tim Ballard – smear campaign accelerates

Tim Ballard, founder of Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.) and hero of Sound of Freedom, now faces his greatest challenge. Even before he dropped a hint of running for the United States Senate, he became subject to a campaign of slander and defamation of character. Now that Mitt Romney has dropped out of the race, that campaign has accelerated. For that reason, those who value not only freedom but also civilization itself, must use maximum discernment and reject the opposition narrative.

What are people saying about Tim Ballard?

The latest opposition research on Tim Ballard comes from an outlet called Vice – which, according to their allies The Intercept, is in bankruptcy. Vice made two reports, one shortly after Sound of Freedom premiered speculating on why Ballard left O.U.R., and another yesterday. They allege that Ballard, while working on rescue operations, would invite a woman to pose as his wife. Vice further alleges that the pose went further than traveling together and extended even to sharing bed and/or shower. They say Ballard did this with and to more than seven women in the course of his involvement.

Vice attributes this tale to that time-honored journalistic device, “sources familiar with the situation.”

They quote an alleged statement from O.U.R. that, while saying it “does not tolerate sexual harassment or discrimination,” does not specifically accuse Ballard of anything. O.U.R. says only that Tim Ballard resigned from O.U.R. on June 22, 2023. (Sound of Freedom premiered July 4.) O.U.R. was under investigation by Davis County (Utah) Attorney Troy Rawlings. That investigation lasted for two and a half years, then closed with no charges against anyone.

But an anonymous letter alleged that an O.U.R. employee filed a sexual harassment complaint against Ballard. Then the letter accuses Ballard of promulgating “false narratives” against the organization.

Tim Ballard has never once said anything negative about O.U.R. or any of its present or former staff.

He’s been through this before, and for years

Apparently this kind of slander – and libel – has dogged Ballard for at least as long as the investigation of O.U.R. A woman named Meg Conley wrote a piece for Slate alleging essentially that the rescues of children are fake, and only make their lives worse. For that she quotes a “study” by “experts” whom she refuses to name.

She describes an operation in which she said she took part, that mirrors the one in Sound of Freedom. (Her operation was much smaller.) This particular operation was successful – but then she quoted the naysayers in the U.S. State Department. Never mind that this is the Biden/Blinken State Department, which would seek to:

• Deny the problem, and
• Prevent others from solving it.

Conley also makes such pettifogging complaints as, “O.U.R. ignored requests from Black activists to change the organization’s name.” If true – if – then it shows only how petty certain people are when they allege something called “cultural appropriation.”

But this statement gives the strongest evidence that Meg Conley is, frankly, lying:

Anti-trafficking work is providing support for gay and trans kids kicked out of their homes and therefore exposed to heightened risk of being trafficked.

If anyone is trafficking these confused children, it is their faculty groomers in public schools, and psychiatrists who have violated every concept of the Oath of Hippocrates in order to convince children to opt into expensive experimental treatment that would have made Viktor Frankenstein, had he been a real person, vomit.

Have the Mormons actually denounced him?

And so we come to the alleged statement from Acting Prophet M. Russell Ballard of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – the Mormons. The Deseret News quotes him as accusing Tim Ballard of:

• “Betraying” the “friendship” between the two men,
• Using Prophet Ballard’s name without Prophet Ballard’s permission and for his own personal advantage, and
• The deceptive activities of which Vice speaks, quoting their “SFWTS” claque.

President Ballard and Tim Ballard (no relation) established a friendship a number of years ago. That friendship was built on a shared interest in looking after God’s children wherever they are and without regard to their circumstance. However, that relationship is in the past. For many months, President Ballard has had no contact with the founder of Operation Underground Railroad (OUR). The nature of that relationship was always in support of vulnerable children being abused, trafficked, and otherwise neglected. Once it became clear Tim Ballard had betrayed their friendship, through the unauthorized use of President Ballard’s name for Tim Ballard’s personal advantage and activity regarded as morally unacceptable, President Ballard withdrew his association. President Ballard never authorized his name, or the name of the Church, to be used for Tim’s personal or financial interests.

In addition, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints never endorsed, supported or represented OUR, Tim Ballard or any projects associated with them.

President Ballard loves children, all over the world. It has been his mission and life’s work to look after them, care for them, and point them to their Savior.

This could explain why all tracking of box-office performance by Sound of Freedom ceased as of September 12.

Tim Ballard fights back

Today Tim Ballard responded to the alleged statement by the Prophet, in a press release from the SPEAR Fund.

Rescuing kids and fighting child trafficking is an ugly and dark business, especially when—as the result of my work for more than 20 years—we continue to expose members of the powerful, well-funded child trafficking cartels.

Evil pedophiles will stop at nothing, and they have allies in government, in the media, in big corporations, and even in public institutions. They continue to lie and attempt to destroy my good name and defame my character…and they will never stop.

I want everyone to know that I and our vast army of supporters will likewise never stop. We will keep fighting for the vulnerable all over the globe, and we know that the truth will always prevail.

I am a faithful Member in good standing in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I believe in Jesus Christ, the Holy Scriptures, and I believe in our faith with my whole heart. That will never change.

It has been alleged that an LDS church spokesperson issued a statement about me through a tabloid that is often hostile to people of faith. My church has not publicly verified the statement’s authenticity. We are also highly suspicious about the timing of such a statement given its close proximity to Mitt Romney’s announcement that he is retiring, my own public comments about my prayers about future plans, and the fact that the LDS church does not engage in political activity.

In any event, nothing will change my core beliefs. If someone within the church did release this statement, I am absolutely confident that the right people will step in and ensure that proper due process is followed as the rules of our church dictate.

I, my family, and the Spear Fund team will confidently move forward and focus on our mission of saving children from the horrors of sex slavery, and remaining fierce defenders of freedom. We invite anyone who shares this passion to join us.

The tabloid involved is Vice, which appears to be aptly named. Ballard alleges that Vice promotes the normalization of pedophilia and pedophiles, calling the latter “minor attracted persons.” An engined search of Vice with that key phrase produced two articles. CNAV has saved both on the Wayback Machine.Do these articles condemn the concept? Or do they make subtle excuses? Judge for yourselves. Here is what Tim Ballard has to say about Vice:

Do you know Vice? Do you think the church would make a statement to Vice? Vice magazine has promoted the concept that pedophiles should be called “minor-attracted persons.” To normalize it. Vice Magazine has done more hit pieces on the church than maybe any other. I can’t imagine that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would make a statement to a tabloid. I can’t imagine, but I can’t confirm it.

Last last night, WorldNetDaily’s Joe Kovacs published this piece summarizing the latest dust-up as best he could. “It’s not true; nothing you hear is true,” he said to several followers in Boston, Massachusetts.

By “not true” he means not only the allegations against him, but also the attribution of a denunciatory statement to Prophet Ballard. Kovacs also included this X post:

Note that Tim Ballard disputes Stewartson’s allegation that the Mormons have excommunicated him.

Analysis

Journalistic judgment always hinges on credibility of the sources. Sources are the equivalent of witnesses in courts of law.

If any of the allegations against Tim Ballard are true, why didn’t Davis County Attorney Rawlings charge him? Why did he fold his tent and go home? And why is Eduardo Verástegui, producer of Sound of Freedom, registering to run for President of Mexico?

Sound of Freedom has had production, distribution, and exhibition problems from the start. Walt Disney shelved the picture – but Angel Studios put it out anyway. Employees at a major theater chain organized a sabotage campaign against it – to no avail. A reviewer panned it – and turned out to be a “normalizer” of pedophilia. Two streaming services refuse to carry it. Now we see all manner of pettifogging allegations trying to discredit the premise as well as the man. And the best anyone can come up with to substantiate it, are an anonymous letter and “sources familiar with the situation.”

Tim Ballard is being very generous in not being willing to accept the statement that Vice attributes to Prophet Ballard. Considering the source, Agent Ballard is behaving with honor. But in fact CNAV sees no reason to discount completely that the Prophet would make a statement like that. If the world pedophile network is as powerful as Agent Ballard has shown, then it is powerful enough even to suborn the Acting Mormon Prophet.

Be not hasty to believe flying reports to the disparagement of any. George Washington, from Rules of Civility.

Where we go from here

This controversy shows how powerful and devious the pedophile network actually is. If anything this makes continued support of Agent Ballard imperative. He must win election to the Senate in order to bring down that network – and its apologists and normalizers.

Update 20 September 2023

Tim Ballard released this statement through The Spear Fund, pointing out that, by his own rules, undercover operatives for Operation Underground Railroad were never to have sexual contact. He also left a link to this video of an interview he gave to Marisol Nichols, describing such operations.