Were reports that talk about a supposed imminent "EMP Threat" or "Blackout Warfare" against the U.S. "leaked" from the Department of Homeland Security, and were these documents "classified" in any way? No, that's not true: The reports that are sometimes used on social media to promote a documentary by Teddy Daniels are publicly available and easily accessible on the internet. They're not secret or classified nor are they government reports. They were published by a self-described nonprofit organization that does not receive government funding and is not part of the Department of Homeland Security.
The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on Facebook on October 31, 2023, under the title "Leaked Intelligence Report Reveals Imminent Threat." The video opened with a voice saying:
This is madness. Blatant lies that CNN was telling about it.
This is what the post looked like on Facebook at the time of writing:
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken on Thu Nov 30 20:41:13 2023 UTC)
Lead Stories previously debunked this video, reporting that podcaster Joe Rogan did not mention Daniels, his documentary or an attack that supposedly would wipe out 90 percent of the U.S. population in weeks. The transcript shows Rogan did not make any statements about the attack or say that information about it was being censored. Several audio clips used in the video appear to be inauthentic.
The caption of the video says, "Learn how one patriot is risking his life by exposing the truth and saving millions of American families..." The "one patriot" appears to refer to Daniels, a former candidate (archived here) for office in Pennsylvania, who has made the claims about the imminent attack on his website lastblackout.com (archived here).
At 13 seconds into the video a voice purporting to be Joe Rogan says, "There was a recently leaked report from Homeland Security," and this image is shown:
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken on Thu Nov 30 20:45:22 2023 UTC)
The image is from a report titled (archived here), "BLACKOUT WARFARE: High-altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) Attack on the U.S. Electric Power Grid," which is from the EMP Task Force on National and Homeland Security, published on August 6, 2021. This is a publicly available document and is not classified nor secret nor was it leaked in a video. The Task Force on National and Homeland Security is a nonprofit organization that is not financially supported by the U.S. government and is not a part of the Department of Homeland Security. Their website explains the organization:
The Task Force on National and Homeland Security is an official Congressional Advisory Board, recognized as such by the Ethics Committee under the name 'Task Force on National and Homeland Security' and as a Virginia based, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization under the name 'EMP Task Force on National and Homeland Security'. As such, the Task Force on National and Homeland Security receives no Congressional funding and operates solely on donations.
Page 23 of the report does warn about an attack using a High-altitude Electromagnetic Pulse weapon but offers no timeline of when a foreign country could possibly attack the United States. The report says:
The Congressional EMP Commission estimates that a HEMP attack causing a protracted nationwide blackout lasting one year could kill up to 90 percent of the American people through starvation and societal collapse.
This estimate is not a secret warning leaked by the Department of Homeland Security.
At 34 seconds into the video a voice says, "It says right here on this official report from Homeland Security," and this image is shown:
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken on Thu Nov 30 20:48:31 2023 UTC)
This is another report (archived here) from the Task Force titled, "CHINA: EMP THREAT The People's Republic of China Military Doctrine, Plans, and Capabilities for Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack." This report is also not marked classified and is not a secret document; it's readily available on the internet. It advises that China knows about "nuclear high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP)" and warns that it could be used as a tool of war.
Page 2 of the report states:
China's military doctrine regards nuclear HEMP attack as an extension of information or cyber warfare, and deserving highest priority as the most likely kind of future warfare.
Other Lead Stories fact checks about Teddy Daniels can be found here.
