Analyst Draws Controversial Parallels Between Recent Assassinations and Cold War Psyops

Geoff Shullenberger, managing editor at Compact magazine and host of the "Blame Theory" podcast, has ignited debate with a recent social media post linking the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump and other recent acts of political violence to a "sort of Afghan Phoenix Program redux" and "strategy of tension." Shullenberger's remarks, made on November 27, 2025, suggest a disturbing shift in the nature of political violence in the United States.

"The DC shooter was part of a sort of Afghan Phoenix Program redux. I suspect I speak for others familiar with the literature on 20th c psyops/strategy of tension/etc when I say I slightly lost my shit when I read this," Shullenberger stated in his tweet.

The "DC shooter" referenced by Shullenberger is Thomas Matthew Crooks, who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump on July 13, 2024, during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Crooks, 20, was killed by Secret Service agents after firing shots that wounded Trump and killed a bystander. This incident, along with the alleged assassination of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh by Luigi Mangione in October 2024 and the murder of Charlie Kirk by Tyler Robinson in September 2025, forms the basis of Shullenberger's analysis.

Shullenberger's use of "Afghan Phoenix Program redux" draws a parallel to the controversial CIA operation during the Vietnam War. The Phoenix Program, active from 1967 to 1972, aimed to "neutralize" the Viet Cong infrastructure through intelligence gathering, detention, and often assassination, leading to widespread accusations of human rights abuses and extrajudicial killings. The term "redux" implies a revival or re-emergence of similar tactics or underlying dynamics.

Furthermore, Shullenberger invokes "psyops" (psychological operations) and the "strategy of tension." Psychological operations involve conveying selected information to influence motives and behavior. The "strategy of tension," a theory often associated with Cold War-era Italy and Operation Gladio, posits that governments colluded with extremist groups to carry out violent acts, blaming political opponents to foster fear and demand for a stronger, more authoritarian state.

In a September 2025 Substack article titled "The Return of the Assassin," Shullenberger elaborated on his thesis, observing a shift from anonymous mass shootings to targeted political assassinations. He cited Crooks, Mangione, and Robinson as examples of this trend, suggesting a new, more deliberate form of political violence. Mangione, 24, is suspected in the assassination of Justice Kavanaugh and a 2020 attack on a federal judge's family, linked by authorities to anti-government and far-left extremist ideologies. Robinson, 22, was arrested for the murder of Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, with motives reportedly tied to anti-conservative sentiments.

Shullenberger's commentary, therefore, positions these recent, high-profile acts of political violence not merely as isolated incidents but as potentially interconnected phenomena reflecting a deeper, more calculated, and ideologically driven landscape, reminiscent of historical covert operations designed to manipulate political outcomes through fear and destabilization.