12 Famous People The FBI Kept Files On

The FBI is under scrutiny with its recent search on the Trump estate, with right-wing extremist Marjorie Taylor Greene calling to defund them.  This inspired us to take a look back on the times the FBI investigated other notable public figures.

The FBI has a public record of declassified files. Some of the FBI files of public figures, like Elvis or Betty White, include primarily attempts to steal from or extort them, meaning the FBI saw them as the victims. But some files, are truly strange. The most shocking ones are from under J. Edgar Hoover’s COINTELPRO, which was only exposed to the public after activists broke in and stole documents. The illegal program targeted feminist, anti-Vietnam, independence, Indigenous, environmental, and civil rights organizations and even armed a right-wing militia against Anti-War activists.

From using a photo that wasn't even John Lennon in Lennon's file to confusing KISS with The Who, we don’t have much faith that the FBI could be capable of what so many conspiracy theorists dream of. (Not to mention, the institution has an undeniable conservative bias, tracing back to its inception.) But, hey, they almost managed to pull off COINTELPRO without the mainstream media realizing it, and this is only the redacted, declassified information.