Exclusive: Tech Billionaire Peter Thiel Was an FBI Informant

Insider reports that Silicon Valley investor Peter Thiel served as a confidential human source (CHS) for the FBI, beginning in the summer of 2021, providing information to Los Angeles-based FBI agent Johnathan Buma. Charles Johnson, a longtime Thiel associate, told Insider he helped recruit Thiel by introducing him to Buma, and a second source corroborated that account, while Insider confirmed through an additional source that the FBI added Thiel to its formal roster of registered informants. Johnson said Thiel was directed not to report on his interactions with Donald Trump or other US political figures, and it is unclear whether Thiel remains a CHS, as Buma said he was ordered to cease contact with all his sources in late 2022.