Tim Ballard
and
Operation Underground Railroad

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Manipulating Psychological Vulnerabilities: Biases

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Elaine Godfrey wrote in “The Atlantic” that “If people on the left are repelled by [the “Sound of Freedom”], it’s for the same reasons people on the right feel so obligated to see it. Our political leaders, our social circles, and our chosen media have signaled in our echo chambers exactly how we should feel about it” (Godfrey, 2023). Stanford scholars Lord, Ross and Lepper explain that “People who hold [biases] on complex social issues are likely to examine relevant empirical evidence in a biased manner. They are apt to accept ‘confirming’ evidence at face value while subjecting ‘discontinuing’ evidence to critical evaluation” (1979). Ballard has successfully appealed to existing biases in recruiting religious and political conservatives and extremists. 

In 2019, Ballard testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee about the need to build a wall on the Mexico border. He reported that the lack of security is related to child sex trafficking (Senate, 2019). Some feel this ideology is more related to racial oppression than national security, but emotional appeals like Ballard’s can cause us to dismiss other information and perspectives. Ballard has hinted at the theory that “an international cabal of elites is abusing and killing children to extract a substance called adrenochrome (Evans, 2021). In one interview he spoke about pedophilia becoming mainstream and accepted “in the name of liberty…and if you call someone a pedophile, you get cancelled, because how dare you!” (Evans, 2021). He further states that “the same people who are promoting this are the same people who are promoting killing babies, even partial birth or just out of the womb” (Evans, 2021). Additionally, in response to a question on the “Wayfair” child trafficking claims, Ballard stated, “We’ll get our answers sooner than later, but I want to tell you this: Children are sold that way” (Ballard, 2020). 

Ballard’s ideologies may not connect with everyone, but his message has been well crafted to appeal to those with a right, to far right, political position (Bond, 2023). In a world that feels vulnerable, individuals can lean into theories that make sense of a chaotic and complex world. Scholar Lorenzo Gagliardi explains that “Conspiracy mentality is the consequence of a set of systematic cognitive errors (cognitive biases), which in turn derive from simplified and intuitive rules of reasoning (heuristics)” (Gagliardi, 2023). Social proof, a sense of belonging to a community involved in an important cause, and being associated with a leader who shares the same ideology have been important elements in OUR enlistment. And while it has been a successful recruitment strategy for Ballard and OUR, it has not always served the best interests of people who have been involved. Cialdini warned, “the problem comes when we begin responding to social proof in such a mindless and reflexive fashion that we can be fooled by partial or fake evidence” (2006). Many people did not fact check Ballards claims, or usage of donor funds, and if they did, it was most often shielded behind NDA’s and secrecy to “protect the victims,” which seemed reasonable, but also provided perfect cover. 

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Costly Displays and Heuristics Gone Wrong

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Besides volunteering time, people donated money– sometimes a considerable amount of money. This can serve as a heuristic in that it signals credibility. Tony Robbins is one example of this phenomenon in regards to OUR. In 2020, he celebrated his 60th birthday with a fundraiser. He raised 18 million for OUR (Genovese, 2020). Tim Pool reported that he raised 50,000 for OUR in minutes (The Post, 2023). Glenn Beck spent a significant amount of time and money so Ballard could quit his job and start OUR in 2013 (Wilson, 2013). Beck has been a prolific fundraiser over the years. In 2023, he publicly announced that he had been duped (Hatch, 2023). Wealthy businessman Paul Hutchinson was a key fundraiser, long time supporter and operative for OUR (Hutchinson, 2023). He has since publicly disavowed Ballard (Hutchinson, 2023). Disillusioned supporter “@kiralynnsands762” who had donated to OUR for years, recently canceled her monthly contribution. She said “All I use to have to do was think of the name, Tim Ballard and I would be brought to tears in adoration, because I believed his mission was selfless” (Hutchinson, 2023). 

Sometimes people donated money they did not have, because saving children was a cause they felt passionate about. One volunteer I interviewed said, “I watched a lady that looked like she didn’t have much. She won one of the silent auction items. I was the one taking payment for the auction items. She had to try 4 different credit cards before she found one that cleared. I told her that she shouldn’t buy it and we could pick the next highest bidder, but she said it was important work and she wanted to donate” (Hunter, 2024). Some people spent a significant amount of time volunteering. A volunteer said: “I regret donating my time to fundraisers for them” (Hunter, 2024). Meg Conley, a young writer, describes searching for meaning in her life. Ballard told her he had been “called by God. When Ballard invited her to come on a “raid” so she could report on it, she agreed. In 2014, she went on a “raid” with OUR to “save” kids sold for sex. Conley recounts that “What we did haunts me now” (Conley, 2021). As details have emerged regarding Ballard’s activities, many of his supporters have had to face a difficult and emotional process of accepting that they were taken advantage of and fell prey to an elaborate scam (Hatch, 2023; Rex, 2023).

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Control of Resources

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In August 2019, we have what came to be known as the “White Board Meeting,” a revamping of the business model of OUR (Hutchinson, 2023; American, n.d.). Essentially, donations from non-profits associated with Tim Ballard would be transferred into Tim Ballard’s personal account. Some of this money would then be funneled to M. Russell Ballard, a prominent leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who was said to be a silent partner (Hutchinson, 2023; American, n.d.). It should be emphasized that M. Russell Ballard had not agreed to be a silent partner and was unaware of the strategy. When M. Russell Ballard was informed that Tim Ballard had been using his name to add credibility to his schemes; the church made a public statement condemning his “morally unacceptable behavior” (Schott, 2023; Marchman, 2023). It appears this plan was designed with the aim of purchasing a leadership role within the church. 

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Tune back in for another episode

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