Kristofer Goldsmith is an investigator and consultant who takes an unconventional approach to fighting against domestic fascist organizations and unlawful militias.
As a combat veteran who has spent years studying disinformation and far-right movements, he’s able to work his way past adversaries’ defenses to gain access to information critical to law enforcement and other key stakeholders on the front lines of defending our democratic system.
His documentation and exposure of the internal communications of Patriot Front, the largest and most active hate group in America, caused the self-described fascist organization to cease all activity for three months during a critical period: starting just days before the 2020 election.
Kris is also the founder and president of High Ground Veterans Advocacy, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit, which partners with military and Veterans Service Organizations to train veterans to become grassroots advocates and leaders in their local communities. High Ground Veterans Advocacy was recognized in 2016 by HillVets as one of the nation’s top new veterans organizations.
Photos by Holly Pickett
From 2016-2020, Kris worked on the policy and government affairs team at Vietnam Veterans of America, where he had the opportunity to develop and see implemented the congressional budgetary trick that removed the delimiting date for what became the “Forever GI Bill.” He also opened up a pathway to healthcare for over half a million veterans who had previously been denied access to VA hospitals.
As VVA’s chief investigator, he wrote the definitive work on foreign entities that target troops, veterans, and their families online, while earning his degree in political science from Columbia University. His testimony before congress inspired two congressional investigations into the targeting and radicalization of veterans online.
Kris created Sparverius, LLC to focus and facilitate joint efforts to go on offense against those who seek to instill fear in and cause harm to America’s most vulnerable and frequently-targeted populations.