Kibbe on Liberty Ep 375 | “Will ‘Discombobulator’ Be Used On Americans?”

Host: Matt Kibbe | Guest: Steve Baker
Date: March 4, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the growing reality of directed energy weapons—often previously chalked up as “conspiracy theory” fodder—and their potential deployment not just abroad, but against Americans on U.S. soil. Matt Kibbe brings journalist Steve Baker back for a follow-up, one year after their first conversation about the mysterious “discombobulator” weapons, which have since been publicly acknowledged by President Trump and described as operational. The conversation ranges from hard-won reporting, official leaks, and Cold War history, to profound warnings about government overreach and the lack of public debate and congressional oversight.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Directed Energy Weapons: From Conspiracy to Reality

• Definition & Evolution

  • Steve Baker clarifies the terminology: “The typical phrase used is directed energy weapons because that then encompasses all the various technologies... There's the audio or sound version... the microwave version... and a new laser technology now also creates similar effects.” [02:46]
  • These weapons, once speculative, have now been confirmed by President Trump and others as real and actively used tools of war.

• Recent Use in Venezuela

  • President Trump referenced the “discombobulator” weapon used during the U.S. operation to extract Nicolas Maduro, boasting:

    “Made enemy equipment not work... Preventing Russian and Chinese rockets from launching and disabling defenses. So they pressed buttons and nothing worked. Nobody else has it. We have weapons nobody else knows about. It's amazing.” [05:09]

  • A Venezuelan soldier described the personal effects: head pain, immediate incapacitation, and soldiers “vomiting blood.” [12:20]

2. Mechanisms & Effects

• Specific Capability

  • According to a three-star SOCOM commander (as quoted by Baker):

    “With it, we can stop your heart. We can make you shit your pants.” [10:02]

  • Effects depend on tuning frequencies: can cause agitation, crowd disruption, severe physical symptoms, or even death. [09:31]

• Forms & Deployments

  • Larger truck-mounted “DEW” (Directed Energy Weapons) crowd dispersal tools have been public knowledge for some time.
  • Miniaturization now allows for “backpack size” units—more maneuverable and easily deployed, even covertly. [08:22]

3. Public and Political Reckoning

• Skepticism to Acceptance

  • Kibbe observes the acceleration of ideas moving from conspiracy to reality:

    “What is the average time between crazy conspiracy theorists to, ‘you were right about everything’? …it's hyper-compressed now.” [03:37]

  • Baker notes the normalization of public reporting by independent “citizen sleuths.” [03:52]

• Congressional Hearing

  • In May 2024, a bipartisan congressional hearing addressed concerns about these weapons. Baker reports that “legislators that are concerned about this on both sides of the aisle, very concerned about it.” [15:49]
  • Testimonies suggest reported use on Americans and international cases.

4. Deployment Against Americans: Fact or Fear?

• January 6th and Civil Liberties

  • Kibbe raises civil libertarian concerns:

    “The problem with all this… I'm concerned that these same weapons can and will and perhaps already have been deployed against American citizens practicing their First Amendment right.” [11:23]

  • Steve Baker and partners have searched for evidence that such weapons were used on January 6, specifically by scanning for “backpack” devices in the crowd. [17:35]

• Evidence So Far

  • No direct evidence yet of DEWs being used on 1/6, but LRAD 100x (a loud, high-decibel broadcast device) was present, though “not used properly.” [22:10, 23:07]
  • Some court cases suggest protestors acted utterly unlike themselves, fueling speculation about possible non-lethal agitation technologies.

• Color Revolutions and Domestic Use

  • Baker: Such weapons have been used historically in foreign “color revolutions” to ramp up agitation and violence, and he believes “the possibility that they’re being used domestically is extremely high.” [31:32]
  • Kibbe contextualizes with comparisons to MK Ultra and warnings about “domestic terrorist” labeling as pretext for extreme government action. [23:58, 33:59]

5. Ethical, Legal, and Practical Dilemmas

• Dark Side of Innovation

  • Baker recounts a specialist’s chilling warning:

    “You already know too... much, but you also have no... clue what the capabilities are.” [13:58]

  • Baker considers the risk that, once developed for national security, “these same weapons can and will and perhaps already have been deployed against American citizens.” [11:23]

• Whistleblower Ambivalence

  • Some developers are conflicted—seeing utility against foreign threats, but fearing domestic misuse. Baker describes a “black bag” meeting where a developer says the quiet part out loud:

    “Fuck, we never thought of that.” [33:48]

6. Historical Parallels and Precedents

• Comparison to Cold War Projects

  • References to Soviet and Western research into “psychotronic and psychotropic weapons.” [25:47]
  • Western acquisition of Soviet technology after the USSR fell, likened to “Operation Paperclip” after WWII. [27:36]

• The Havana Syndrome

  • Likely related to these technologies, involving U.S. diplomats suffering mysterious illness abroad. The CIA refuses to fully acknowledge its existence, but documentation exists on their site. [20:15]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Effects:

  “With it, we can stop your heart. We can make you shit your pants.”
  — Steve Baker quoting SOCOM commander [10:02]

• Presidential Boast:

  “We have weapons nobody else knows about. It's amazing.”
  — President Trump (reported by Kibbe) [05:09]

• Chilling Expert Warning:

  “You already know too fucking much. But you also have no fucking clue what the capabilities are.”
  — Developer/Special Ops Doctor to Steve Baker [14:10]

• On Developer Accountability:

  “Fuck, we never thought of that.”
  — DEW developer on (potential for) domestic abuse [33:48]

• On the Inevitable Abuse of Power:

  “Good people create these new powers and they never think about the consequences.”
  — Matt Kibbe [33:59]

Timestamps for Critical Segments

• [02:46] – Definitions: Directed energy, audio, microwave, and laser weapons
• [05:09] – President Trump’s acknowledgment of the “discombobulator” in Venezuela
• [09:31] – SOCOM commander on the effects: heart stoppage, incontinence
• [12:20] – Venezuelan soldier describes incapacitation, vomiting blood
• [15:49] – Bipartisan Congressional concern and public hearing
• [17:35] – Investigating January 6 for evidence of DEW deployment
• [20:15] – Havana Syndrome explained and related to these technologies
• [22:10] – No evidence of DEWs on 1/6, but LRAD 100x deployed
• [23:58] – Historical reference: Operation/Project Artichoke and MK Ultra
• [25:47] – Soviet, American, and British developmental history
• [31:32] – Belief that agitation weapons are likely used domestically
• [33:48] – Developer’s shock at potential for domestic political abuse
• [33:59] – “Good people create these new powers…”: On the inevitability of misuse

Closing Thoughts

Steve Baker and Matt Kibbe express deep concern about the normalization of next-generation weaponry for domestic crowd control, the potential for abuse by unaccountable agencies, and the absence of grassroots or political leadership demanding transparency.

Kibbe ends with a call for “radical transparency” and citizen vigilance, warning:

“If you’re a domestic terrorist, all bets are off. And I think... that's why radical transparency is the only answer to this threat.” [34:48]

Baker’s work on these issues can be found at TheBlaze.com and on X @SteveBakerUSA. The episode closes with the hope that awareness—and continued independent reporting—can slow the drift toward Orwellian abuses of these technologies.