FLASHBACK: ‘Sound of Freedom’ hero Tim Ballard was praised by press in 2014–now he’s smeared as QAnon

A CBS Evening News report from 2014 has resurfaced in which the outlet described the work of Ballard and his organization, Operation Underground Railroad, praising him for helping law enforcement break up “a major sex-trafficking ring in Colombia, which has become a destination for tourists looking for sex with boys and girls.”

CBS reported at the time, “Operation Underground Railroad spent months planning; renting a house, rigging it with hidden cameras to document the crime, coordinating with Colombian authorities, and negotiating with the traffickers.”

CBS journalist Elaine Quijano stated, “Less than 24 hours after the operatives landed, the suspected traffickers arrived on the island and the final deal with the undercover team began. Fifty-four boys and girls, aged 11 to 18, were ushered in for what had been billed as a sex party. They were given candy and drinks and told to wait in a small room.”

Ballard told his story through tears saying, “This little 11-year-old boy, I remember, he asked… one of my operatives for some cocaine. He said, ‘They usually give me something because I’m really scared…to kind of numb myself.'”

Though the alleged traffickers were supposed to make $25,000, the transaction was never finalized because the party was stormed by twenty-five Colombian special operatives. Four men and a former beauty queen were arrested and charged with child trafficking.

Left-wing news sites, such as Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, Jezebel, and The Guardian, have tried to discredit the film’s success by linking it with QAnon conspiracy theories.

Rolling Stone said that Jim Caviezel, the actor who plays Ballard in “Sound of Freedom,” has given "speeches and interviews" about "evildoers who are harvesting the blood of children," while The Post claimed that the film has been "promoted on QAnon message boards" and plays into the theory that "global elites are kidnapping children, having sex with them and harvesting their blood."

During an interview with Jordan Peterson, Ballard explained that blood and organ harvesting is "very real,” having posted a video showing a raid in Western Africa where the practice occurred.

He said, "So, I might say something like that and then they connect it to something a QAnon person says about a celebrity who must be doing this too. But there's no evidence to back that. They make a false connection there." Other outlets have also detailed the practice.