An explosive new book set for release this July by Simon & Schuster could force a national reckoning with the truth behind the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and the brutal prison murder of Kenneth Trentadue, long suspected to be tied to a mistaken identity cover-up by the FBI, and likely murdered by federal authorities.
For Kenneth’s brother Jesse, a Utah Attorney who has spent the last 30 years filing lawsuits to try and force the facts of the case to come forward, it has been a long time coming.
The book, Blowback, is authored by Margaret Roberts, a veteran investigative journalist and former news director for America’s Most Wanted. Roberts asserts that her investigation “will destroy the cover story of lone-wolf terror by Timothy McVeigh and expose a guilty secret about the bombing that federal government insiders have kept for 30 years.”
“Blowback exposes the FBI’s heretofore undisclosed role in both Kenney’s murder and the Oklahoma City Bombing,” wrote Kenneth’s brother, Jesse Trentadue, in a message to friends and family. “They are connected due to the FBI’s mistaken belief that he was the John Doe No. 2 who allegedly helped Timothy McVeigh.”
GOVERNMENT SAYS SUICIDE, PHOTOS SAY MURDER
Kenneth Trentadue, a 44-year-old construction worker with no criminal record, was arrested in August 1995 on a parole violation after a traffic stop near the Mexican border. He was transferred to the Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma City, where within days he was found dead in his cell. The Bureau of Prisons claimed it was a suicide by hanging.
When his body was released to the family, they say, he was covered in makeup to hide the bruising and lacerations to his face. It was evident, they say, that Kenneth Trentadue was murdered.
His cell was also covered in blood, leading his brother to suspect he was beaten to death while in federal custody.
The photos have been put online here by the family, and are graphic.
Photos later obtained by the family showed extensive bruises, deep head wounds, and a bloodied cell. Prison records conflicted with timelines. A medical examiner ruled the cause of death “unknown.” A later congressional inquiry, based on documents pried loose by Jesse’s relentless FOIA litigation, noted evidence consistent with homicide.
“His body looked like he had been in a fight with Mike Tyson,” Jesse said in court filings.
Merrick Garland, former U.S. Attorney General, played a pivotal role in shaping the official narrative of the Oklahoma City bombing during his time as a senior Justice Department official in the 1990s. As the lead prosecutor overseeing key aspects of the McVeigh and Nichols cases, Garland was instrumental in advancing the government’s lone-wolf theory and sidelining any alternative explanations—including the identity of “John Doe No. 2” and allegations of FBI foreknowledge or involvement.
Jesse Trentadue and other critics have argued that Garland’s oversight helped cement a false narrative while suppressing evidence that contradicted it. His later tenure as Attorney General has only deepened concern among watchdogs who say the DOJ under Garland remained unwilling to release long-withheld documents tied to both the bombing and the suspicious death of Kenneth Trentadue.
Garland was nominated by then-President Barack Obama on March 16, 2016 for the position on the Supreme Court caused by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. The Republican-controlled Senate refused to confirm Garland and the position was eventually filled by Neil Gorsuch. Garland was then appointed by Joe Biden to be the Attorney General in March 2021.
A GENERATION SPENT FIGHTING FOR DOCUMENTS IN FEDERAL COURT
Jesse Trentadue, a practicing attorney in Utah, has filed more than two dozen lawsuits against the Department of Justice, FBI, CIA, and Bureau of Prisons in pursuit of documents and accountability. His litigation has forced the release of thousands of pages of government documents, including heavily redacted FBI memos that suggest foreknowledge of the bombing and informant operations tied to militia groups.
Among the most significant revelations from his lawsuits:
The FBI’s “Patriot Conspiracy” (PATCON) Program: Documents litigated to release by Trentadue revealed the FBI had informants extensively embedded in far-right militia groups in the early 1990s, some of whom had interactions with McVeigh and others later connected to the bombing.
Secret Videotapes of the Murrah Building Bombing: Jesse uncovered evidence that surveillance tapes from federal buildings, which could show who exited McVeigh’s Ryder truck, John Doe #2 included, were seized and never released, despite being referenced in FBI internal documents.
The FBI’s Misidentification of Kenneth as “John Doe No. 2”: Multiple internal memos indicate federal agents believed Kenneth matched descriptions of the second man seen with McVeigh. This, Jesse alleges, led to an off-the-books interrogation and ultimately his death.
DOJ “Sensitive Informant” Files: Through court battles, Jesse obtained documents suggesting the FBI had informants who warned of the bombing in advance — warnings that were either ignored or buried. The FBI had informants and agents in every major newsrooms across the country for the purpose of spiking stories when needed, and circulate preferred government narratives. Subsequent documentation also indicated they had these informants on legal teams and among defense attorneys in political trials.
This matches other documents obtained by Trentadue discussing a Los Angeles FBI Agent who tried to sell video footage of the second bomber at Oklahoma City exiting the vehicle. The planned sale for $1 million was stopped due to a senior-level FBI informant who worked in CBS News management, who was part of the “Sensitive Informant” program.
PATCON, short for “Patriot Conspiracy,” which may still be ongoing, was a clandestine FBI operation in the early 1990s aimed at infiltrating and surveilling right-wing extremist groups, militias, and so-called “patriot” movements across the United States. While initially justified as a counterterrorism measure, PATCON has since come under scrutiny due to its secretive nature, questionable informant practices, and potential connections to the events surrounding the Oklahoma City bombing. As well, PATCON operatives have been accused of using violence as a way of furthering the government’s desire to grow its power: if there is more violence, the thinking goes, there is more funding, agents assigned, and powers given to the FBI.
Kenneth Trentadue was beaten to death by federal officials, the family and others believe, because they thought he was the second bomber along with McVeigh, Richard Lee Guthrie, Jr. – Guthrie was arrested in 1996 and also died in custody, in a death authorities also labeled a suicide.
Timothy McVeigh is alleged to have been involved with this FBI effort, this ongoing PATCON operation, and those involved with the bombing are all linked to these operations in a variety of ways.
The release of this information, and the documentation to support what might be otherwise dismissed as speculation, has been a major effort by Jesse Trentadue over decades.
Trentadue’s litigation has also showed incredible patterns of misconduct by federal authorities, including witness intimidation and tampering where federal authorities stopped witnesses from testifying under oath.
Despite obtaining court victories and FOIA penalties against federal agencies, Jesse’s pursuit has faced massive resistance: sealed files, deleted evidence, missing audio logs, and retaliation.
“They’ve stonewalled, lied, and destroyed records,” he said in a 2011 deposition. “It’s not incompetence. It’s a cover-up.”
FAMILY’S WEBSITE TO GIVE THE PUBLIC THE EVIDENCE
To accompany the upcoming release of Blowback, Jesse Trentadue has launched a comprehensive website — kennethtrentadue.com — cataloging documents, court filings, and photographs from the case. He says the evidence there has already begun “causing quite a stir.”
In his email, Jesse warned that “the DOJ and FBI will push back hard when that book goes into print,” expressing concern for the anticipated damage control, blowback, and attacks on credibility that are likely to come to himself and the book’s author. Simon & Schuster lists the book for a July 2025 release:Blowback by Margaret Roberts
If Roberts’ book delivers on its promise to tear down the official story of the Oklahoma City bombing, the political and legal ramifications could be significant not just for the surviving victims’ families, but for a government that has long insisted McVeigh acted alone.
The historic election of President Trump for re-election in 2024 gave many hope that major reforms at the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Justice were finally happening. So far, however, many activists in older scandals like these, such as the flawed release of the Epstein files, the still-withheld and redacted JFK assassination files, the refusal to disclose about UFO/Drones, have caused disappointed in the leadership of Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, as demonstrating that they are unable or unwilling to tell the truth about these matters and do so through a major release of unredacted documents.
The 30th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, and the subsequent death and likely murder of Kenneth Trentadue while in federal custody, offers Trump, Bondi, Patel, and Bongino another opportunity to show the public the extent of their commitment to transparency, truth, and accountability.
