Media outlets are starting to notice the link between Fox News, Alabama-based blogger Mike Vanderboegh, and the alleged plot by four Georgia men to kill federal employees and civilians using explosives and the biological agent ricin.

By featuring him as an expert on the ATF's Operation Fast and Furious, Fox News has mainstreamed Vanderboegh, a former militia leader who urged his readers to throw bricks through the windows of Democratic offices . According to the criminal complaint against him, one of the alleged domestic terrorists repeatedly cited Vanderboegh's novel Absolved as the inspiration for their plot.

Absolved tells the story of underground militia fighters who declare war on the federal government over gun control laws and same-sex marriage, leading to a second American revolution. Vanderboegh has called the book “a cautionary tale for the out-of-control gun cops of the ATF” and “a combination field manual, technical manual and call to arms for my beloved gunnies of the armed citizenry.”

In a report published in The Boston Globe and on the websites of Yahoo News, CBS News, ABC News, and newspapers across the country, The Associated Press describes how Vanderboegh's novel allegedly inspired the terror plot and notes:

Last year, Vanderboegh was denounced for calling on citizens to throw bricks through the windows of local Democratic headquarters across the country to protest President Barack Obama's health care plan. Several such incidents occurred. Vanderboegh has also appeared as a commentator on Fox News Channel.

Likewise, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the alleged plot was “based on a novel by Fox News terrorism expert Mike Vanderboegh that detailed killing Justice Department attorneys.”

The Los Angeles Times, TPM Media, Mother Jones, and Salon have also highlighted Vanderboegh's appearances on Fox in their reports on the alleged plot.

As of yet, Fox has remained silent regarding their role in promoting Vanderboegh's views. After initial reports referenced Absolved but did not mention its author, Fox began noting that the book was authored by “the former leader of an Alabama militia” and flashing an image of the book onscreen, with Vanderboegh's name visible. Fox News figures have not spoken Vanderboegh's name on-air and certainly have not noted that he has previously appeared on their airwaves.

With the network's name being dragged through the mud through their connection to the Alabama extremist, it remains to be seen how long they can continue their silence.