POGO: Douglas Feith's mysterious $90 million earmark

From the Project on Government Oversight (which I was led to courtesy of Laura Rozen's War and Piece):

http://pogoblog.typepad.com/pogo/2007/04/feiths_earmark.html

Feith's Earmark?

The third largest defense earmark in fiscal year 2005, according to POGO's analysis of the White House's 2005 earmark database, is a classified earmark for $90 million (but which was listed in the unclassifed FY2005 Defense Appropriations report (page 351, line 116) which went to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy's office, which was headed by Douglas Feith at the time.

We have no idea what the earmark is for, though it seems odd that a Pentagon policy office would need an earmark. If the Feith's shop wanted more appropriations, the logical and most appropriate place to request funding would be in the President's budget request which is submitted to Congress, one would think. Perhaps a member of Congress foisted this classified funding onto Feith's office. We do not know. Nor do we know what the earmark was for. We do know that someone in the House of Representative rather than the Senate, originated the earmark for $85 million, but it was later bumped up to $90 million in conference.



I think it's worth noting the questionable involvement of Feith in some other matters.

The New York Times reported last week that "a spokeswoman for SAIC said the company was told to contract with Ms. Riza <Wolfowitz's girlfriend from the World Bank> by an official in the office of the under secretary of defense for policy, then headed by Douglas J. Feith."

Also, reported in 2004:

TIME has obtained an internal Pentagon e-mail sent by an Army Corps of Engineers official—whose name was blacked out by the Pentagon—that raises questions about Cheney's arm's-length policy toward his old employer. Dated March 5, 2003, the e-mail says "action" on a multibillion-dollar Halliburton contract was "coordinated" with Cheney's office. The e-mail says Douglas Feith, a high-ranking Pentagon hawk, got the "authority to execute RIO," or Restore Iraqi Oil, from his boss, who is Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz. RIO is one of several large contracts the U.S. awarded to Halliburton last year.

Then there's the imbroglio with the Office of Special Plans.

Feith left in the summer of 2005, but during 2004 someone in the House of Representatives thought his office was deserving of some extra cash for the next fiscal year. But for what?

-- Nick Schwellenbach

to follow links to more links...

yes this is a notorious routine Crook Bookeeping device going through pension plans and now government bookeeping

I guess they never thought anybody would find it
oopsie!!!

Ranking Member:
C.W. Bill Young (FL)
David L. Hobson (OH)
Rodney P. Frelinghuysen (NJ)
Todd Tiahrt (KS)
Roger F. Wicker (MS)
Jack Kingston (GA)


***Jerry Lewis (CA), Ex Officio***

http://imagesource.allposters.com:80/images/pic/PF/PF_936798_OEM_15MB~Beach-Blanket-Bingo-Posters.jpg

sorry not a photoshopper, but you get the idea.

Looks like the same crowd of criminals have all been playing this game of corruption and their golden
parachute is gonna land them hopefully in jail.

Some newspapers are jsut handling the World Bank brouhahah over Riza has though it only has to do with her salary and her being Wolfowitz's girlfriend.

But there are so many arrger matters at hand.

Good to hear this discussed.

Cheney's other daughter + Wolfowitz's girlfriend = $50 Million
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x276200
Link: http://villagevoice.com/blogs/bushbeat/archive/2005/11/morning_report_219.php

at an April 13 press conference at the state department. (FoF is where Wolfie's girlfriend and Elizabeth Cheney work):

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2007/apr/83038.htm

QUESTION: I wanted to ask you something kind of on the margins of the whole World Bank Shaha Riza matter, and that is that, as you remember, Secretary Rice announced the formation or at least the launch of this Foundation for the Future in, I think, November of 2005. And at least as far as -- well, it's very hard to find this foundation. You go to their website. They have a website but there's no phone numbers, there's no address. They appear to have not given out any grants. They haven't set up office, that at least one can find. And considering it was launched with some fanfare at the time, I'm just curious if you could bring us up to speed a little bit as to what this foundation consists of and where you -- where it seems to be going. I don't even -- it's hard to see how much money it is that the U.S. has put into this, for one.

MR. CASEY: Neil, I actually haven't, unfortunately, briefed myself on the latest activities from the Foundation. Look, as you know, this was something that has emerged out of the Forum for the Future process. It has an international board of directors representing -- with representatives from most of the participating regional countries there as well as an executive directorate. In terms of the amount of money involved at this point and some of the specific grant programs, I'll have to look into it for you. I just don't have that at my fingertips. Sorry.

QUESTION: Are you taking the question?

MR. CASEY: Yes, I'm taking the question.

QUESTION: But is Ms. Shaha a consultant or a fulltime employee of the board? What is her status?

MR. CASEY: My understanding is she is an individual seconded by the World Bank as an advisor to the board of directors of the Foundation for the Future.

QUESTION: But she's not on the board?

MR. CASEY: No.

QUESTION: So her official title is advisor or consultant?

MR. CASEY: My best understanding is advisor to the board, yeah.

QUESTION: So what does she do as the advisor? I mean, does she help advise on grants, or do you know what her job is?

MR. CASEY: I do not have a job description for her, no. Again, I think that's a question you could ask some of the board members.

QUESTION: Do you know where the office is?

MR. CASEY: No, but I don't know where the office is for a number of parts of the State Department offhand, Matt. So I will get you -- I will get you guys more information.

QUESTION: Isn't there an agreement for the office to be based in Beirut?

MR. CASEY: I'd have to check. I honestly don't know the details on the specifics of the foundation.

QUESTION: Sorry, just to go back to Ms. Shaha.

MR. CASEY: Yeah.

QUESTION: Is it usual for people to be transferred at such high levels from the World Bank to the State Department and would it be usual for a person who was seconded to earn more than the Secretary of State?

MR. CASEY: I'm not sure what the World Bank hiring practices, secondment practices or payment practices are. Those are questions you could all talk to them about.

QUESTION: But is it common? I mean, do you know of many people who were transferred from the World Bank?

MR. CASEY: I know that there are secondments from different international organizations, including the World Bank, to here. How frequently they happen or, you know, how often or how many, I really don't know. I don't think anyone here is keeping track of that per se. I think again that's a question you'd best address to the World Bank. I'm sure they could tell you how many people they've got on seconded where.

QUESTION: But one more on this. What exactly was she doing when she was here when she was working at the State Department? She was --

MR. CASEY: My understanding --

QUESTION: -- setting up the foundation?

MR. CASEY: My understanding was that she was working on issues related to the BEMNA process on the Forum for the Future and helped in the establishment of the foundation.

QUESTION: Was she directly working with Liz Cheney? Was that the person to whom she was assigned?

MR. CASEY: Ms. Cheney at that point, as I recall, was a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near -- and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs. And as far as I know she was not assigned to directly work for her, although I think she was probably in the MEPI office somewhere, but I'm not sure at what level or what the reporting arrangements were.

QUESTION: So Liz Cheney wasn't the -- her supervisor -- she didn't report to --

MR. CASEY: Not as far as I know.

QUESTION: Okay.

QUESTION: But Liz Cheney at that stage was in charge of BEMNA. Wasn't she in charge of those programs? Isn't that her main portfolio?

MR. CASEY: Well, as the principal deputy she had a pretty wide range of issues that she focused on. Certainly she was actively engaged in that effort as was the rest of NEA. I'm including Secretary Welch and others in the Broader Middle East Initiative and in the Forum for the Future. As you know, the Secretary attended the meetings of that as did a number of other senior officials from foreign governments. So this is an important -- it's an important initiative. It was something that has a lot of high-level support, attention, and something that we think it remains a important part of our efforts to help promote positive change and democratic change in the Middle East.

QUESTION: And what exactly is the connection, if there is one, now between -- other than to the money --

MR. CASEY: It's basically an independent foundation. It receives support from us. Again, I'll try and find out for you in terms of how much specifically --

QUESTION: But as far as you know, there's isn't any other link --

MR. CASEY: No, there is not. It is not a State Department entity. It is not a U.S. Government entity. In fact, the foundation was established very deliberately not to be a government institution, but to be in essence an independent NGO that receives support from a variety of different actors.

Yeah.

QUESTION: I believe the World Bank board of directors are meeting on this issue. Was the State Department asked to submit anything on her position to the World Bank?

MR. CASEY: Not that I'm aware of. And again, she was not an employee of the State Department while she was here. She was someone detailed or seconded from the World Bank, and so any records about the terms and conditions of her employment would be held by the World Bank themselves.

Thanks.

He was totally corrupt, & the head of the Defense Appropriations Committee. There was probably some sort of bribe/kickback for Lewis in return for inserting the earmark. I wonder WHO gave him that kickback? Cheney? US Att. Carol Lam opened an investigation into Lewis's corruption right before she was fired. This also seems to connect to the Walter Reed scandal AND the MZM scandal. It's all one huge web of corruption.