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 (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 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

Comments

[Brian Konash]

The Undersecretary's Office was large. Informants also needed to be paid.

[ww]

Yes, and at that time 85 mil was approved for actions to support democracy in Iran.

[Cypher]

Sheer (informed) speculation, but it may be interesting to see if the Mujahadeen-e-Khalq (National Council of Resistance of Iran) got a bit of a cash infusion during that time period.

As I recall, there was a conference in Washington D.C. which was hosted by them around that time...late 2004.