Pentagon Spying Slush Fund Exposed in Florida

[donsu]

http://www.pensitoreview.com/2005/09/29/pentagon-spying-slush-fund-exposed-in-florida/




The Pentagon’s brazen diverting of tax dollars and hiding it from Congress is getting scrutiny. Florida Senator Bill Nelson, pitted against GOP orphan Katherine Harris in 2006, is exposing the slush fund and demanding an investigation by the Senate Armed Services Committee, of which he is a member. St. Petersburg Times:

-snip-

The Pentagon’s Special Operations Command, or SOCom, is run from Tampa’s MacDill Air Force Base, and is in charge of all the really good spy stuff, according to its web site. The site also offers products, from calendars to SOCom watches, for sale. Doesn’t say where the proceeds go, but that’s along the lines of what Bill Nelson wants to know.

-snip-

Special Operations officials divided the $20-million among six projects so the money would not attract attention.

They also instructed their budget analysts not to mention it during briefings with congressional aides.

The agreement was spelled out in an e-mail distributed by then-SOCom comptroller Elaine Kingston to colleagues on Feb. 11, 2002. The Pentagon initially wanted SOCom to hide $40-million, but Kingston refused.
-snip-
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Elaine was OK with being a 20 mil. criminal, she just didn't want to be a 40 mil. criminal.

think how nice it would be if america had no pentagon and it's money sucking machine.

[seemslikeadream]

1. Yes I seem to remember someone asking Dov Zakheim

about this but he quit the DOD before he could answer the question

[seemslikeadream]

2. Analysis: Defense budget practices probed

Analysis: Defense budget practices probed
Thursday, 02-Oct-2003 10:00AM PDT Story from United Press International
Copyright 2003 by United Press International (via ClariNet)

MIAMI, Oct. 2 (UPI) --

Zakheim said, however, he was limited in his response because of the ongoing audit of the issue, which originally was sparked by a telephone call to the Pentagon's Defense Hotline.


"Our objective will be to review the allegations to the Defense Hotline concerning funds 'parked' at the U.S. Special Operations Command by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)," said a letter from the inspector general's office to Gen. Charles Holland, who has since retired as Special Operations commander.

Among several documents The St. Petersburg Times obtained during its investigation was e-mail sent by Special Operations Command Comptroller Elaine Kingston to colleagues in February 2002.
She said an unidentified official in the Pentagon comptroller's office had asked her if the command could "park" $40 million of research-and-development money in its proposed budget for the 2003 fiscal year.


The programs where the money was placed included missile warning systems on aircraft, infrared equipment on helicopters and radar system. The amounts ranged from $2 million to $5 million.
Kingston said in the e-mail message she coached her colleagues on how to account for the money and avoid attracting congressional attention to it.

"We are doing a favor for the OSD (Office of the Secretary of Defense) which we hope will benefit the command if we should need additional (research and development funds)," the message said.
Young said at the hearing on President Bush's request for $87 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan Tuesday that he wants to know if it is a common practice.

Young is clearly not finished and called it "an obvious attempt to keep from Congress what was happening. I think that would make you suspicious. It makes me a little suspicious."

more
http://quickstart.clari.net/qs_se/webnews/wed/dp/Uus-defense-young-analysis.RUt1_DO2.html

[paineinthearse]

5. Don't let this one slip into the memory hole.

Explore every crack and crevice, the whole receim is corrupt and will come tumbling down.

[ret5hd]

3. $40 mill...HA!

if anything, this was whats called a "honey pot": easy to find but keeps you from looking elsewhere.

do people really believe that the govt buys $500 toilet seats? or $200 hammers? where does that money really go? THAT's how they fund black ops,etc. Does anybody really think BILLIONS just got lost in iraq? THAT's where the real money is.

HA! $40 mill.

[paineinthearse]

6. Hey, Nixon was brought down by a piece of black electrical tape

sheesh

[ret5hd]

7. i think you are misinterpreting my (rather lame) attempt at...

expressing the derision if feel towards those ACTING like they are doing something to stop pentagon/dod dirty deeds.

$40 mill is nothing.

Nugan Hand Bank
BCCI
Riggs Bank
(who knows what the current one is)

that's where the REAL money/dirt is/was...and they know it. Kerry had enough balls, but not many others do.

[paineinthearse]

8. Kerry has the balls, but the rethugs have the Senate and the DoJ

He's powerless to investigate until the Dems control the Senate.

[gratuitous]

4. With all the billions that have gone missing

It would be strange indeed if the corruption machine tripped over a mere $40 million. But then, the feds finally nailed Al Capone on a tax evasion rap, so you convict with the evidence you can develop not the evidence you want.