Barbara and Michael Ledeen Had Adversarial Relationship with Blumenthal
In 1998, Michael Ledeen “testified under oath that he ‘hates’ Sidney Blumenthal.” “Michael Ledeen, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, testified under oath that he ‘‘hates’’ Sidney Blumenthal, the White House aide and former journalist, but that he never suggested to anyone that Mr. Blumenthal had abused his wife.” [New York Times, 8/3/98]
Sidney Blumenthal subpoenaed Michael and Barbara Ledeen in his lawsuit against Matt Drudge. “In addition to the subpoenas of Mr. Ledeen and his wife, Barbara J. Ledeen, Mr. Blumenthal’s lawyers have also subpoenaed John Fund, an editorial writer for The Wall Street Journal, seeking documents and testimony. This subpoena was deferred Friday after The Journal’s lawyers said they would move to quash it.” [New York Times, 8/3/98]
Michael Ledeen posted his deposition in the Blumenthal case and authored an “open letter” critical of Blumenthal’s decision to subpoenas select conservatives in the Drudge case. “Michael Ledeen responded by having the transcript of his deposition, which went badly for Blumenthal, posted online. He also responded with a priceless ‘open letter’ to the other conservatives — ‘the Blumenthal 25,’ as he called them — who had been summoned by Sid’s attorney.” [Powerline Blog, 5/26/15]
Defense contractor “white hat” tells FBI that Judicial Watch paid him to hunt for Clinton hack
Newt Gingrich brokered deal for moonlighting contractor to hunt for potential breach.
SEAN GALLAGHER - 10/17/2016, 5:25 PM
Enlarge / Excerpt of an FBI interview report detailing a Judicial Watch deal with a defense contractor to search for hacked Clinton files.
More records from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's review of Hillary Clinton's e-mail practices have been released through the FBI's Freedom of Information Act site, including interviews with a number of individuals related to the security of the server. One of them was an employee of a defense contractor who claimed he was funded by Judicial Watch to investigate whether Clinton was hacked.
In the interview, the individual, whose name was redacted, claimed that he used the services of Dark Horse Data, a company owned by former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence Reginald Hyde, to search for e-mails associated with Clinton's personal account. The company focuses on "specialized data acquisition for both US and International customers" and has provided database intelligence analysis to the US government.
The credibility of that information, however, is certainly in doubt. Hyde denied that his company was involved in any such task, telling Ars Technica in a phone interview that he "was quite astounded to learn" of the assertion in the FBI documents and saying that it was like "being asked how your day on Mars was. My company was categorically not involved in this."
In the summer of 2015, the FBI interview report noted, the interviewee reported that a senior staff member of the US Senate Judiciary Committee contacted him "out of concerns data from Clinton's e-mail server might end up overseas. Specifically [name redacted] wanted to determine if there was an intrusion into Clinton's server and, if so, whether exfiltrated data fell into the hands of a foreign power"—and whether that data could endanger the Senate staffer's sons, who were in the military.
The interviewee told FBI investigators that he had told the Senate staffer that he would have to look for data that was "genuine, authentic and relevant" to determine that there had been a breach. But the staffer had no money to fund the research, so the project was brought to Newt Gingrich—who obtained funding for the investigation from Judicial Watch.
In March of 2016, Judicial Watch paid the contractor's side company $32,000 for the first phase of the project—determining whether Clinton's server had been directly attacked. "Judicial Watch awarded the contract to [name redacted] because they were confident he understood both the Deep Web and the Dark Web," the interviewee told the FBI. The investigation also targeted data from Sidney Blumenthal's e-mail account, but Clinton's and Blumenthal's actual e-mail services were off-limits for the search.
Some of Blumenthal's files—but no e-mails—were found on a server in Romania, according to the FBI interview. The investigation also found an Excel file listing names of known or suspected jihadists in Libya—but part of that file was in Russian. "The file did not come from Blumenthal's server, but contained a reference to an IP address range that included the IP address of Clinton's server," the FBI report recounts. "Upon viewing this file, [name redacted] became concerned he had found a classified document and stopped the project."
SEAN GALLAGHERSean is Ars Technica's IT Editor. A former Navy officer, systems administrator, and network systems integrator with 20 years of IT journalism experience, he lives and works in Baltimore, Maryland. EMAIL sean.gallagher@arstechnica.com // TWITTER @thepacketrat
Long-Established History as Conservative Author, Columnist, National Security Advisor
Ledeen’s husband, Michael Ledeen is a writer and former National Security Council consultant. ‘‘I hate to use a sports metaphor,’ said Barbara Ledeen, who is married to writer and former National Security Council consultant Michael Ledeen. ‘But if you don’t field a team, you can’t expect to be in the game.’ [Washington Post, 11/30/95]
Michael Ledeen is an Editorial Board Member of PJ Media and is a contributor to the Wall Street Journal, the Weekly Standard, National Review, and American Spectator. “Mr. Michael Ledeen Ph.D. serves as Editorial Board Member of Pajamas Media. Dr. Ledeen has been a Director of Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon Inc. since November 2001. Dr. Ledeen has been a resident scholar in the Freedom Chair at the American Enterprise Institute since 1989 and the Vice Chairman of the U.S.- China Security Review Commission since 2001. An expert in contemporary history and international affairs, Dr. Ledeen is a frequent contributor to the Wall Street Journal, the Weekly Standard, National Review, and Commentary and serves as a foreign affairs editor of the American Spectator.” [Bloomberg, accessed 10/18/16]
Michael Ledeen served in various roles during the Reagan administration including consultant to the National Security advisor, Secretary of Defense, and State Department. “During the Reagan administration, from 1981 to 1987, Dr. Ledeen held numerous positions including a Consultant to the National Security Adviser, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the State Department and was a special adviser to the Secretary of State. Dr. Ledeen is the author of eighteen books, including most recently ‘The War Against the Terror Masters’ (St. Martin’s Press, 2003). An expert on terrorism, Europe and the Middle-East, Dr. Ledeen earned a PhD from University of Wisconsin. He and his wife Barbara have raised three children and live in the Washington, D.C. area.” [Bloomberg, accessed 10/18/16]
Michael Ledeen has worked at the American Enterprise institute and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “This special edition of The Glazov Gang was joined by Michael Ledeen, the co-author (with Lt. General Michael T. Flynn) of The Field of Fight: How We Can Win the Global War Against Radical Islam and Its Allies. He spent twenty years at the American Enterprise Institute where he held the Freedom Scholar Chair, and now holds a Chair at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.” [Breitbart, 8/10/16]
Pro-Trump and Anti-Clinton
Michael Ledeen coauthored “The Field of Fight: How We Can Win the Global War Against Radical Islam and Its Allies” with top Trump advisor Gen. Michael Flynn. “The growing chatter about his key role in the Trump campaign coincides with his new book, ‘The Field of Fight: How We Can Win the Global War Against Radical Islam and Its Allies,’ scheduled for release July 12. A vice-presidential trial balloon certainly would drive interest in the text, and could juice sales. He teamed up on the book with Michael Ledeen, a prominent member of a group of scholars and former government officials that helped shape the views of many top national security leaders in the George W. Bush administration. Ledeen said Flynn has plans to be in Cleveland, site of the Republican National Convention, next week, and described a man who sounded a lot like Trump — brash, bold and unconcerned with how he’s perceived.’ [Politico, 7/8/16]
Politico: “Conservative policy analyst Michael Ledeen…has also been identified as a Trump campaign adviser.” ‘‘In Syria, the two allies have loudly proclaimed they are waging war against ISIS, but in reality the great bulk of their efforts are aimed at the opponents of the Assad regime,’ Flynn adds in the book, co-written with the conservative policy analyst Michael Ledeen, who has also been identified as a Trump campaign adviser.’ [Politico, 10/10/16]
Michael Ledeen: “‘Hillary shouldn’t have any place in government’ because of her ties to the foundation and her mishandling of classified emails sent over a private server.” “Ledeen believes the Clinton Foundation, a New York nonprofit, took money from enemies of the United States seeking favors from the former Secretary of State, a charge the Clinton camp strongly denies. ‘Hillary shouldn’t have any place in government’ because of her ties to the foundation and her mishandling of classified emails sent over a private server, Ledeen said.” [San Diego Tribune, 10/9/16]
Barbara Ledeen and Husband Michael Have 3 Children that Served in the Middle East
Barbara Ledeen is married to Michael Ledeen. [Legistorm, accessed 10/18/16]
Barbara and Michael Ledeen have three children, Simone who signed up for civilian service in Iraq following 9/11, and Gabe and Daniel, both Marine officers. “But September 11 convinced our children, all three, that their generation would be judged on how it reacted, and they all resolved to go to war. They could not look in the mirror unless they saw a warrior. And so Simone, without ever asking what we thought, signed up for (civilian) service in Iraq for the Department of Defense, and Gabe informed us that he would try to become a Marine officer, and hoped we approved. A few years later, Daniel also became a Marine officer. And so, just like that, we had become a military family.” [Michael Ledeen column, PJ Media, 9/7/11]
• Simone Ledeen served as a civilian in Iraq and Afghanistan. “LEDEEN: That they are the most terrificly inspirational children anyone could imagine. Simone has served, as a civilian, in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Gabe is a Marine 1st Lieutenant currently on his second deployment in Iraq. Daniel will be a Marine officer when he graduates from college in a year and a half. Three amazing overachievers, very close to each other, a testament to the greatness of America. And of course to the wonder of their mother.” [National Review, 9/5/07]
• Gabriel Ledeen was a Captain in the Marines and served in Iraq. [Veterans History Project, 1/21/15]
• Daniel Ledeen was a lieutenant in the Marines. “Then there’s the Ledeen family. Among my most memorable evenings was a farewell for Marine Lt. Gabriel Ledeen, who was shipping off to pre-surge Iraq. That night we brought our three young daughters to his mom and dad’s house, so they might remember the pride and anxiety of families whose sacrifices enable ours to sleep safely at night. Gabriel Ledeen is no longer on active duty but has been followed into the Corps by a brother who is: Lt. Daniel Ledeen.” [Wall Street Journal, 12/20/11]
Barbara Ledeen and Husband Michael Have Been Heavily Involved in Conservative and Anti-Clinton Politics for Decades
Barbara Ledeen previously worked for Sen. Arlen Specter and for the Senate Republican Conference Committee.
Professional Staff Member
Auto-generated from salary data:
Former Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) (March 13, 2007-Sept. 30, 2007)
Barbara Ledeen was a co-founder of the Independent Women’s Forum, a conservative women’s organization. She resigned in 2000. “Two top officials have resigned from the Independent Women’s Forum (IWF), a women’s organization credited with giving feminism a conservative face. Barbara Ledeen, 52, a co-founder of the IWF, and policy analyst Amy Holmes, 27, have left the organization due to a ‘difference of vision,’ said Mrs. Ledeen, whose last day of work is today.” [Washington Times, 8/8/00]
IWF officers included politically connected spouses, Wendy Lee Gramm and Lynne Cheney. “IWF officers include would-be First Lady Wendy Lee Gramm; former NEH Director and arts-defunder Lynne Cheney (wife of Dick Cheney, Bush’s secretary of defense); and Barbara Ledeen, whose husband is Reagan-era National Security Council consultant Michael Ledeen (who played an active role in the Iran-Contra scandal).” [FAIR.org, 3/1/96]
Independent Women’s Forum “ripped Hillary [Clinton] for, among other things, kowtowing to China in spite of the Chinese government’s deplorable treatment of women.” “Michael Ledeen and his wife Barbara would again experience that viciousness in the late 1990s, when Blumenthal was working for the Clintons. By this time, Barbara had established the Independent Women’s Forum, which ripped Hillary for, among other things, kowtowing to China in spite of the Chinese government’s deplorable treatment of women (e.g., forced abortions).” [Powerline Blog, 5/26/15]
Defense contractor “white hat” tells FBI that Judicial Watch paid him to hunt for Clinton hack
Senate Judiciary Staffer Sought Help from Gingrich and Judicial Watch Seeking Files Hacked from Clinton or Blumenthal’s Computers
In the summer of 2015, a “a senior staff member of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee” sought out the help of a defense contractor to determine if data from Clinton’s server ended up overseas and could put her military sons in danger. “In the summer of 2015, the FBI interview report noted, the interviewee reported that a senior staff member of the US Senate Judiciary Committee contacted him ‘out of concerns data from Clinton’s e-mail server might end up overseas. Specifically [name redacted] wanted to determine if there was an intrusion into Clinton’s server and, if so, whether exfiltrated data fell into the hands of a foreign power’—and whether that data could endanger the Senate staffer’s sons, who were in the military.” [Ars Technica, 10/17/16]
According to 302 notes of the interview, the senate staffer “was concerned any exfiltrated data could endanger her three sons, who are marines.” “In June or July 2015 REDACTED [BARBARA LEDEEN] a senior staff member of the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, contacted REDACTED out of concerns data from HILLARY CLINTON’s email server might end up overseas. Specifically, REDACTED [LEDEEN] wanted to determine if there was an intrusion into CLINTON’s server and, if so, whether exfiltrated data fell into the hands of a foreign power. REDACTED [LEDEEN] was concerned any exfiltrated data could endanger her three sons, who are Marines. Additionally, she was upset as a citizen and Senate Staff Member that this situation could occur. Therefore, REDACTED [LEDEEN] asked REDACTED if it was possible to determine if CLINTON’s server had been compromised.” [FBI 302 Notes, pg. 7, accessed 10/18/16]
The staffer brought the project to Newt Gingrich, who obtained funding for the investigative work through Judicial Watch. “The interviewee told FBI investigators that he had told the Senate staffer that he would have to look for data that was ‘genuine, authentic and relevant’ to determine that there had been a breach. But the staffer had no money to fund the research, so the project was brought to Newt Gingrich—who obtained funding for the investigation from Judicial Watch.” [Ars Technica, 10/17/16]
In March of 2016, Judicial Watch paid the defense contractor $32,000 to search the “Deep Web and the Dark Web” seeking evidence that data from Clinton’s or Sidney Blumenthal’s servers had been compromised. “In March of 2016, Judicial Watch paid the contractor’s side company $32,000 for the first phase of the project—determining whether Clinton’s server had been directly attacked. ‘Judicial Watch awarded the contract to [name redacted] because they were confident he understood both the Deep Web and the Dark Web,’ the interviewee told the FBI. The investigation also targeted data from Sidney Blumenthal’s e-mail account, but Clinton’s and Blumenthal’s actual e-mail services were off-limits for the search.” [ARS Technica, 10/17/16]
Here's the file on Barbara Ledeen's 2016 dirty trick:
See this article first (also copied below FILE). Note: There is a factual error, specifically that my emails contained classified information, something the right tried to assert but which the FBI debunked--see James Comey's testimony on the matter:
SUMMARY: The FBI’s latest release of interview notes from its investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails revealed that a staff member from Senator Charles Grassley’s Judiciary Committee undertook her own investigation into the emails, seeking illegally hacked files from Hillary Clinton and Sidney Blumenthal. The staff member sought out help from Newt Gingrich and, subsequently, from Judicial Watch to fund the investigation. The staff member claimed to worry that Clinton’s email use could have enabled a foreign power to access data from the server, endangering her family. According to the FBI’s interview notes, the staff member is a female who has three children who are Marines. Searches of the female staff members on the Judiciary Committee reveal that Barbara Ledeen and her husband Michael Ledeen have three children, all who have served in some capacity in the Middle East. The Ledeens also have a history of direct confrontation with the Clinton team and Sidney Blumenthal, suggesting an extra incentive for Barbara Ledeen to seek out an investigation that would damage Clinton and Blumenthal directly.
SpyTalk’s article on Michael Ledeen, “The Death of a Master Manipulator,” contributes to a fuller and more accurate historical record.
Here is some more information on similar sordid manipulations that characterized his and his wife Barbara’s careers.
During the Iran-contra scandal, which Michael Ledeen set in motion, he became involved in a self-destructive imbroglio with the Partisan Review journal. In reporting for the Washington Post on various aspects of the scandal, I also covered this fiasco. Publication of that factual news story earned his animus and served as the basis for his subsequent malicious vendetta.
According to David Brock, then a right-wing activist, Barbara Ledeen conspired with several right-wingers, including Richard Carlson, the father of Tucker Carlson, and who himself died recently, to invent the libel that I had hidden police records of domestic violence, a falsehood leaked to Drudge to be published the day I began work in the White House in August 1997. Both Michael and Barbara Ledeen then secured an attorney for Drudge. Subsequently, they engaged in a years-long campaign of smears. A full account can be found in my book, The Clinton Wars, pp. 232-56.
Michael Ledeen was also the longtime partner and manipulator of Mike Flynn.
Simone Ledeen, the daughter, had an unfortunate experience heedlessly advising Mike Flynn not to be corrupt, which did not discourage Michael Ledeen and Barbara Ledeen from their collaboration with him:
Part 6:
Barbara and Michael Ledeen Had Adversarial Relationship with Blumenthal
In 1998, Michael Ledeen “testified under oath that he ‘hates’ Sidney Blumenthal.” “Michael Ledeen, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, testified under oath that he ‘‘hates’’ Sidney Blumenthal, the White House aide and former journalist, but that he never suggested to anyone that Mr. Blumenthal had abused his wife.” [New York Times, 8/3/98]
Sidney Blumenthal subpoenaed Michael and Barbara Ledeen in his lawsuit against Matt Drudge. “In addition to the subpoenas of Mr. Ledeen and his wife, Barbara J. Ledeen, Mr. Blumenthal’s lawyers have also subpoenaed John Fund, an editorial writer for The Wall Street Journal, seeking documents and testimony. This subpoena was deferred Friday after The Journal’s lawyers said they would move to quash it.” [New York Times, 8/3/98]
Michael Ledeen posted his deposition in the Blumenthal case and authored an “open letter” critical of Blumenthal’s decision to subpoenas select conservatives in the Drudge case. “Michael Ledeen responded by having the transcript of his deposition, which went badly for Blumenthal, posted online. He also responded with a priceless ‘open letter’ to the other conservatives — ‘the Blumenthal 25,’ as he called them — who had been summoned by Sid’s attorney.” [Powerline Blog, 5/26/15]
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/10/judicial-watch-hired-infosec-specialist-to-search-for-hacked-clinton-blumenthal-files/
Defense contractor “white hat” tells FBI that Judicial Watch paid him to hunt for Clinton hack
Newt Gingrich brokered deal for moonlighting contractor to hunt for potential breach.
SEAN GALLAGHER - 10/17/2016, 5:25 PM
Enlarge / Excerpt of an FBI interview report detailing a Judicial Watch deal with a defense contractor to search for hacked Clinton files.
More records from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's review of Hillary Clinton's e-mail practices have been released through the FBI's Freedom of Information Act site, including interviews with a number of individuals related to the security of the server. One of them was an employee of a defense contractor who claimed he was funded by Judicial Watch to investigate whether Clinton was hacked.
In the interview, the individual, whose name was redacted, claimed that he used the services of Dark Horse Data, a company owned by former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence Reginald Hyde, to search for e-mails associated with Clinton's personal account. The company focuses on "specialized data acquisition for both US and International customers" and has provided database intelligence analysis to the US government.
The credibility of that information, however, is certainly in doubt. Hyde denied that his company was involved in any such task, telling Ars Technica in a phone interview that he "was quite astounded to learn" of the assertion in the FBI documents and saying that it was like "being asked how your day on Mars was. My company was categorically not involved in this."
In the summer of 2015, the FBI interview report noted, the interviewee reported that a senior staff member of the US Senate Judiciary Committee contacted him "out of concerns data from Clinton's e-mail server might end up overseas. Specifically [name redacted] wanted to determine if there was an intrusion into Clinton's server and, if so, whether exfiltrated data fell into the hands of a foreign power"—and whether that data could endanger the Senate staffer's sons, who were in the military.
The interviewee told FBI investigators that he had told the Senate staffer that he would have to look for data that was "genuine, authentic and relevant" to determine that there had been a breach. But the staffer had no money to fund the research, so the project was brought to Newt Gingrich—who obtained funding for the investigation from Judicial Watch.
In March of 2016, Judicial Watch paid the contractor's side company $32,000 for the first phase of the project—determining whether Clinton's server had been directly attacked. "Judicial Watch awarded the contract to [name redacted] because they were confident he understood both the Deep Web and the Dark Web," the interviewee told the FBI. The investigation also targeted data from Sidney Blumenthal's e-mail account, but Clinton's and Blumenthal's actual e-mail services were off-limits for the search.
Some of Blumenthal's files—but no e-mails—were found on a server in Romania, according to the FBI interview. The investigation also found an Excel file listing names of known or suspected jihadists in Libya—but part of that file was in Russian. "The file did not come from Blumenthal's server, but contained a reference to an IP address range that included the IP address of Clinton's server," the FBI report recounts. "Upon viewing this file, [name redacted] became concerned he had found a classified document and stopped the project."
SEAN GALLAGHERSean is Ars Technica's IT Editor. A former Navy officer, systems administrator, and network systems integrator with 20 years of IT journalism experience, he lives and works in Baltimore, Maryland. EMAIL sean.gallagher@arstechnica.com // TWITTER @thepacketrat
Part 5:
Michael Ledeen
Long-Established History as Conservative Author, Columnist, National Security Advisor
Ledeen’s husband, Michael Ledeen is a writer and former National Security Council consultant. ‘‘I hate to use a sports metaphor,’ said Barbara Ledeen, who is married to writer and former National Security Council consultant Michael Ledeen. ‘But if you don’t field a team, you can’t expect to be in the game.’ [Washington Post, 11/30/95]
Michael Ledeen is an Editorial Board Member of PJ Media and is a contributor to the Wall Street Journal, the Weekly Standard, National Review, and American Spectator. “Mr. Michael Ledeen Ph.D. serves as Editorial Board Member of Pajamas Media. Dr. Ledeen has been a Director of Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon Inc. since November 2001. Dr. Ledeen has been a resident scholar in the Freedom Chair at the American Enterprise Institute since 1989 and the Vice Chairman of the U.S.- China Security Review Commission since 2001. An expert in contemporary history and international affairs, Dr. Ledeen is a frequent contributor to the Wall Street Journal, the Weekly Standard, National Review, and Commentary and serves as a foreign affairs editor of the American Spectator.” [Bloomberg, accessed 10/18/16]
Michael Ledeen served in various roles during the Reagan administration including consultant to the National Security advisor, Secretary of Defense, and State Department. “During the Reagan administration, from 1981 to 1987, Dr. Ledeen held numerous positions including a Consultant to the National Security Adviser, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the State Department and was a special adviser to the Secretary of State. Dr. Ledeen is the author of eighteen books, including most recently ‘The War Against the Terror Masters’ (St. Martin’s Press, 2003). An expert on terrorism, Europe and the Middle-East, Dr. Ledeen earned a PhD from University of Wisconsin. He and his wife Barbara have raised three children and live in the Washington, D.C. area.” [Bloomberg, accessed 10/18/16]
Michael Ledeen has worked at the American Enterprise institute and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “This special edition of The Glazov Gang was joined by Michael Ledeen, the co-author (with Lt. General Michael T. Flynn) of The Field of Fight: How We Can Win the Global War Against Radical Islam and Its Allies. He spent twenty years at the American Enterprise Institute where he held the Freedom Scholar Chair, and now holds a Chair at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.” [Breitbart, 8/10/16]
Pro-Trump and Anti-Clinton
Michael Ledeen coauthored “The Field of Fight: How We Can Win the Global War Against Radical Islam and Its Allies” with top Trump advisor Gen. Michael Flynn. “The growing chatter about his key role in the Trump campaign coincides with his new book, ‘The Field of Fight: How We Can Win the Global War Against Radical Islam and Its Allies,’ scheduled for release July 12. A vice-presidential trial balloon certainly would drive interest in the text, and could juice sales. He teamed up on the book with Michael Ledeen, a prominent member of a group of scholars and former government officials that helped shape the views of many top national security leaders in the George W. Bush administration. Ledeen said Flynn has plans to be in Cleveland, site of the Republican National Convention, next week, and described a man who sounded a lot like Trump — brash, bold and unconcerned with how he’s perceived.’ [Politico, 7/8/16]
Politico: “Conservative policy analyst Michael Ledeen…has also been identified as a Trump campaign adviser.” ‘‘In Syria, the two allies have loudly proclaimed they are waging war against ISIS, but in reality the great bulk of their efforts are aimed at the opponents of the Assad regime,’ Flynn adds in the book, co-written with the conservative policy analyst Michael Ledeen, who has also been identified as a Trump campaign adviser.’ [Politico, 10/10/16]
Michael Ledeen: “‘Hillary shouldn’t have any place in government’ because of her ties to the foundation and her mishandling of classified emails sent over a private server.” “Ledeen believes the Clinton Foundation, a New York nonprofit, took money from enemies of the United States seeking favors from the former Secretary of State, a charge the Clinton camp strongly denies. ‘Hillary shouldn’t have any place in government’ because of her ties to the foundation and her mishandling of classified emails sent over a private server, Ledeen said.” [San Diego Tribune, 10/9/16]
Part 4:
Senate Judiciary Committee Staffer, Barbara J. Ledeen
Barbara J. Ledeen has worked as a “Professional Staff Member” for the Majority Staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee since December 2007.
Full Name: Barbara J. Ledeen Gender: Female
Married: Michael Arthur Ledeen
Education: Beloit College - Bachelor's, political science
Employment History
Senate Judiciary Committee (Dec. 2007- )
Professional Staff Member
Auto-generated from salary data:
Former Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) (March 13, 2007-Sept. 30, 2007)
Last title: Outreach Liaison
Senate Republican Conference Committee (Jan. 18, 2001-Jan. 2, 2007)
Last title: Director of Coalitions
Senate Republican Conference Committee Secretary (Sept. 25, 2002-Sept. 30, 2002)
Last title: Coalitions Director
[Legistorm, accessed 10/18/16]
Barbara Ledeen and Husband Michael Have 3 Children that Served in the Middle East
Barbara Ledeen is married to Michael Ledeen. [Legistorm, accessed 10/18/16]
Barbara and Michael Ledeen have three children, Simone who signed up for civilian service in Iraq following 9/11, and Gabe and Daniel, both Marine officers. “But September 11 convinced our children, all three, that their generation would be judged on how it reacted, and they all resolved to go to war. They could not look in the mirror unless they saw a warrior. And so Simone, without ever asking what we thought, signed up for (civilian) service in Iraq for the Department of Defense, and Gabe informed us that he would try to become a Marine officer, and hoped we approved. A few years later, Daniel also became a Marine officer. And so, just like that, we had become a military family.” [Michael Ledeen column, PJ Media, 9/7/11]
• Simone Ledeen served as a civilian in Iraq and Afghanistan. “LEDEEN: That they are the most terrificly inspirational children anyone could imagine. Simone has served, as a civilian, in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Gabe is a Marine 1st Lieutenant currently on his second deployment in Iraq. Daniel will be a Marine officer when he graduates from college in a year and a half. Three amazing overachievers, very close to each other, a testament to the greatness of America. And of course to the wonder of their mother.” [National Review, 9/5/07]
• Gabriel Ledeen was a Captain in the Marines and served in Iraq. [Veterans History Project, 1/21/15]
• Daniel Ledeen was a lieutenant in the Marines. “Then there’s the Ledeen family. Among my most memorable evenings was a farewell for Marine Lt. Gabriel Ledeen, who was shipping off to pre-surge Iraq. That night we brought our three young daughters to his mom and dad’s house, so they might remember the pride and anxiety of families whose sacrifices enable ours to sleep safely at night. Gabriel Ledeen is no longer on active duty but has been followed into the Corps by a brother who is: Lt. Daniel Ledeen.” [Wall Street Journal, 12/20/11]
Barbara Ledeen and Husband Michael Have Been Heavily Involved in Conservative and Anti-Clinton Politics for Decades
Barbara Ledeen previously worked for Sen. Arlen Specter and for the Senate Republican Conference Committee.
Professional Staff Member
Auto-generated from salary data:
Former Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) (March 13, 2007-Sept. 30, 2007)
Last title: Outreach Liaison
Senate Republican Conference Committee (Jan. 18, 2001-Jan. 2, 2007)
Last title: Director of Coalitions
Senate Republican Conference Committee Secretary (Sept. 25, 2002-Sept. 30, 2002)
Last title: Coalitions Director
[Legistorm, accessed 10/18/16]
Barbara Ledeen was a co-founder of the Independent Women’s Forum, a conservative women’s organization. She resigned in 2000. “Two top officials have resigned from the Independent Women’s Forum (IWF), a women’s organization credited with giving feminism a conservative face. Barbara Ledeen, 52, a co-founder of the IWF, and policy analyst Amy Holmes, 27, have left the organization due to a ‘difference of vision,’ said Mrs. Ledeen, whose last day of work is today.” [Washington Times, 8/8/00]
IWF officers included politically connected spouses, Wendy Lee Gramm and Lynne Cheney. “IWF officers include would-be First Lady Wendy Lee Gramm; former NEH Director and arts-defunder Lynne Cheney (wife of Dick Cheney, Bush’s secretary of defense); and Barbara Ledeen, whose husband is Reagan-era National Security Council consultant Michael Ledeen (who played an active role in the Iran-Contra scandal).” [FAIR.org, 3/1/96]
Independent Women’s Forum “ripped Hillary [Clinton] for, among other things, kowtowing to China in spite of the Chinese government’s deplorable treatment of women.” “Michael Ledeen and his wife Barbara would again experience that viciousness in the late 1990s, when Blumenthal was working for the Clintons. By this time, Barbara had established the Independent Women’s Forum, which ripped Hillary for, among other things, kowtowing to China in spite of the Chinese government’s deplorable treatment of women (e.g., forced abortions).” [Powerline Blog, 5/26/15]
Part 3:
Defense contractor “white hat” tells FBI that Judicial Watch paid him to hunt for Clinton hack
Senate Judiciary Staffer Sought Help from Gingrich and Judicial Watch Seeking Files Hacked from Clinton or Blumenthal’s Computers
In the summer of 2015, a “a senior staff member of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee” sought out the help of a defense contractor to determine if data from Clinton’s server ended up overseas and could put her military sons in danger. “In the summer of 2015, the FBI interview report noted, the interviewee reported that a senior staff member of the US Senate Judiciary Committee contacted him ‘out of concerns data from Clinton’s e-mail server might end up overseas. Specifically [name redacted] wanted to determine if there was an intrusion into Clinton’s server and, if so, whether exfiltrated data fell into the hands of a foreign power’—and whether that data could endanger the Senate staffer’s sons, who were in the military.” [Ars Technica, 10/17/16]
According to 302 notes of the interview, the senate staffer “was concerned any exfiltrated data could endanger her three sons, who are marines.” “In June or July 2015 REDACTED [BARBARA LEDEEN] a senior staff member of the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, contacted REDACTED out of concerns data from HILLARY CLINTON’s email server might end up overseas. Specifically, REDACTED [LEDEEN] wanted to determine if there was an intrusion into CLINTON’s server and, if so, whether exfiltrated data fell into the hands of a foreign power. REDACTED [LEDEEN] was concerned any exfiltrated data could endanger her three sons, who are Marines. Additionally, she was upset as a citizen and Senate Staff Member that this situation could occur. Therefore, REDACTED [LEDEEN] asked REDACTED if it was possible to determine if CLINTON’s server had been compromised.” [FBI 302 Notes, pg. 7, accessed 10/18/16]
The staffer brought the project to Newt Gingrich, who obtained funding for the investigative work through Judicial Watch. “The interviewee told FBI investigators that he had told the Senate staffer that he would have to look for data that was ‘genuine, authentic and relevant’ to determine that there had been a breach. But the staffer had no money to fund the research, so the project was brought to Newt Gingrich—who obtained funding for the investigation from Judicial Watch.” [Ars Technica, 10/17/16]
In March of 2016, Judicial Watch paid the defense contractor $32,000 to search the “Deep Web and the Dark Web” seeking evidence that data from Clinton’s or Sidney Blumenthal’s servers had been compromised. “In March of 2016, Judicial Watch paid the contractor’s side company $32,000 for the first phase of the project—determining whether Clinton’s server had been directly attacked. ‘Judicial Watch awarded the contract to [name redacted] because they were confident he understood both the Deep Web and the Dark Web,’ the interviewee told the FBI. The investigation also targeted data from Sidney Blumenthal’s e-mail account, but Clinton’s and Blumenthal’s actual e-mail services were off-limits for the search.” [ARS Technica, 10/17/16]
Part 2:
Here's the file on Barbara Ledeen's 2016 dirty trick:
See this article first (also copied below FILE). Note: There is a factual error, specifically that my emails contained classified information, something the right tried to assert but which the FBI debunked--see James Comey's testimony on the matter:
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/10/judicial-watch-hired-infosec-specialist-to-search-for-hacked-clinton-blumenthal-files/
FILE:
SUMMARY: The FBI’s latest release of interview notes from its investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails revealed that a staff member from Senator Charles Grassley’s Judiciary Committee undertook her own investigation into the emails, seeking illegally hacked files from Hillary Clinton and Sidney Blumenthal. The staff member sought out help from Newt Gingrich and, subsequently, from Judicial Watch to fund the investigation. The staff member claimed to worry that Clinton’s email use could have enabled a foreign power to access data from the server, endangering her family. According to the FBI’s interview notes, the staff member is a female who has three children who are Marines. Searches of the female staff members on the Judiciary Committee reveal that Barbara Ledeen and her husband Michael Ledeen have three children, all who have served in some capacity in the Middle East. The Ledeens also have a history of direct confrontation with the Clinton team and Sidney Blumenthal, suggesting an extra incentive for Barbara Ledeen to seek out an investigation that would damage Clinton and Blumenthal directly.
Sidney Blumenthal: Part 1
SpyTalk’s article on Michael Ledeen, “The Death of a Master Manipulator,” contributes to a fuller and more accurate historical record.
Here is some more information on similar sordid manipulations that characterized his and his wife Barbara’s careers.
During the Iran-contra scandal, which Michael Ledeen set in motion, he became involved in a self-destructive imbroglio with the Partisan Review journal. In reporting for the Washington Post on various aspects of the scandal, I also covered this fiasco. Publication of that factual news story earned his animus and served as the basis for his subsequent malicious vendetta.
Washington Post article:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1987/02/16/journal-in-turmoil/dcd04eee-a204-49b1-8df5-857e687ed660/
According to David Brock, then a right-wing activist, Barbara Ledeen conspired with several right-wingers, including Richard Carlson, the father of Tucker Carlson, and who himself died recently, to invent the libel that I had hidden police records of domestic violence, a falsehood leaked to Drudge to be published the day I began work in the White House in August 1997. Both Michael and Barbara Ledeen then secured an attorney for Drudge. Subsequently, they engaged in a years-long campaign of smears. A full account can be found in my book, The Clinton Wars, pp. 232-56.
And here’s the original Washington Post piece:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1998/08/03/blumenthals-suit-has-become-more-than-a-drudge-match/4c9dccd0-0907-4ba7-9afd-2ccb3753f0ed/
Michael Ledeen was also the longtime partner and manipulator of Mike Flynn.
Simone Ledeen, the daughter, had an unfortunate experience heedlessly advising Mike Flynn not to be corrupt, which did not discourage Michael Ledeen and Barbara Ledeen from their collaboration with him:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pentagon-warned-flynn-foreign-money_us_590200f0e4b081a5c0fb6ef5?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009
Flynn’s dependence on Michael Ledeen:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/02/27/michael-flynn-general-chaos
Mike Flynn’s involvement in a Barbara Ledeen dirty trick:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/oct/13/michael-flynn-clinton-email-investigation-russia-dark-web
Barbara Ledeen, on the staff of Sen. Charles Grassley, was an incorrigible manipulator of partisan attacks:
http://congressional-staff.insidegov.com/l/1289/Barbara-J-Ledeen
Quel pity that Ledeen died before being called to account.
Jeff, can this number of casualties be correct re Iraq -- 37,000?