{"id":2413214,"date":"2025-03-14T13:12:02","date_gmt":"2025-03-14T17:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hegseth-guts-pentagon-office-tied-to-russia-collusion-hoaxer\/"},"modified":"2025-03-14T13:12:02","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T17:12:02","slug":"hegseth-guts-pentagon-office-tied-to-russia-collusion-hoaxer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hegseth-guts-pentagon-office-tied-to-russia-collusion-hoaxer\/","title":{"rendered":"Hegseth Guts Pentagon Office Tied To Russia Collusion Hoaxer"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" 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buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:250312-D-PM193-1033_(54382710434).jpg\">Alexander Kubitza\/U.S. Secretary of Defense\/Wikimedia Commons<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li 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id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered a complete overhaul of a Pentagon think tank that infamously gifted lucrative contracts to a key player in the Russia collusion hoax, the Defense Department revealed on Thursday. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As part of the Department&rsquo;s ongoing commitment to strengthening our national defense, the Secretary of Defense has directed the disestablishment of the Office of Net Assessment (ONA) and the development of a plan to rebuild it in alignment with the Department&rsquo;s strategic priorities,&rdquo; Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defense.gov\/News\/Releases\/Release\/Article\/4119924\/secretary-of-defense-directs-restructuring-of-the-office-of-net-assessment-to-a\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement<\/a>. &ldquo;This decision ensures that our resources are focused on the most pressing national security challenges while maintaining accountability and efficiency.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-61245232\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>According to the Pentagon&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defense.gov\/About\/office-of-the-secretary-of-defense\/office-of-net-assessment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">website<\/a>, ONA was established in 1973 to provide top-ranking defense officials with &ldquo;long-term comparative assessments&rdquo; of risks, trends, and opportunities regarding U.S. military-related endeavors. In recent years, this has included producing internal studies &ldquo;represent[ing] years of detailed analysis&rdquo; of these issues, which &ldquo;provide strategic-level management insights for the Secretary of Defense and other senior DOD leaders.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In his Thursday memo, which was obtained by Breaking Defense, Hegseth <a href=\"https:\/\/breakingdefense.com\/2025\/03\/hegseth-orders-disestablishing-of-office-of-net-assesment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reportedly<\/a> instructed the Defense Department&rsquo;s Performance Improvement officer and director of Administration and Management &ldquo;to reassign all civilian employees to other &lsquo;mission critical positions&rsquo; inside the department, while military personnel will return to their service to receive new billets.&rdquo; The agency&rsquo;s chief acquisition official is also instructed to &ldquo;&lsquo;ensure that the necessary steps are taken&rsquo; by department contracting authorities to terminate &lsquo;all ONA contracts awarded for ONA and ONA-related requirements,&rsquo;&rdquo; the outlet reported. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>While Democrats such as Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., have already begun <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/14\/us\/politics\/pete-hegseth-closes-pentagon-office.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">attacking<\/a> the administration&rsquo;s overhaul of ONA, such criticisms have (unsurprisingly) neglected to mention the office&rsquo;s past financial ties to famed Russia collusion hoaxer <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/stefan-halper\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Stefan Halper<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>As The Federalist&rsquo;s Margot Cleveland previously <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2020\/06\/22\/whats-inside-grassleys-letter-demanding-more-on-deep-states-role-in-spygate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>, Halper &ldquo;served as a confidential human source for the FBI during the targeting of the Trump campaign, during which time he &lsquo;secretly&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2020\/03\/13\/did-spygate-source-stefan-halper-work-for-the-hillary-clinton-campaign\/\">recorded<\/a>&nbsp;several conversations with Trump campaign advisors Carter Page and George Papadopoulos,&rsquo; as well as taping &lsquo;an extensive conversation with Sam Clovis&mdash;a co-chair of the Trump presidential campaign.&#8217;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>As <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2020\/06\/22\/whats-inside-grassleys-letter-demanding-more-on-deep-states-role-in-spygate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">noted<\/a> by Cleveland, Halper was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/articles\/2019\/07\/18\/the_labyrinthine_ways_and_wages_of_stefan_halper_140809.html\">receiving<\/a> &ldquo;hundreds of thousands of dollars&rdquo; from the ONA, including two contracts inked around the same time he was working with the FBI on the Crossfire Hurricane investigation. <\/p>\n<p><strong>[READ: <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/03\/17\/the-fbis-key-russia-spy-made-bizarre-resume-claims\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The FBI&rsquo;s Key Russia Spy Made Bizarre Resume Claims<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Halper&rsquo;s ties to ONA prompted Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, to issue a <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2020\/06\/22\/whats-inside-grassleys-letter-demanding-more-on-deep-states-role-in-spygate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">series<\/a> of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.grassley.senate.gov\/imo\/media\/doc\/2020-01-22%20CEG%20to%20ONA%20(Halper%20Follow%20Up).pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">letters<\/a> to ONA Director James Baker throughout 2020 requesting information about the former FBI source&rsquo;s contracts with the Pentagon-based think tank. Iowa&rsquo;s senior senator specifically questioned ONA&rsquo;s &ldquo;stewardship of taxpayer dollars as well as its contract management and internal controls,&rdquo; according to a January 2020 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.grassley.senate.gov\/news\/news-releases\/halper-docs-raise-new-questions-about-office-net-assessment-s-purpose-compliance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">press release<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Grassley praised the Trump administration&rsquo;s decision to overhaul ONA in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.grassley.senate.gov\/news\/news-releases\/grassley-praises-president-trumps-move-to-shutter-dods-office-of-net-assessment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Thursday statement<\/a>, saying the &ldquo;wise move saves American taxpayers over 20 million dollars a year.&rdquo;&nbsp;(The senator had previously <a href=\"https:\/\/www.grassley.senate.gov\/news\/news-releases\/grassley-digs-into-waste-fraud-and-abuse-at-dods-office-of-net-assessment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">called<\/a> for the DOD to eliminate &ldquo;waste, fraud and abuse&rdquo; at ONA last month).<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;After years raising Cain about the Office of Net Assessment&rsquo;s failure to strengthen our national defense and its rampant abuse of taxpayer dollars, I&rsquo;m thrilled to hear the news that President Trump is abolishing this wasteful and ineffective office,&rdquo; Grassley said Thursday. &ldquo;Praise the Lord.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">   Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/2016-election\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">2016 election<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/defense-department\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Defense Department<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/fbi\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">FBI<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/fisa\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">FISA<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/office-of-net-assessment\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Office of Net Assessment<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/pentagon\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Pentagon<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/pete-hegseth\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Pete Hegseth<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/russia-collusion-hoax\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Russia Collusion Hoax<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/sean-parnell\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Sean Parnell<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/stefan-halper\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Stefan Halper<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Image Credit Alexander Kubitza\/U.S. Secretary of Defense\/Wikimedia Commons Share Share Article on Facebook Share Article on Twitter Share Article on Truth Social Copy Article Link Share Article via Email Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered a complete overhaul of a Pentagon think tank that infamously gifted lucrative contracts to a key player in the Russia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2413215,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Pete-Hegseth.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2413214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Pete-Hegseth.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2413214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2413214"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2413214\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2413215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2413214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2413214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2413214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}