Reported Russia probe source at center of whistleblower complaint over Pentagon contracts

[Bradley K. Shirman]

The professor who reportedly assisted the FBI's Russia probe as
a confidential source is at the center of a Defense Department
whisteblower complaint that alleges government contractor
abuses, as well as excessive payments with taxpayer dollars,
according to interviews and documents reviewed by Fox News.

The complaint was filed by attorney Sean Bigley on behalf of
Pentagon lawyer Adam Lovinger. Earlier this month, conservative
watchdog Judicial Watch announced it was suing the Defense
Department on behalf of Lovinger to force the release of emails
and other electronic messages after Lovinger had his security
clearance suspended.

"[The complaint] pertained to the misuse of contractors by the
Department of Defense, specifically what he perceived as the use
of contractors to conduct foreign relations in violation of U.S.
law, as well as … gross waste and excessive expenditures that
were being lavished on these contractors to do very little
work," Bigley said.

Bigley, who is representing Lovinger pro bono, said his client
flagged the concerns about contractors -- including Stefan
Halper, the professor -- as early as 2016, to Lovinger's
leadership at the Office of Net Assessment (ONA), which is like
an internal Pentagon think tank. He said Lovinger was
specifically concerned Halper was being used by the ONA to
“conduct foreign relations in violation of U.S. law --
specifically he was being sent out unsupervised around the globe
to meet with foreign diplomats and report back” his findings.

In May, Halper was the subject of multiple media reports linking
him to the Russia probe, with The Washington Post describing the
academic as "the FBI source who assisted the Russia
investigation and is at the center of a standoff between
congressional Republicans and the Justice Department ... a well-
connected veteran of past GOP administrations who convened
senior intelligence officials for seminars at the University of
Cambridge in England." The complaint was first filed in
September 2017 and was updated after the Halper reports.

An email reviewed by Fox News shows that Halper wrote to the ONA
in October 2016 about a series of upcoming engagements scheduled
in a foreign country. While the nation's name is redacted, the
email shows Halper lined up "14 meetings ... with various parts
of the political and military community," and a specific
appointment to consult with a brigadier whose name is also
withheld.

Lovinger told his leadership that he was concerned Halper had
crossed the line into diplomacy and foreign relations, and it
would cause further damage to their office. "[P]rofessor-led
talks harmed [Office of Net Assessment's] reputation among
segments of the [redacted] national security elite we
encountered, including some very senior [redacted] officials in
[redacted] government," Lovinger's email continued, "[redacted]
has had to spend alot of political capital to get the [redacted]
government to take ONA seriously again, and we're still not out
of that hold yet."

The Code of Federal Regulations, Subpart 7.5, called "Inherently
Governmental Functions," states that contractors are prohibited
from taking on U.S. government functions, such as the "conduct
of criminal investigations," the "command of military forces,"
and "the conduct of foreign relations."

A review of government spending records shows that Halper was
paid more than $600,000 for two contracts in 2015 and 2016 for
academic papers related to Russia. In the 2015 paper titled,
"The Russia-China relationship: The Impact on the United States'
Security Interests," Halper listed more than three dozen
sources, including General V.I Trubnikov, a former head of
Russian intelligence, as well as former CIA Director Michael
Hayden.

A similar contract, reviewed by Fox News, awarded to a different
academic for a paper on Chinese approaches to war and conflict
was granted much less, about $130,000 in taxpayer funds. "Mr.
Halper was officially contracted to prepare academic studies on
issues of U.S. foreign relations," Bigley said. "When you
compare the amount that he was paid to the work, we believe that
the descrepancy was the result of the other work Mr. Halper was
performing for the DoD."

After Halper's name emerged in media reports, Lovinger's
attorney said he offered to provide more documents to strengthen
their formal September 2017 complaint. He told Fox News he
believes his client "unwittingly stepped into something much
bigger," and the Halper connection explains the "ferocity" of
the alleged retaliation against his client.

Bigley said that "within weeks to months" after Lovinger first
raised his concerns about misuse of contractors in the fall of
2016, "department leadership opened two internal investigations
against him, and months later his security clearance was
suspended without warning, his prestigious detail to the White
House was canceled and ultimately his paycheck was cutoff."

He added, "He now sits at home figuring out how to feed his
family and trying to pick up the pieces of his life."

Lovinger ultimately admitted to "inadvertently taking on an
airplane, a single, academic-oriented report categorized as
'Classification Pending,'" in 2016. According to the
whistleblower complaint, Lovinger "promptly admitted to the
mishap," which was described as his only security infraction
over a 12-year period at the Pentagon. The complaint stated that
a review found the document had "inadequate classification
markings."

Fox News reached out via email to Halper, who did not respond.
Hayden also did not respond to a request for comment. A Pentagon
spokesperson said the department would forward Fox News’ request
to the responsible office.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/08/29/reported-russia-probe-
source-at-center-whistleblower-complaint-over-pentagon-
contracts.html