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Monday, September 2, 2013

YIKES! Is this Astonishing Hack Fiction, Fact... Or Scandal?

* * * We make no claims that any of the presented is in any way accurate or representative of the truth. It is sourced from a "hack" by €Wagn3r of what the hacker purports to be numerous emails of one Colonel Anthony James MacDonald, his wife, and various other "Pentagon officers."
 
However, if accurate, the exposed data sheds some critical, if circumstantial, light on the events that transpired in the days ahead of the Wednesday, August 22 "nerve gas" chemical attack alleged to have been executed by Syria's president al-Assad, and presented "beyond a doubt" as such, and as the basis for full-scale military operations and "surgical strikes" targeting Syrian assets, which in the coming days will involve a Congressional vote to determine the fate of the Syrian government and ostensibly of ten of thousands of innocent civilians caught in the crossfire. While we doubt the Pentagon, the US Military, or any person in the administration will officially address these "hacked" emails, the world has a right to be aware of the existence of this information, and to come their own conclusions about the veracity of the official "case" for Syrian involvement * * * 

The following is the message that hacker €Wagn3r posted on a Pastebin data dump (located here) on August 30:
I've hacked colonel Anthony Jamie MacDonald mail he is intelligence US Army Staff boss. First I hacked his Link3dIn account and got access to his mail through it then.

Among mail Mayhem like Amazon mails I've found his correspondence with his colleague Eugene Furst. He congratulates Col. with success and gives a link to the Washington Post publication about chemical attack in Syria on August 21. Furst also mentions it was “well staged”. Holy shit. I was shocked my eyes refused to believe it. Bloody bastards they “staged” a chemical attack.

Then a friend of Anthony MacDonald's wife Jennifer writes she was shocked seeing on TV the children died after chemical attack in Syria. Jennifer answers she saw the story but Tony calm her down saying children were alive and the scene was staged.
While hacks traditionally have little credibility in the media sphere, absent extensive outside corroboration, what drew our attention to his particular breach of email security is that whether due to this publicly announced hacking (or some other reason) the LinkedIn profile of Colonel MacDonald, which he lists on his also hacked resume as residing at www.linkedin.com/pub/anthony-j-macdonald/31/615/a2, has been removed. The hack, with supporting documentation, was made publicly available for the first time on August 30, 2013. His resume can still be traced using an archived version of the website, and can be found here (full screen grab provided below).

The source data provided by the hacker can be traced in the following three files:
Two best mails I uploaded here

        https://www.dropbox.com/s/3g8rt2l3do33pgr/the-best.rar
        http://www.mediafire.com/download/k3dymq2iz5f8uis/the-best.rar
        http://depositfiles.com/files/30qx9o4wc
      
Here you can download MacDonald's mail

        https://www.dropbox.com/s/736xsoir8pjncz7/mcdnlds-l3ak.rar
        http://depositfiles.com/files/se09lc29f
        http://www.mediafire.com/download/p03ywz6t7m6cyp3/mcdnlds-l3ak.rar

Here is his wife's correspondence

        https://www.dropbox.com/s/8jeqc5lm8w720kb/mary-leak.rar
        http://www.mediafire.com/download/tq38hzdxvbl7427/mary-leak.rar
        http://depositfiles.com/files/vjucpz9el
Cutting to the chase, the hacker focuses on the following key exchange between Colonal MacDonald, found in an excerpt from an email thread dating to August 22.
It is as follows - bold, underlined highlights ours :
Good luck for you, see you soon
Regards,
-Gene
> -----Original Message-----
> From: AJMacDonald [mailto:XXXXXX@yahoo.com]
> Sent: Thursday, August 22, 2013 2:31 PM
> To: Furst, Eugene P CIV (US)
> Subject: Re: Follow-up, 20130820

> As you see I'm far from this now, but I know our guys did their best.
> I enjoyed catching-up with you. Hope to see you soon again.

> Sincerely,
> Jamie

> On Aug 22, 2013, at 2:14 PM, "Furst, Eugene P CIV (US)"
> <XXXXXX@mail.mil> wrote:


>> You're exactly right.  We have to work with both theater on the
>> requirement and the organization that owns the contract to ensure we
>> don't have too few or too many contractors.

>> CITP - Rock Island Contract
>> CIAT - DIA Contract

>> By the way, saw your latest success, my congratulations. Good job.
>> http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/syrian-activists-accuse-governmen
>> t-of-deadly-chemical-attack-near-damascus/2013/08/21/aea157e6-0a50-11
>> e3-89fe-abb4a5067014_story.html

>> Regards,
>> -Gene

>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: AJMacDonald [mailto:XXXXXX@yahoo.com]
>> Sent: Thursday, August 22, 2013 1:00 PM
>> To: Furst, Eugene P CIV (US)
>> Subject: Re: Follow-up, 20130820

>> Gene; CIAT and CITP contracts are MIP funded.  I recall the issue
>> that often surfaced was how the drawdown affected demand
>> necessitating our assessment of where we had folks, the quantity of
>> analysts, and costs associate with their employment.  My recollection
>> of this is correct is it not?  Please advise.  Thank you.  Jamie On
>> Aug 21, 2013, at 4:19 PM, "Furst, Eugene P CIV (US)" <XXXXX@mail.mil> wrote:

>>> Jamie,
>>>
>>> Next time you come in, I'll grab Katrina in DAMI-RI to help out if needed.
>>> Your comment below is correct.  It's just important to remember that
>>> the POM captures our "request".  It isn't approved until Congress
>>> puts its stamp of approval on it.  Pretty sure you understood that,
>>> we're just at the point where we're covering minor nuances...
>>>
>>> Regards,
>>> -Gene
>>>
The full contents of the email exchange can be found in the archived email located in the "best" mail folder, under the title: "Follow-up, 20130820 (UNCLASSIFIED)"
If factual, Mr. Furst's (CIV) email's congratulates Col. MacDonald for his "latest success" referencing the Washington Post article in which the Syrian government is accused of the chemical attack near Damascus. The Colonel's response is: "As you see I'm far from this now, but I know our guys did their best."

At this point, and for the sake of clarity and transparency, perhaps it would be beneficial for Congress to hear our Colonel MacDonald about just what it is "his guys" did their best in, and why he is acknowledging their performance when referencing a chemical attack that allegedly was launched by Syria's Assad.

* * *
The other referenced excerpt between one Marh Shapiro and one Jennifer MacDonald, allegedly the wife of the abovementioned Colonel.

It is as follows. Once again, excerpt highlights ours:
Good Morning Jennifer:

I guess you returned from MA, I hope everything went.  I pick the kids up at the train station today at 12pm.  They probably don't want to come home.  It looks like they had a lot of fun in NYC.

You see, I'm still thinking about those Syrian kids. Thanks God, they are alive. I hope they got a kind of present or some cash.

This afternoon or tomorrow are good days for me to call.  On wed we have women's equality day at Steve' work I need to be over there to hear what he says HA HA.  I will have the girls contact Molly-we would love to drive by.  I'll let you know.
________________________________________
Date: Sun, 25 Aug 2013 14:59:42 -0700
From: XXXXX@yahoo.com
Subject: Re: Let's talk
To: XXXXX@hotmail.com

Hi Mary;
I saw it either and got afraid very much. But Tony comforted me. He said the kids weren't hurt, it was done for cameras. So you don't worry, my dear.

That'll be nice to get down to NC to see your Dad and Lee.  If you feel like a road trip about 1/2 hour down the road, go visit the "resort" and have Molly give you a tour of campus.  She'd love to see you guys since she didn't get to PA for Steve's COC.

Would love to see you during the 7-11 October visit.  Ugh, my birthday!  We need to go to FL instead of you coming here!  I'm trying to forget that day.....But seriously, it would be great to see you anytime.

I will have time to chat this week.  Can't believe Tuesday is the Stallion Stampede.  Grace's first FH game is Wednesday.  She has had 2 scrimmages so far and they have won both of them.

Jennifer

From: mary shapiro <XXXXX@hotmail.com>
To: jennifer macdonald <XXXXX@yahoo.com>
Sent: Friday, August 23, 2013 1:30 PM
Subject: RE: Let's talk

Everytime I hear about HighPoint...it sounds like a place that I want to live!  I hope all goes well in MA.  I know its difficult for Pat without you living nearby. 
Thank you for you offer to visit over Labor Day, however we are going to my Dad's house over that weekend.  Its going to be a tight turn around, but if we don't go then it may be a while before we can head down there. 
I am going to be joining Steve at his Capstone class 7-11 October so we should be able to meet for dinner then.  Also I would like to try and come down during the day in September to celebrate your bday.  So we can start thinking about a few dates. 

You know, I can't stop thinking about that terrible gas attack in Syria now. Did you see those kids? I was really crying… They were poisoned, they died. When is it over? I see their faces when in sleep. What did Tony say you about this?
If factual, the implications of this second follow up email are self-explanatory: the wife of Colonel MacDonald responds to a sincere query by what appears to be a friend or acquaintance, about the tragic fate of the Syrian children that perished in the chemical attack, to which the response is: "I saw it either and got afraid very much. But Tony comforted me. He said the kids weren't hurt, it was done for cameras. So you don't worry, my dear."

Perhaps if and when Col. MacDonald provides his explanation for his response to the first email, he can also share some insight into why he told his wife that the entire Syrian massacre has been staged "for the cameras." This kind type of prevarication will hardly be without pretext: recall the video clip presented 4 weeks ago showing Muslim Brotherhood supporters staging for the camera in what appears to be an act designed to feign injury and death.

The full contents of the email exchange can be found in the archived email located in the "best" mail folder, under the title 7a231bc6-1490-4fe1-98ef-6bdf8e9b4a265.

* * *
Going back to the hacker's original message: he alleges to have hacked the emails of the following "other Pentagon officers' mail boxes:"
Evans, Anthony O COL USARMY HQDA ASA ALT  (US)
Sims, John D COL USARMY HQDA OCPA (US)
Griffith, David M COL USARMY (US)
Bell, Craig A COL USARMY (US)
Parramore, David J (Dave) COL USARMY  MEDCOM HQ (US)
Morris, Daniel L COL USARMY (US)
Ellison, Brenda K COL USARMY (US)
Jennings, Wesley J COL USARMY HQDA DCS G-8  (US)
Eberle, Brian K COL  USARMY HQDA DCS G-3-5-7 (US)
Bradsher, John M COL USARMY (US)
Fish, Charles A COL USARMY JS J8 (US)
Roquemore, Darlene M COL USAF (US)
Mott, Robert L Jr COL USARMY HQDA  OTSG (US)
Parramore, David J (Dave) COL USARMY  MEDCOM HQ (US)
Weeks, Colin A LTC USARMY (US)
Reynolds, M Bridget LTC USARMY HQDA DCS G-2 (US)
Grahek, Christopher J LTC USARMY HQDA  OTSG (US)
Henderson, Valerie D LTC USARMY HQDA OCPA (US)
The hacker's parting words:
I've no time to look through all their mails. A lot of shit to be sure there. I will upload their correspondence later.
* * *
Those curious about the credentials of Colonel MacDonald, can find more in what appears to be his resume which can be found in the email titled "Resume" located in assorted "MacDonalds" folder. It is in the headers to this resume that Col. MacDonald allegedly lists the LinkedIn profile URL which appears to have been taken down as of this writing.
Objective: A senior leadership position within an organization where my expertise in planning and leading intelligence operations and developing interagency partnerships will contribute to the organization’s growth and success.

Executive Leadership and Management Profile:

•    Thirty years of leadership experience specializing in planning and directing multi-disciplined intelligence operations, and coordinating and developing partnerships.
•    Proven ability to build consensus across competing joint and interagency interests to form coalitions that deliver balanced and executable results.
•    Successfully and effectively organized and commanded two complex, highly visible and politically sensitive joint and interagency intelligence collection organizations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
•    Proven manager of large and diverse organizations comprised of more than 300 multi-disciplined intelligence and support personnel responsible for producing intelligence for joint service, interagency, and multi-national organizations.
•    Experienced and effective in developing strategies that produce successful Army and interagency solutions to address complex tasks in resource constrained and austere operating environments.
•    Accomplished leader, mentor and trainer with a proven record of building high achieving units; frequently handpicked to perform critical and high visibility missions of national importance.
•    Superb oral and written communication skills.

Experience:

Director of Operations and Plans, Colonel                                   October 2010 – July 2013

Deputy Chief of Staff, G-2, Headquarters Department of the Army, Pentagon, Virginia

Direct and manage Army G-2 intelligence operations, plans, policies, and the integration of emerging capabilities in support of Army current and future operations and force structure design.  Staff Lead for support to combat operations and the Army intelligence force at large, and the development of innovative solutions for training critical skills.  Direct and oversee the management of more than $1 billion of Army training programs and intelligence support contracts.

•    Leveraged an Army intelligence force of 58,000 personnel to develop solutions for Army Force Generation requirements in support of the Global War on Terror and other contingencies.
•    Oversaw coordination with the United States Army Forces Command, the Army and Joint Staffs, and Human Resources Command to ensure all deploying Brigade Combat Teams, Division Headquarters and Corps Headquarters personnel and equipment requirements were met prior to deployment.  Conducted essential follow-up to ensure all tasks were completed and units satisfied with any mitigation efforts.
•    Managed Intelligence 2020 strategic planning and force design to ensure compliance and compatibility with Army 2020 objectives force composition, and requirements; including the formation of an Aerial Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Brigade and two Theater Intelligence Brigades.
•    Selected to lead a Chief of Staff of the Army tasked team to evaluate competing intelligence fusion systems in Afghanistan that directly influenced the integration of enabling capabilities into a multi - billion dollar Army Program of Record and shaped intelligence training for all Army commands. 
There is much more in the full resume.

His full screencaptured LinkedIn profile is shown below:


* * *
In conclusion, and as prefaced in the opening statement, we make no reps and warranties that any of the above information is factual, valid or accurate. However, due to the gravity and relevance of the content to current world events, we believe that the authorities responsible for denying (or validating) the above contents will take all appropriate measures to do just that.

Because if there is even a trace of circumstantial evidence, albeit obtained through illicit means, that the chemical attack was "staged", potentially with the prior knowledge of a respected and decorated former Pentagon Colonel and Deputy Chief of Staff, G-2, Headquarters Department of the Army, Pentagon, Director of Operations and Plans, then both the American people, and Congress which is set to make a critical decision whether or not to engage in war, have the right to know.

Originally posted at Zero Hedge