Schmitz, J

To be fair, the Knights have been involved in their fair share of political intrigues. In 1988, the charge d’affaires at the order’s embassy in Havana <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/07/world/knights-of-malta-and-us-picking-new-chief.html?scp=5&sq=knights%20of%20malta&st=cse" target="blank" style="text-decoration: none; font-weight: inherit; outline: none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">confessed to being a double agent</a>, reporting to both the CIA and Cuban intelligence. According to journalist Jeremy Scahill’s book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/156858394X?ie=UTF8&tag=fopo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=156858394X" target="blank" style="text-decoration: none; font-weight: inherit; outline: none; font-variant: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Blackwater</a>,<span style="font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Joseph Schmitz, a former executive at the company who also served as inspector general for the U.S. Department of Defense, boasted of his membership in the Knights in his official biography. The defense contractor now known as Xe’s chief executive, Erik Prince, <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6740735.ece" target="blank" style="text-decoration: none; font-weight: inherit; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">reportedly espoused</a> Christian supremacist beliefs, and its contractors in Iraq used codes and insignia based on the order’s medieval compatriots, the Knights of the Templar. However, there’s no evidence to suggest the Knights of Malta had any direct influence over the company.<span style="font-variant-numeric: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">http://foreignpolicy.com/2011/01/19/who-are-the-knights-of-malta-and-what-do-they-want/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz<div id="mw-content-text" lang="en" dir="ltr" class="mw-content-ltr" style="direction: ltr; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Joseph Edward Schmitz (born August 28, 1956) is an American lawyer, former <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inspector_general" title="Inspector general" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">inspector general</a> of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Defense" title="United States Department of Defense" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">United States Department of Defense</a> and a former executive with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwater_Worldwide" class="mw-redirect" title="Blackwater Worldwide" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Blackwater Worldwide</a>. After working as a watchdog at the Pentagon for three and a half years, Schmitz resigned to return to the private sector. Although allegations questioning his stewardship of the inspector general’s office surfaced nine months after his resignation, a high-level review board, the President’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency, cleared him of all wrongdoing in 2006.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_note-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[1]</a> He was named one of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump" title="Donald Trump" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Donald Trump</a>'s foreign policy advisors for his <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign,2016" title="Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">2016 presidential campaign</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_note-twp-2" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[2]</a><div id="toc" class="toc" style="border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); padding: 7px; display: table; zoom: 1;"><div id="toctitle" style="direction: ltr; text-align: center;"><h2 style="background: none; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border: none; display: inline; line-height: 1.3;">Contents</h2>  [<a role="button" tabindex="0" id="togglelink" style="background: none; cursor: pointer;">hide</a>] </div><ul style="list-style-type: none; margin: 0.3em 0px; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#Biography" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">1Biography</a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#Inspector_General_of_the_Department_of_Defense" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">2Inspector General of the Department of Defense</a><ul style="list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-3" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#Allegations_and_resignation" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">2.1Allegations and resignation</a></li></ul></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-4" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#See_also" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">3See also</a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-5" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#References" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">4References</a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-6" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#Literature" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">5Literature</a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-7" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#External_links" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">6External links</a></li></ul></div><h2 style="background: none; font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177);" linux="Linux" libertine="Libertine" georgia="Georgia" times="Times" serif="serif" line-height="line-height">Biography[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joseph_E.Schmitz&action=edit&section=1&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Biography" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h2>Schmitz was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_note-3" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[3]</a> the son of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_G.Schmitz" title="John G. Schmitz" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">John G. Schmitz</a>, former <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Senate" class="mw-redirect" title="California Senate" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">California State Senator</a>, member of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S.House_of_Representatives" class="mw-redirect" title="U.S. House of Representatives" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">U.S. House of Representatives</a>, and U.S. presidential candidate in 1972. Schmitz attended Catholic schools as a child and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgetown_Preparatory_School" title="Georgetown Preparatory School" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Georgetown Preparatory School</a> for high school while his father served in Congress. He holds a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachelor_of_Science" title="Bachelor of Science" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Bachelor of Science</a> (1978) from the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Naval_Academy" title="United States Naval Academy" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">United States Naval Academy</a> in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annapolis,Maryland" title="Annapolis, Maryland" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Annapolis, Maryland</a> where he was on the wrestling team and a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juris_Doctor" title="Juris Doctor" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Juris Doctor</a> (1986) from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_University" title="Stanford University" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Stanford University</a>. His three siblings include <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Kay_Letourneau" title="Mary Kay Letourneau" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Mary Kay Letourneau</a>, Jerome Schmitz and John Schmitz.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_note-SchmitzBio-4" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[4]</a>Upon graduation from the Naval Academy, Schmitz served in the U.S. Navy for approximately four years, including a stint as an exchange officer with the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Navy" title="German Navy" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">German Navy</a>. After leaving active duty, Schmitz went to law school and was in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Navy_Reserve" title="United States Navy Reserve" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Naval Reserve</a> until 2001. He clerked with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_L.Buckley" title="James L. Buckley" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">James L. Buckley</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_federal_judge" title="United States federal judge" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Circuit Judge</a> for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Court_of_Appeals_for_the_District_of_Columbia_Circuit" title="United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">D.C. Circuit Court</a> and was a special assistant to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Attorney_General" title="United States Attorney General" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Attorney General</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Meese_III" class="mw-redirect" title="Edwin Meese III" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Edwin Meese III</a> during the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reagan_Administration" class="mw-redirect" title="Reagan Administration" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Reagan Administration</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_note-SchmitzBio-4" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[4]</a> Schmitz entered the private sector in 1987, eventually joining the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patton_Boggs" class="mw-redirect" title="Patton Boggs" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Patton Boggs</a> law firm in Washington, D.C.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_note-5" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[5]</a> He was also an adjunct professor of law at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgetown_University" title="Georgetown University" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Georgetown University</a> in the 1990s and founded his own firm, Joseph E. Schmitz, PLLC, in 2008.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_note-JESPLLC-6" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[6]</a>He is a member of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereign_Military_Order_of_Malta" title="Sovereign Military Order of Malta" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Sovereign Military Order of Malta</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_note-7" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[7]</a> and a co-author of the book, Sharia: The Threat to America.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_note-Sharia-8" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[8]</a>As Inspector General, Schmitz investigated involvement of the U.S. military in the sex trade in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea" title="South Korea" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">South Korea</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosnia" class="mw-redirect" title="Bosnia" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Bosnia</a>, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosovo" title="Kosovo" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Kosovo</a>.Schmitz writes a column titled "Support and Defend" for the media organization <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newsmax" title="Newsmax" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Newsmax</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_note-9" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[9]</a> He co-founded the law firm Schmitz & Socarras LLP <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_note-Schmitz.26_Socarras_LLP-10" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[10]</a> in 2014 and serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CharityEngine" title="CharityEngine" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">CharityEngine</a>, a McLean, Virginia-based software company.<h2 style="background: none; font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177);" linux="Linux" libertine="Libertine" georgia="Georgia" times="Times" serif="serif" line-height="line-height">Inspector General of the Department of Defense[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joseph_E.Schmitz&action=edit&section=2&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Inspector General of the Department of Defense" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h2>Schmitz was nominated by President <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W.Bush" title="George W. Bush" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">George W. Bush</a> to be <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_the_Inspector_General,U.S.Department_of_Defense" title="Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Defense" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Defense Department Inspector General</a> on June 18, 2001. His nomination was held up in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_Committee_on_Armed_Services" title="United States Senate Committee on Armed Services" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Senate Armed Services Committee</a> for unknown reasons until March 21, 2002,[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">citation needed</a>] when he was confirmed by the full Senate by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_vote" title="Voice vote" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">voice vote</a>. One of his first actions as Inspector General was to hire controversial republican operative <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L.Jean_Lewis" title="L. Jean Lewis" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">L. Jean Lewis</a> as his chief of staff.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_note-kos-11" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[11]</a>Various senior officials in the Defense Department stated that Schmitz had an enduring fascination with Baron <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Wilhelm_von_Steuben" title="Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben</a>, having personally redesigned the Defense Department Inspector General's seal to incorporate the Von Steuben family motto.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_note-Schmitz_Investigation-12" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[12]</a> Schmitz's association with the Germany journalist Henning Von Steuben, the leader of the Von Steuben Family Association, attracted the criticism of Senator <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Grassley" title="Chuck Grassley" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Chuck Grassley</a>, who stated that Schmitz had "feted Von Steuben at an $800 meal allegedly paid for by public funds."<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_note-Schmitz_Investigation-12" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[12]</a> In 2005, Schmitz canceled a planned $200,000 trip to Germany "to attend a ceremony at a Von Steuben statue" after Grassley questioned the expenditure.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_note-Schmitz_Investigation-12" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[12]</a><h3 style="background: none; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: none; line-height: 1.6;">Allegations and resignation[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joseph_E.Schmitz&action=edit&section=3&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Allegations and resignation" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h3>Senator Charles Grassley published numerous allegations against Schmitz toward the end of his almost four-year tenure. All of Grassley's allegations were investigated by an independent Office of inspector general under the auspices of the Integrity Committee of the President's Council on Integrity & Efficiency (PCIE), which on October 19, 2006, "concluded that there was no wrongdoing."<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_note-PCIE-13" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[13]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_note-14" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[14]</a>Schmitz resigned as inspector general of the Defense Department in September 2005 in the wake of new allegations that he intervened to obstruct the FBI investigation of fellow Bush appointee to the Department of Defense <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_A.Shaw" title="John A. Shaw" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Jack Shaw</a> in relation to contracting improprieties in Iraq for which Shaw was fired in December 2004.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_note-Schmitz_Investigation-12" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[12]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_note-SchmitzCorrection-15" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[15]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_note-Shaw-16" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[16]</a>The allegations also included interference in the investigation of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_L.Walker" title="Mary L. Walker" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Mary Walker</a>'s role in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torture_Memos" title="Torture Memos" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Torture Memos</a> scandal and Schmitz's redaction of an investigative report on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing" title="Boeing" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Boeing</a> to remove the names of White House officials before sending it to Congress.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_note-kos-11" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[11]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_note-SchmitzCorrection-15" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[15]</a>In addition to questions regarding Schmitz's independence from the White House, Grassley submitted complaints that Schmitz had accepted a trip to South Korea paid for by a former lobbying client and similarly obtained eight tickets to a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Nationals" title="Washington Nationals" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Washington Nationals</a> baseball game.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_note-congressrecord-17" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[17]</a>After resigning, Schmitz took a position with the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Group" class="mw-redirect" title="Prince Group" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Prince Group</a>,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_note-SchmitzBio-4" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[4]</a> a holding company for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwater_Worldwide" class="mw-redirect" title="Blackwater Worldwide" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Blackwater Worldwide</a>,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_note-BlackwaterPeople-18" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">[18]</a> which provides security services and training to the U.S. military in Iraq and elsewhere.<h2 style="background: none; font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177);" linux="Linux" libertine="Libertine" georgia="Georgia" times="Times" serif="serif" line-height="line-height">See also[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joseph_E.Schmitz&action=edit&section=4&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: See also" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h2><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" ccircle="Ccircle" cx="cx" cy="cy" r="r" fill="fill" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwater_Worldwide" class="mw-redirect" title="Blackwater Worldwide" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Blackwater Worldwide</a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janet_Rehnquist" title="Janet Rehnquist" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Janet Rehnquist</a>, former Inspector General of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Health_and_Human_Services" class="mw-redirect" title="Department of Health and Human Services" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Department of Health and Human Services</a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Bloch" title="Scott Bloch" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Scott Bloch</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Office_of_Special_Counsel" title="United States Office of Special Counsel" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">United States Office of Special Counsel</a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_W.Cobb" title="Robert W. Cobb" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Robert W. Cobb</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_Office_of_Inspector_General" title="NASA Office of Inspector General" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">NASA Inspector General</a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Krongard" title="Howard Krongard" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Howard Krongard</a>, Inspector General of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_State" title="United States Department of State" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">United States Department of State</a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Prince" title="Erik Prince" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Erik Prince</a>, founder and CEO of Blackwater Worldwide, Inc.</li></ul><h2 style="background: none; font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177);" linux="Linux" libertine="Libertine" georgia="Georgia" times="Times" serif="serif" line-height="line-height">References[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joseph_E.Schmitz&action=edit&section=5&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: References" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h2><div class="reflist" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; list-style-type: decimal;"><ol class="references" style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 3.2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none; list-style-type: inherit;"><li id="cite_note-1" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_ref-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-joseph-e-schmitz-foreign-policy-pentagon-dod-germany-wrong-doing-439239" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("");" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" word-wrap="word-wrap" break-word="break-word" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">http://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-joseph-e-schmitz-foreign-policy-pentagon-dod-germany-wrong-doing-439239</a></li><li id="cite_note-twp-2" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_ref-twp_2-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up^{</a> }One of Trump’s foreign policy advisers is a 2009 college grad who lists Model UN as a credential,<a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/03/21/meet-the-men-shaping-donald-trumps-foreign-policy-views/?hpid=hp_rhp-top-table-main_trump-foreign-1pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("");" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">[1]</a>, The Washington Post, March 22, 2016</li><li id="cite_note-3" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_ref-3" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up^{</a> }U.S. Congress. Senate. Committee on Armed Services, Nominations before the Senate Armed Services Committee, first session, 107th Congress, 1616</li><li id="cite_note-SchmitzBio-4" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">^ <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_ref-SchmitzBio_4-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:a</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_ref-SchmitzBio_4-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">b</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_ref-SchmitzBio_4-2" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">c</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nndb.com/people/466/000104154/" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("");" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">NNDB, "Joseph E. Schmitz"</a></li><li id="cite_note-5" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_ref-5" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up^{</a> }Scahill, Blackwater, 303.</li><li id="cite_note-JESPLLC-6" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_ref-JESPLLC_6-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.jespllc.com/" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("");" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Joseph E. Schmitz, PLLC</a></li><li id="cite_note-7" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_ref-7" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.worldsecuritynetwork.com/dsp/dsp_authorBio3.cfm?authID=10" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("");" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">WorldSecurityNetwork.com</a></li><li id="cite_note-Sharia-8" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_ref-Sharia_8-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up^{</a> }Sharia: The Threat To America, <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/upload/wysiwyg/article%20pdfs/Shariah%20-%20The%20Threat%20to%20America%20(Team%20B%20Report)%20Web%2009292010.pdf" style="text-decoration: none; background: url("");" upload.wikimedia.org="upload.wikimedia.org" wikipedia="wikipedia" commons="commons" icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif="Icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif" right="right" center="center" no-repeat="no-repeat" padding-right="padding-right" px="px">[2]</a>, Center for Security Policy, October 2010</li><li id="cite_note-9" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_ref-9" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up^{</a> }<cite class="citation web" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Schmitz, Joseph, E. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.newsmax.com/Insiders/JosephESchmitz/id-164" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("");" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Support and Defend"</a>. Newsmax. Retrieved 9 December 2013.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AJoseph+E.+Schmitz&rft.aufirst=Joseph%2C+E.&rft.aulast=Schmitz&rft.btitle=Support+and+Defend&rft.genre=unknown&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsmax.com%2FInsiders%2FJosephESchmitz%2Fid-164&rft.pub=Newsmax&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook" class="Z3988" /></li><li id="cite_note-Schmitz.26_Socarras_LLP-10" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_ref-Schmitz.26_Socarras_LLP_10-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.sands-llp.com/" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("");" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Schmitz & Socarras LLP</a></li><li id="cite_note-kos-11" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">^ <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_ref-kos_11-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:a</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_ref-kos_11-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">b</a> "Pentagon Iraq War Intel 'Not Illegal': Questions About DoD Inspector General's Flawed Report",<a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/02/09/299965/-Pentagon-Iraq-War-Intel-Not-Illegal-Questions-About-DoD-Inspector-General-s-Flawed-Report#" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("");" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">[3]</a>, Daily Kos, Feb 9, 2007</li><li id="cite_note-Schmitz_Investigation-12" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">^ <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_ref-Schmitz_Investigation_12-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:a</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_ref-Schmitz_Investigation_12-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">b</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_ref-Schmitz_Investigation_12-2" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">c</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_ref-Schmitz_Investigation_12-3" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">d</a> T. Christian Miller, The Scrutinizer Finds Himself Under Scrutiny, <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://articles.latimes.com/print/2005/sep/25/nation/na-schmitz25" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("");" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">[4]</a>, Los Angeles Times, September 25, 2005</li><li id="cite_note-PCIE-13" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_ref-PCIE_13-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up^{</a> }Executive Council on Integrity and Efficiency, "Letter to Joseph E. Schmitz", <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.pogoarchives.org/m/go/ig/accountability/appendix-g.pdf" style="text-decoration: none; background: url("");" upload.wikimedia.org="upload.wikimedia.org" wikipedia="wikipedia" commons="commons" icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif="Icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif" right="right" center="center" no-repeat="no-repeat" padding-right="padding-right" px="px">[5]</a>, October 23, 2006</li><li id="cite_note-14" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_ref-14" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up^{</a> }PCIE Integrity Committee Fax to PCIE Chairman, October 19, 2006. See also, "Corrections," The Washington Post, p. A02, November 20, 2010 (clarifying that its prior article about Inspector General Schmitz, “failed to state that Schmitz was exonerated of any wrongdoing by the Integrity Committee of the President’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency in 2006“).]</li><li id="cite_note-SchmitzCorrection-15" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">^ <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_ref-SchmitzCorrection_15-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:a</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_ref-SchmitzCorrection_15-1" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">b</a> T. Christian Miller, "Pentagon Investigator Resigning", <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://articles.latimes.com/2005/sep/03/nation/na-schmitz3" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("");" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">[6]</a>, Los Angeles Times, September 3, 2005</li><li id="cite_note-Shaw-16" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_ref-Shaw_16-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up^{</a> }T. Christian Miller, "Pentagon Ousts Official Under FBI Investigation", <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://articles.latimes.com/print/2004/dec/11/nation/na-fired11" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("");" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">[7]</a>, Los Angeles Times, December 11, 2004</li><li id="cite_note-congressrecord-17" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_ref-congressrecord_17-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up^{</a> }Congressional Record of the 109th Congress, First Session, No. 122, page 35, <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CREC-2005-09-27/pdf/CREC-2005-09-27.pdf" style="text-decoration: none; background: url("");" upload.wikimedia.org="upload.wikimedia.org" wikipedia="wikipedia" commons="commons" icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif="Icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif" right="right" center="center" no-repeat="no-repeat" padding-right="padding-right" px="px">[8]</a> U.S. Government Printing Office, September 27, 2005,</li><li id="cite_note-BlackwaterPeople-18" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#cite_ref-BlackwaterPeople_18-0" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up^{</a> }"Blackwaters Top Brass", <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://hamptonroads.com/2006/07/blackwaters-top-brass" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("");" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">[9]</a>, The Virginian-Pilot, July 24, 2006</li></ol></div><h2 style="background: none; font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177);" linux="Linux" libertine="Libertine" georgia="Georgia" times="Times" serif="serif" line-height="line-height">Literature[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joseph_E.Schmitz&action=edit&section=6&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Literature" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h2><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" ccircle="Ccircle" cx="cx" cy="cy" r="r" fill="fill" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Miller, T. Christian. (2006). Blood Money: Wasted Billions, Lost Lives, and Corporate Greed in Iraq. New York: Little, Brown and Company. See pages 68–69.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Scahill, Jeremy. (2007). Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army. New York: Nation Books. See Chapter Seventeen: "Joseph Schmitz: Christian Soldier."</li></ul><h2 style="background: none; font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177);" linux="Linux" libertine="Libertine" georgia="Georgia" times="Times" serif="serif" line-height="line-height">External links[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joseph_E.Schmitz&action=edit&section=7&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: External links" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">edit</a>]</h2><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" ccircle="Ccircle" cx="cx" cy="cy" r="r" fill="fill" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">"<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=12596" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("");" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">US: Pentagon's Top Watchdog Resigned Amid Claims of Stonewalling Inquiries</a>," T. Christian Miller, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Times" title="Los Angeles Times" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Los Angeles Times</a>, September 3, 2005</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">"<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,1109345,00.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("");" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">How Many More Mike Browns Are Out There?</a>," Mark Thompson, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Tumulty" title="Karen Tumulty" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">Karen Tumulty</a>, Time Magazine, October 3, 2005</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">"<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-shaw15oct15,0,7200090.story?coll=la-home-nation" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("");" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">No FBI Charges for Defense Official in Iraq Case</a>," T. Christian Miller, Los Angeles Times, October 15, 2005.</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">"<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.rawstory.com/showarticle.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fwp-dyn%2Fcontent%2Farticle%2F2006%2F06%2F19%2FAR2006061901090_pf.html" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("");" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Tanker Inquiry Finds Rumsfeld's Attention Was Elsewhere</a>," R. Jeffrey Smith, Washington Post, June 20, 2006</li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.c-span.org/person/?josepheschmitz" style="text-decoration: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("");" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Appearances</a> on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-SPAN" title="C-SPAN" style="text-decoration: none; background: none;">C-SPAN</a></li></ul><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="Academi" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); width: 1041.6px; clear: both; text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin: 1em auto 0px; background: rgb(253, 253, 253);"><table class="nowraplinks collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" id="collapsibleTable0" style="width: 1033.6px; border-spacing: 0px; background: transparent;"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2" style="padding: 0.25em 1em; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: center; background: rgb(204, 204, 255);">[<a id="collapseButton0" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E.Schmitz#" style="text-decoration: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">hide</a>]<div class="plainlinks hlist navbar mini" style="font-weight: normal; float: left; text-align: left; margin-right: 0.5em; width: 6em;"><ul style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" ccircle="Ccircle" cx="cx" cy="cy" r="r" fill="fill" display="display" inline="inline" white-space="white-space" nowrap="nowrap" line-height="line-height" inherit="inherit" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><li class="nv-view" style="margin: 0px; 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display: inline;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Prince" title="Erik Prince" style="text-decoration: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">Erik Prince</a></li><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cofer_Black" title="Cofer Black" style="text-decoration: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">Cofer Black</a></li><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;">Joseph E. Schmitz</li><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_McCombs" title="Red McCombs" style="text-decoration: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">Red McCombs</a></li></ul></div></td></tr><tr style="height: 2px;"><td colspan="2" /></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="padding: 0.25em 1em; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: right; white-space: nowrap; background: rgb(221, 221, 255);">Controversies</th><td class="navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="line-height: 1.5em; border-color: rgb(253, 253, 253); background: rgb(247, 247, 247); border-left-width: 2px; border-left-style: solid; width: 924px; padding: 0px;"><div style="padding: 0em 0.25em;"><ul style="margin: 0px; padding: 0.125em 0px; list-style-image: url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" ccircle="Ccircle" cx="cx" cy="cy" r="r" fill="fill" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nisour_Square_massacre" title="Nisour Square massacre" style="text-decoration: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">Nisour Square massacre</a> <ul style="list-style-type: disc; margin: 0px; padding: 0.125em 0px; list-style-image: url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" ccircle="Ccircle" cx="cx" cy="cy" r="r" fill="fill" display="display" inline="inline" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abtan_v.Blackwater" title="Abtan v. 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Blackwater Security</a></li><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Helvenston" title="Scott Helvenston" style="text-decoration: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">Scott Helvenston</a></li><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aiham_Alsammarae" title="Aiham Alsammarae" style="text-decoration: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">Ayham al-Samarie</a></li><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davis_v.U.S.Training_Center,Inc." class="mw-redirect" title="Davis v. U.S. Training Center, Inc." style="text-decoration: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">Davis v. U.S. Training Center, Inc.</a></li></ul></div></td></tr><tr style="height: 2px;"><td colspan="2" /></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="padding: 0.25em 1em; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: right; white-space: nowrap; background: rgb(221, 221, 255);">Related media</th><td class="navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="line-height: 1.5em; border-color: rgb(253, 253, 253); background: transparent; border-left-width: 2px; border-left-style: solid; width: 924px; padding: 0px;"><div style="padding: 0em 0.25em;"><ul style="margin: 0px; padding: 0.125em 0px; list-style-image: url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" ccircle="Ccircle" cx="cx" cy="cy" r="r" fill="fill" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><li style="margin: 0px; display: inline;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwater(video_game)" title="Blackwater (video game)" style="text-decoration: none; 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==<div>AMY GOODMAN: That was Erik Prince. The significance of what he’s saying here, Jeremy?JEREMY SCAHILL: Well, you know, remember, Erik Prince views himself as the rightful heir to the legacy of "Wild Bill" Donovan, who was the head of the agency that was the precursor to the CIA. And, you know, immediately after 9/11, Erik Prince became very, very close to a number of people within the CIA and also Dick Cheney and Dick Cheney’s office. And they jointly came up with this idea that Erik Prince could run a kind of off-the-books hit squad that could roam the world conducting assassinations for the United States, and there would be no effective paper trail and no ability for Congress to engage in any oversight. Now, Leon Panetta, who was Obama’s CIA director early on in Obama’s term, said, "Oh, we shut down that program, and no one was ever killed." I don’t believe that for one moment. That was—that was part of the legacy of the Phoenix Program, that was a murderous death squad operation in Vietnam, that also included enhanced interrogation. What Erik Prince being around Trump indicates to me is that—AMY GOODMAN: And talk about what you found out about election night and what his role is. We just have 50 seconds.JEREMY SCAHILL: Right, well, Robert Mercer, the billionaire hedge funder, his daughter Rebekah ran one of the most important super PACs to Trump, Make America Number 1 super PAC. And Trump—and Erik Prince and his mother, Elsa, were two of the largest contributors to one of the most significant super PACs that supported Donald Trump. Erik Prince is very close to Robert Mercer. Prince was also at the "Heroes and Villains" party that Mercer threw in Long Island after the election. And, in fact, there’s a picture that Peter Thiel, the right-wing billionaire who destroyed Gawker—a picture of Peter Thiel, Donald Trump and Erik Prince, that Peter Thiel says is not safe for the internet. But it’s clear that Erik Prince, through Betsy DeVos, through Robert Mercer and through his very right-wing paramilitary crowd, has the ear of President-elect Donald Trump. And our understanding, from a very well-placed source, is that Prince has even been advising Trump on his selections for the staffing of the Defense Department and the State Department.AMY GOODMAN: We’re going to have a post-show discussion and post it online at democracynow.org. That’s Jeremy Scahill, co-founder of The Intercept.--<h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a data-ga-action="Story: Next Story" href="https://www.democracynow.org/2016/3/25/donald_trumps_top_foreign_adviser_joseph" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration: none; outline: 0px; border: 0px;">Donald Trump's Top Foreign Adviser, Joseph Schmitz, is a Former Blackwater Executive</a></h2><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</h2></div><div><div class="story_summary" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="text" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 27px; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">When asked this week about how he would approach foreign policy, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told MSNBC, "I’m speaking with myself, number one, because I have a very good brain, and I’ve said a lot of things." He also announced his lineup of little-known foreign policy advisers, including Joseph Schmitz, a former Pentagon inspector general with ties to the Center for Security Policy, who was forced out of his job amid accusations that he protected high-level officials in the George W. Bush administration who were suspected of wrongdoing. We get reaction from The Intercept’s Jeremy Scahill, who notes Schmitz is a radical Christian supremacist with an "insane worldview" who was a former executive with Blackwater.</div></div><div class="transcript" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><h5 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-transform: uppercase; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">
</h5><div class="text" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 27px; letter-spacing: -0.2px;">AMY GOODMAN: Jeremy Scahill, I wanted to ask about Donald Trump. He originally said on MSNBC, when asked about who his foreign policy advisers were, "I’m speaking with myself, number one," he said, "because I have a very good brain." But then, with The Washington Post, he talked about his top foreign policy advisers and named Joseph Schmitz as one of them. Talk about who Joseph Schmitz is.JEREMY SCAHILL: Yeah, Joseph Schmitz was the Pentagon inspector general under Donald Rumsfeld, and he didn’t really inspect much of anything. He was a big cheerleader, actually, for many of the most kind of excessive policies of Rumsfeld and the Pentagon in the post-9/11 world. And when Schmitz left the DOD, he became an executive at Blackwater. And Joseph Schmitz is a—you know, is a radical Christian supremacist. He is a member of the Sovereign Order of the Knights of Malta and really is sort of a—you know, has a neo-crusader worldview. And I’m choosing those words carefully. I mean, that’s—he is definitely a radical Christian supremacist.And he was an enthusiastic fan of Erik Prince and Blackwater, and he goes and he joins that company. And, you know, this is a guy, though, who—when I was researching him for the Blackwater book, he wrote a series of letters to the editor of conservative newspapers—Washington Times and others—in the '90s. He was a fanatical opponent of abortion. And in one of the letters, he—I actually want to quote this correctly, because Joseph Schmitz threatened to sue me once—and, of course, he couldn't, because everything I said was true. But he said, "As a former fetus the plight of aborted innocent human life is as real to me as rape is to most women."This is Donald Trump’s, you know, top foreign policy adviser right now. And, you know, I mean, Joseph Schmitz is, in many ways, in Washington a total clown and a joke because of his insane worldview that has no bearing in the modern world, and yet he continues to get government contracts. He was—he was getting paid by the inspector general on Afghanistan under the Obama administration. And, you know, so he’s part of—I wouldn’t even put him in the category of neoconservatives. I mean, it’s really more the neo-crusader crowd that Joseph Schmitz is a part of.</div></div></div>

-----<a href="http://www.democracynow.org/2016/3/25/donald_trumps_top_foreign_adviser_joseph">http://www.democracynow.org/2016/3/25/donald_trumps_top_foreign_adviser_joseph</a>hen asked this week about how he would approach foreign policy, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told MSNBC,

"I’m speaking with myself, number one, because I have a very good

brain, and I’ve said a lot of things." He also announced his lineup of

little-known foreign policy advisers, including Joseph Schmitz, a former

Pentagon inspector general with ties to the Center for Security Policy,

who was forced out of his job amid accusations that he protected

high-level officials in the George W. Bush administration who were

suspected of wrongdoing. We get reaction from The Intercept’s Jeremy

Scahill, who notes Schmitz is a radical Christian supremacist with an

"insane worldview" who was a former executive with Blackwater.<hr class="transcript" /><h2 class="transcript">TRANSCRIPT</h2><div class="fine_print">This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.</div>AMY GOODMAN: Jeremy Scahill, I wanted to ask about Donald Trump. He originally said on MSNBC,

when asked about who his foreign policy advisers were, "I’m speaking

with myself, number one," he said, "because I have a very good brain."

But then, with The Washington Post, he talked about his top foreign policy advisers and named Joseph Schmitz as one of them. Talk about who Joseph Schmitz is.

JEREMY SCAHILL:

Yeah, Joseph Schmitz was the Pentagon inspector general under Donald

Rumsfeld, and he didn’t really inspect much of anything. He was a big

cheerleader, actually, for many of the most kind of excessive policies

of Rumsfeld and the Pentagon in the post-9/11 world. And when Schmitz

left the DOD, he became an executive at

Blackwater. And Joseph Schmitz is a—you know, is a radical Christian

supremacist. He is a member of the Sovereign Order of the Knights of

Malta and really is sort of a—you know, has a neo-crusader worldview.

And I’m choosing those words carefully. I mean, that’s—he is definitely a

radical Christian supremacist.

And he was an enthusiastic fan of Erik Prince and Blackwater, and he

goes and he joins that company. And, you know, this is a guy, though,

who—when I was researching him for the Blackwater book, he wrote a series of letters to the editor of conservative newspapers—Washington Times

and others—in the '90s. He was a fanatical opponent of abortion. And in

one of the letters, he—I actually want to quote this correctly, because

Joseph Schmitz threatened to sue me once—and, of course, he couldn't,

because everything I said was true. But he said, "As a former fetus the

plight of aborted innocent human life is as real to me as rape is to

most women."

This is Donald Trump’s, you know, top foreign policy adviser right

now. And, you know, I mean, Joseph Schmitz is, in many ways, in

Washington a total clown and a joke because of his insane worldview that

has no bearing in the modern world, and yet he continues to get

government contracts. He was—he was getting paid by the inspector

general on Afghanistan under the Obama administration. And, you know, so

he’s part of—I wouldn’t even put him in the category of

neoconservatives. I mean, it’s really more the neo-crusader crowd that

Joseph Schmitz is a part of.==

BW bk:

joseph e schmitz bush 43 Pentagon Insp Genral, oversee mil contractors in afg and iraq 2002-5 resigned, scandals; june 2005 149 prime contracts w/ 77 co's in iraq 42.1b$ (298) ~ Wyden

Grassley probe of blocking investigations, fake news release, junket, hide info from congress

june 05 declares he will go to BW (COO genrl counsel" "genl schedule?"

RR

newt as spkr

catholic xian fundmtlist, in offic pent speeches, Malta

caled von steuben 1st effectuve insp genl; BW cites as founding merc (with laf, Polish and rochamebeua) al in "Contractor Pk" 300)

von s fled germany gay trial; put motto on new seal:always under the protection of the almighty"

dad CA pol ~ sex ed, inc tax pro states righrts, make illegal for fed to compete w/ any biz , sell UC

~ mlk remembrance; won OC congr sat, ran for prez ~ rmn on Am Ind Party (geo walaace) tossed out as head of jbs too extreme 300

watts riots commies; nixon china visit pro commie

slick butch lawyeress 20k and apology, 2 kids bastards, bought McC house in DC and wrote VC front in US also 1, full mil hon arlington 301.

older bro john patrick protected b1 from Iran-c (asst to CB gray); 5 yrs later, 1 mo after elected, revealed diary (gray and john refused to cooperate); in 1987 joe was spec asst to meese, RR atty gen'l, so covered for him; john clerked for scalia, then atty/lobby for Mayer Brown (CoC, lock, enron, GE, pfizer , bayer 302. b pioneer [sis had child of 13 yo student; her dad stood by her]

joe navy intel, patton boggs O iraq reconstr practice june 2003)

Carl levin ~ confrim eg WT letter 3 days before 1992 election saind BC security risk VN, signed with lt cmder rank

US English

invest: perle asst to wolfie, office next dr rumy 306; perle lobbying at DoD (global crossing wanted to sell itself to for co; fibre optic network to china, used by gov't)) perle wd make 700K$ if deal goes thru; Perle quit when news broke, but runy asked to stay on Def pol  Bd and he did; Conyers asked for invbest, 6 mos later joe said no apprance of impropriety to a reasonable person 307.

Lt gen Boykin  dep undersec for def (intel) God put b2; spec ops and CIA; death squads in iraq alleged; xian jihad; ordered abu G be gitmo-ized 309 just bad eggs 310

joe no rule of law in tribal

rumy aid j shaw no exper in telecomm or def steered deals to pals; joe drafted press rel saying never invest by IG [was by fbi), wd not take down even when shown false

jag on trafficking (RW theme) but ignored in iraq; contractors held

Boeing tankers: hastert, rove, card; perle supported in wsj, tho had invested 20M$ in perle's fund 317 year before; deal approved by pete aldridge jr, fmr mcD-D, biot by boeng, contract cancelled; joe scrubbed report (to protect WH?) 318 joe claimed could not contact aldridge even tho had subpena and his bro was A's lawyer at lockheed (3 gutys got 445K 02-05)

joe gave bremer award

9/05 started at BW (katrina)

=Even though Donald Trump has previously cited himself as his top adviser on foreign policy issues, he has now released a list of some other experts that he leans on.

The Republican presidential front-runner said during a "Morning Joe" interview last week that he consults with himself on foreign policy issues "because I have a very good brain," but today he released the names of other members of the team.

During a meeting with The Washington Post editorial board, Trump reportedly shared the names of five of his go-to experts.

PHOTO: Former Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg is seen here in this undated file photo.RedXDefense
Former Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg is seen here in this undated file photo.

Gen. Keith Kellogg

After an extensive military career, Kellogg has been working in the private sector.

Kellogg had a "decorated 32-year career" in the Army, according to a press release announcing his joining a consulting company, and was the chief operating officer of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad, Iraq, for five months from the end of 2003 into the spring of 2004.

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"He played a key role in the effort to rebuild Iraq and bridge the link between security and critical infrastructure," the press release states.

Kellogg was awarded the Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, which is considered the highest award that the Secretary of Defense can give a private citizen, according to the press release.

Carter Page

Trump isn't the only one consulting Page on world issues, as he is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and has previously covered issues relating to energy development in the Caspian Sea region.

He is also an adjunct associate professor at New York University and a fellow at the Center for National Policy.

George Papadopoulos

Another energy expert on Trump's list was Papdopoulos, who reportedly focused his work at a conservative think tank in D.C. on energy security.

Papadopoulos is a 2009 graduate of DePaul University and has a master's degree from University College London, according to his LinkedIn page.

Walid Phares

Phares, who is originally from Lebanon, is a professor at the National Defense University in D.C. and Trump described him as "a counter-terrorism expert."

He is the author of 11 books, covering a variety of topics relating to the Middle East, jihadism and Lebanese politics.

Joseph Schmitz

Schmitz is the second member of the group to have served in the armed forces. He graduated from the Naval Academy and served in the Navy before pursuing a legal career and then federal career.

He was nominated to the role of Inspector General of the Defense Department by former President George W. Bush in 2001 before resigning four years later. He then held an executive role at Blackwater, a private military contractor.

He comes from a well-known family, as his father John Schmitz was a member of the House of Representatives, and his sister Mary Kay Letourneau gained infamy after having a sexual relationship with her 12-year-old student, to whom she is now married.