Questions Arise as to Defense Contractor Involvement in Syrian Gas AttackJanet C. Phelan The trail to TechWise begins with the recent disclosure of anonymously hacked military emails that were posted to Pastebin, involving conversations between Colonel Anthony MacDonald (now retired) and a shadowy DoD employee named Eugene Furst, as well as communications between MacDonalds wife, Jennifer and a friend. These emails show insider knowledge of the chemical attacks in Syria. The MacDonald/Furst emails show Furst congratulating MacDonald on 8/22 of his success in a recent operation then linking to a Washington Post article on the Syrian chemical attack. The emails are copied here: Original Message On Aug 22, 2013, at 2:14 PM, Furst, Eugene P CIV (US) The emails between MacDonalds wife, Jennifer and a friend named Mary Shapiro show Jennifer MacDonald reassuring her friend that her husband comforted her, telling her that the (Syrian) kids werent hurt, it was done for cameras. Thatll 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. Shed love to see you guys since she didnt get to PA for Steves COC. Thank you for you offer to visit over Labor Day, however we are going to my Dads house over that weekend. Its going to be a tight turn around, but if we dont 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 cant 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? MacDonalds resume includes experience as Chief of Staff for the Defense Intelligence Operations Coordination Center and extensive experience in the theater of war, including intelligence. A sample from his CV follows: In some of the hacked emails, we see MacDonald, who goes by Jamie, actively looking for other employment. On August 6, 2013, he emailed Robert Cox, a civilian with the DIA, stating I am applying for jobs and learning stuff. MacDonald was introduced to Tony Abati with TechWise by US Army Colonel Laura Potter. In one of the hacked emails, she wrote to both of them stating that I have the utmost respect for both of you and youd make a great team! Abati was clearly courting MacDonald. A series of emails under the header Linking up Great Professionals, indicates that a potential hiring conversation was taking place. On June 14, 2013, Abati wrote Potter: I look forward to speaking with Jamie and discussing current and future opportunities with him. Following this were emails back and forth between Abati and MacDonald resolving the best time for a skype call. Attached to Abatis emails to MacDonald were two job descriptions one for a Battlestaff Training and Education Program Advisor and one for a Primary Doctrine Writer (Intelligence Doctrine). Both job descriptions begin with the following: TechWisewas founded in the mid nineties by Shawnee Huckstep. In 2008, Huckstep was honored as SBA Person of the Year. A televised 2008 interview with Huckstep has her stating that the company now maintains a research lab. In 2012, TechWise received $26 million in defense contract allocations and subsequently set up an office in Dubai. TechWise Executive VP Rivet Daigre declined to answer if MacDonald was subsequently employed by TechWise. He also declined to answer if there were any TechWise employees in Syria on or around August 21, the date of the alleged chemical attack. Huckstep is reportedly in Dubai and was unable to be reached. Neither Anthony MacDonald, Jennifer MacDonald nor Mary Shapiro responded to requests for comment. Lt. Colonel Don Peters of the Pentagon issued a terse statement concerning MacDonald and the implications of the emails: Peters was not able to provide any details as to what sort of work Eugene Furst does for the Department of Defense. Tony Abati was reached in Abu Dhabi and asked if Techwise hired MacDonald. He declined to answer the question, saying: ********** American journalist in the former Soviet State of Georgia, Jeffrey Silverman, contributed to research for this article. Janet Phelan is an investigative reporter whose articles at one time appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Long Beach Press Telegram, Oui Magazine and other mainstream venues. Janet jumped ship back in 2004 and now writes exclusively for independent media. She focuses on issues relevant to legal corruption and also on biological weapons, following the trail from the anthrax letters of 2001 to the looming planned pandemic. Her first book, The Hitler Poems, was published in 2005. Exile should be out later this year. She currently resides in Mexico. Her website is Janetphelan.com 