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{{Infobox person |
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| name = Frank J. Gaffney |
| name = Frank J. Gaffney Jr. |
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'''Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.''' (born April 5, 1953) is an American [[conspiracy theorist]] and the founder and president of the [[Center for Security Policy]]. He has written for ''[[The Washington Times]]'', ''[[Townhall]]'', and [[Newsmax]] and is the 2003 recipient of the "Louis Brandeis Award" from the [[Zionist Organization of America]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Gaffney|first=Frank|title=Frank Gaffney – Security Watch|url=http://www.newsmax.com/insiders/frankgaffney/id-40|publisher=Newsmax|accessdate=16 December 2013}}</ref><ref>https://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/about-us/frank-gaffney/</ref> |
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'''Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.,''' (born April 5, 1953) is a former U.S. government official and founder and president of the [[Center for Security Policy]], a [[Washington DC]] [[national security]] [[think tank]]. Gaffney is a highly polarizing figure because of his strong positions against radical [[Islam]] and the July 2015 nuclear agreement with [[Iran]]. He is popular with Conservative groups and is a featured weekly contributor on [[Lars Larson]]’s and [[Greg Garrison]]’s [[Broadcast syndication|syndicated]] radio shows. Gaffney also is a frequent guest on many other syndicated programs, including [[Sean Hannity]], [[Mark Levin]], [[Hugh Hewitt]], [[Janet Parshall]], and [[Jim Bohannon]]. In addition, he appears often on such national and international television networks as [[Fox News]], [[CNN]] and [[BBC]]. Over the years, Gaffney's [[Op-Ed]] articles have appeared in such publications as [[The Wall Street Journal]], [[USA Today]], [[The New Republic]], [[The Washington Post]], [[The New York Times]], [[The Christian Science Monitor]], [[The Los Angeles Times]], [[National Review]], [[Newsday]], American Legion Magazine, and [[Commentary (magazine)|Commentary]].<ref>[http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/about-us/frank-gaffney/ Center for Security Policy website] accessed September 7, 2015</ref> |
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Gaffney has received the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Award (1987), the U.S. Business and Industry Council's Defender of the National Interest Award (1994), the Navy League's Alfred Thayer Mahan Literary Achievement Award, the "[[Louis Brandeis]] Award" from the [[Zionist Organization of America]] (2003), and the Stephen H. Long Award from the Centennial Institute for "his preservation and articulation of strong foreign policy like Reagan’s “Peace through Strength”" (2015).<ref>{{cite web|last=Gaffney|first=Frank|title=Frank Gaffney – Security Watch|url=http://www.newsmax.com/insiders/frankgaffney/id-40|publisher=Newsmax|accessdate=16 December 2013}}</ref><ref>https://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/about-us/frank-gaffney/</ref><ref>[http://www.ccu.edu/centennial/2015/06/frank-gaffney-on-jihad-vs-free-world/ Frank Gaffney on Jihad vs. Free World] Centennial Institute press release, June 27, 2015.</ref> |
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Gaffney's controversial views—especially on radical Islam—have caused him to be reviled by the Left, which regularly condemns him as a [[conspiracy theorist]] and Islamophobe.{{citation needed|date=September 2015}} |
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==Early life== |
==Early life== |
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Gaffney was born in [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]] |
Gaffney was born in [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]]. In 1975, Gaffney graduated from the [[Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service]] of [[Georgetown University]].<ref name=a>{{cite web|url=http://townhall.com/columnists/frankgaffney/|title=Frank Gaffney|accessdate=2012-11-23|publisher=TownHall}}</ref> He received his graduate degree from [[Johns Hopkins University]]'s [[Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies]].<ref name=b>{{cite book|last=Ruppert|first=Michael C.|year=2004|title=Crossing the Rubicon|page=531}}</ref> |
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==Career== |
==Career== |
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Gaffney began his public service career in the 1970s, working as an aide in the office of Democratic Senator [[Henry M. Jackson]], under [[Richard Perle]]. |
Gaffney began his public service career in the 1970s, working as an aide in the office of Democratic Senator [[Henry M. Jackson]], under [[Richard Perle]]. |
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From August 1983 until November 1987, Gaffney held the position of |
From August 1983 until November 1987, Gaffney held the position of [[Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense]] for Nuclear Forces and Arms Control Policy in the [[Reagan Administration]], again serving under [[Richard Perle|Perle]], who would later be scrutinized for promoting Douglas Feith after Feith had been fired from the [[National Security Council]] for passing classified information to the Israeli embassy.<ref name="Shadow Elite">Shadow Elite, Janine R. Wedel, 2009. pp.147–91</ref> Perle, himself, would also be accused of spying for [[Israel]].<ref>http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=western_support_for_islamic_militancy_2028</ref> |
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In April 1987, Gaffney was nominated to the position of |
In April 1987, Gaffney was nominated to the position of US [[Assistant Secretary of Defense]] for [[International Security]] Policy. He served as the acting Assistant Secretary for seven months. During this time, despite his official post, he was notably excluded by senior Reagan administration officials from the arms control talks then occurring with the [[Soviet Union]]. Gaffney was ultimately forced out of the [[Pentagon]], with the ''[[Washington Post]]'' at the time noting that, within four days of [[Frank Carlucci]]'s appointment as Secretary of Defense "Gaffney's belongings were boxed and he was gone."<ref name="newsw">{{cite news|last1=Watson|first1=Russell|title=At Long Last an Arms Deal|accessdate=28 September 1987|work=[[Newsweek]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Disarmed but Undeterred; His Once Pervasive Power Waning, The Hard-Liner Awaits the Summit|work=[[Washington Post]]|date=23 November 1987}}</ref> Following his departure from government, he immediately set about criticizing the Ronald Reagan's pursuit of an arms control agreement with the USSR.<ref name="newsw"></ref> |
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In 1988, Gaffney established the [[Center for Security Policy]] (CSP), a pro-Israel advocacy group.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Cockburn|first1=Alexander|title=The Politics of Anti-Semitism|date=2003|publisher=AK|isbn=1902593774|page=132}}</ref> |
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===Center for Security Policy=== |
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===Conspiracy theories=== |
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In 1988, Gaffney established the [[Center for Security Policy]] (CSP), a national security think tank.<ref>[http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/about-us/frank-gaffney/ Center for Security Policy website, accessed September 7, 2015]</ref> Gaffney committed the Center to pursuing Ronald Reagan's approach to national Security. Reagan was awarded the Center's Keeper of the Flame Award in 1995. Gaffney wrote a tribute to Reagan on what would have been his 104th birthday in April 2015.<ref>Gaffney, Frank. [http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/feb/5/inside-the-beltway-ronald-reagan-revered-on-his-10/?page=all Reagan: Relevant, revered on his 104th birthday - plus a 21-gun salute to celebrate] "Washington Times" February 5, 2015</ref> |
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The Center, which was recently renamed "Secure Freedom," pursues research on U.S. defense, homeland security, the Middle East, Latin America, securing American infrastructure, weapons of mass destruction, and the Global Jihad Movement. The Center sponsored national security summits for GOP presidential candidates during the summer of 2015 in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. Presidential candidates [[Ted Cruz]], [[Rick Santorum]], [[Bobby Jindal]], [[Donald Trump]] and Dr. [[Ben Carson]] spoke to one or more of these summits.<ref>[http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/ Center for Security Policy website, accessed September 7, 2015.]</ref> |
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Gaffney hosts a nationally syndicated radio show, Secure Freedom Radio, which includes interviews with prominent security experts including Ambassador John Bolton, Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and Israeli Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer.<ref>[http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/type/podcasts/ Secure Freedom Radio webpage] accessed September 7, 2015</ref> |
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Opposing the nuclear agreement with Iran was a special focus of Frank Gaffney in 2014 and 2015. The Center co-sponsored large rallies against the nuclear deal in New York City on July 10, 2015<ref>[http://stopiranrally.org/frank-gaffney-clare-lopez-fmr-admiral-ace-lyons-freedom-isnt-free/ Stop Iran Rally website, accessed September 7, 2015]</ref> and September 1, 2015.<ref>[http://stopiranrally.org/watch-stop-iran-rally-to-protest-iran-deal-at-senator-gillibrands-office/ Stop Iran Rally website, accessed September 7, 2015]</ref> It co-sponsored a rally against the nuclear deal in front of the U.S. Capitol on September 9, 2015 that featured [[Donald Trump]], Senator [[Ted Cruz]], and [[Glenn Beck]].<ref>[http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/09/01/frank-gaffney-gop-leadership-failed-us-on-iran-deal/ Gaffney's Center for Security Policy to Rally Against Iran Nuke Deal in DC] "Breitbart.com", September 1, 2015</ref> Gaffney was a speaker at all of these events. Gaffney and the Center's staff have also done numerous media interviews and op-eds against the Iran deal.<ref>Gaffney, Frank. "Latest Fraud on the Obamabomb Deal", "Washington Times", August 26, 2015</ref><ref>Lopez, Clare. "How the Iran Lobby Sidetracked the Iran Talks", Washington Times, April 15, 2015</ref><ref>Fleitz, Fred. "More Details on Plan to Allow Iran to Inspect Itself", National Review, August 20, 2015</ref><ref>Gaffney, Frank. "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=wrz-OIkcMys Interview with Neil Cavuto on Iran deal]" Fox News Channel, June 24, 2015</ref> |
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In September 2015, Gaffney suggested that the controversy over student Ahmed Mohamed being arrested over a homemade clock that he brought to school appeared to be an "influence operation" by the [[Council on American-Islamic Relations]].<ref>Gaffney, Frank. [https://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/2015/09/18/if-it-walks-like-an-influence-operation/ If It Walks Like an Influence Operation…] Center for Security Policy website, September 18, 2015</ref><ref>[https://theintercept.com/2015/09/18/prominent-anti-muslim-group-says-ahmed-mohameds-clock-resembles-ied-trigger-produced-iranians/ "Ahmed Mohamed’s Clock Was “Half a Bomb,” Says Anti-Muslim Group With Ties to Trump, Cruz"] theintercept.com</ref> Gaffney's colleague, Jim Hansen, agreed and ran an article with photos showing how the so-called clock was a circuit board that resembled an IED.<ref>Hansen, Jim. [http://townhall.com/columnists/jimhanson/2015/09/17/a-clock-or-a-bomb-trigger-n2053448/page/full A Clock or a Bomb Trigger?] Town Hall.com, Sept. 17, 2015</ref> |
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The website of Irving, Texas TV station WFAA cited Mohamed as saying police told him, "They arrested me and told me I committed a crime of a hoax bomb - a fake bomb."<ref>[http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/local/dallas-county/2015/09/15/irving-isd-student-detained-for-device-resembling-bomb/72339246/ Irving ISD student detained for 'suspicious device'] WFAA website, accessed Sept 18, 2015</ref> Pamela Geller wrote in Breitbart.com and Nina Golgowski wrote in the New York Daily News that Mohamed's father is an Islamist activist who has been involved in pro-Islamist protests in the past. Geller agreed with Gaffney that this incident appeared to be an Islamist influence operation arranged by the [[Council on American-Islamic Relations]].<ref>Geller,Pamela. [http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/09/17/ahmed-mohamed-and-the-islamophobia-clock/ Ahmed Mohamed and the ‘Islamophobia’ Clock] Breitbart.com, Sept. 17, 2015</ref><ref>Golgowski, Nina. [http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/father-muslim-kid-arrested-clock-standout-citizen-article-1.2363466 Father of Muslim teen arrested for clock previously battled Fla. Koran burner, has run for president of Sudan twice] New York Daily News, Sept. 16, 2015</ref> |
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===Criticism of Gaffney from the Left=== |
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According to the [[Southern Poverty Law Center]] (SPLC), Gaffney went "off the rails" sometime after being forced out at the Pentagon. The SPLC has described him as a formerly "respectable Washington insider" who has become "gripped by paranoid fantasies." According to the SPLC, Gaffney's beliefs stem from the discredited 1991 testimony of a lone Muslim Brotherhood member that he has come to believe is a "smoking gun, a mission statement pointing to a massive Islamist conspiracy under our noses."<ref>{{cite news|title=Frank Gaffney, Jr.|url=http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-files/profiles/frank-gaffney-jr|accessdate=26 July 2015|work=[[Southern Poverty Law Center]]}}</ref> David Keene of the [[American Conservative Union]] has contended that Gaffney "has become personally and tiresomely obsessed with his weird belief that anyone who doesn't agree with him on everything all the time or treat him with the respect and deference he believes is his due, must be either ignorant of the dangers we face or, in extreme case, dupes of the nation's enemies."<ref name="tpm"/> |
According to the [[Southern Poverty Law Center]] (SPLC), Gaffney went "off the rails" sometime after being forced out at the Pentagon. The SPLC has described him as a formerly "respectable Washington insider" who has become "gripped by paranoid fantasies." According to the SPLC, Gaffney's beliefs stem from the discredited 1991 testimony of a lone Muslim Brotherhood member that he has come to believe is a "smoking gun, a mission statement pointing to a massive Islamist conspiracy under our noses."<ref>{{cite news|title=Frank Gaffney, Jr.|url=http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-files/profiles/frank-gaffney-jr|accessdate=26 July 2015|work=[[Southern Poverty Law Center]]}}</ref> David Keene of the [[American Conservative Union]] has contended that Gaffney "has become personally and tiresomely obsessed with his weird belief that anyone who doesn't agree with him on everything all the time or treat him with the respect and deference he believes is his due, must be either ignorant of the dangers we face or, in extreme case, dupes of the nation's enemies."<ref name="tpm"/> |
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Gaffney has been called a conspiracy theorist by ''[[Reason Magazine]]'', [[Georgetown University]]'s Bridge Initiative, [[Steve Benen]], ''[[Slate Magazine]]'', and [[The Intercept]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Leading GOP Candidates to Appear at Event Hosted by Anti-Muslim Conspiracist|url=https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/07/23/leading-gop-presidential-candidates-appear-event-hosted-anti-muslim-conspiracists/|accessdate=27 July 2015|work=[[The Intercept]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Bennen|first1=Steve|title=The crumbling of the right’s intellectual infrastructure|url=http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/the-crumbling-the-rights-intellectual-infrastructure|accessdate=26 July 2015|work=[[MSNBC]]|date=17 June 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Presidential Candidates Set to Appear at Event Hosted By Anti-Muslim Conspiracy Theorist|url=http://bridge.georgetown.edu/presidential-candidates-set-to-appear-at-event-hosted-by-anti-muslim-conspiracy-theorist/|accessdate=26 July 2015|work=Bridge Initiative|publisher=[[Georgetown University]]|date=20 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Weigel|first1=David|title=Frank Gaffney, Obama Truther|url=http://reason.com/blog/2008/10/14/frank-gaffney-obama-truther|accessdate=26 July 2015|issue=[[Reason Magazine]]|date=14 October 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Woodruff|first1=Betsy|title=Glenn Beck Thinks Grover Norquist Is a Muslim Brotherhood Mole. Now, the NRA Is |
Gaffney has been called a conspiracy theorist by ''[[Reason Magazine]]'', [[Georgetown University]]'s Bridge Initiative, [[Steve Benen]], ''[[Slate Magazine]]'', and [[The Intercept]]. <ref>{{cite news|title=Leading GOP Candidates to Appear at Event Hosted by Anti-Muslim Conspiracist|url=https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/07/23/leading-gop-presidential-candidates-appear-event-hosted-anti-muslim-conspiracists/|accessdate=27 July 2015|work=[[The Intercept]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Bennen|first1=Steve|title=The crumbling of the right’s intellectual infrastructure|url=http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/the-crumbling-the-rights-intellectual-infrastructure|accessdate=26 July 2015|work=[[MSNBC]]|date=17 June 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Presidential Candidates Set to Appear at Event Hosted By Anti-Muslim Conspiracy Theorist|url=http://bridge.georgetown.edu/presidential-candidates-set-to-appear-at-event-hosted-by-anti-muslim-conspiracy-theorist/|accessdate=26 July 2015|work=Bridge Initiative|publisher=[[Georgetown University]]|date=20 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Weigel|first1=David|title=Frank Gaffney, Obama Truther|url=http://reason.com/blog/2008/10/14/frank-gaffney-obama-truther|accessdate=26 July 2015|issue=[[Reason Magazine]]|date=14 October 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Woodruff|first1=Betsy|title=Glenn Beck Thinks Grover Norquist Is a Muslim Brotherhood Mole. Now, the NRA Is “Investigating.”|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/03/16/nra_investigates_grover_norquist_as_glenn_beck_says_he_is_a_muslim_brotherhood.html|accessdate=26 July 2015|work=[[Slate Magazine]]|date=16 March 2015}}</ref> |
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Among the conspiracy theories Gaffney has promoted include: |
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[[File:US-MissileDefenseAgency-Seal.svg|thumb|left|Gaffney has indicated the logo of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency is a coded signal showing the "official U.S. submission to Islam."]] |
[[File:US-MissileDefenseAgency-Seal.svg|thumb|left|Gaffney has indicated the logo of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency is a coded signal showing the "official U.S. submission to Islam."]] |
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* The belief that former [[Iraqi President]] [[Saddam Hussein]] was involved in the [[1993 World Trade Center bombing]] and the [[Oklahoma City bombing]].<ref name=y>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_03/017271.php|title=It never ends|publisher=Washington Monthly|first1=Steve|last1=Benen|accessdate=2012-08-23}}</ref> |
* The belief that former [[Iraqi President]] [[Saddam Hussein]] was involved in the [[1993 World Trade Center bombing]] and the [[Oklahoma City bombing]].<ref name=y>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_03/017271.php|title=It never ends|publisher=Washington Monthly|first1=Steve|last1=Benen|accessdate=2012-08-23}}</ref> |
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* Accusations that Republican Party strategist [[Grover Norquist]] is a secret agent of the [[Muslim Brotherhood]].{{ |
* Accusations that Republican Party strategist [[Grover Norquist]] is a secret agent of the [[Muslim Brotherhood]]. According to Gaffney, Norquist had, as of 2014, "been working with the enemy for over a decade."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Terkel|first1=Amanda|title=Frank Gaffney Escalates Crusade To Take Down Grover Norquist|url=http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-files/profiles/frank-gaffney-jr|accessdate=26 July 2015|work=[[Huffington Post]]|date=5 March 2014}}</ref> (Responding to the accusation, the board of directors of the American Conservative Union unanimously condemned Gaffney’s charges as “reprehensible” and “unfounded.”<ref>{{cite news|last1=Brinker|first1=Luke|title=Conservative civil war: Islamophobic activist seeks to oust Grover Norquist from NRA board|url=http://www.salon.com/2015/02/19/conservative_civil_war_islamophobic_activist_seeks_to_oust_grover_norquist_from_nra_board/|accessdate=26 July 2015|work=[[Slate Magazine]]|date=19 February 2015}}</ref> The organization also banned Gaffney from its Conservative Political Action Conference.<ref name=tpm>{{cite news|title=CPAC Banned Frank Gaffney Over Baseless Anti-Muslim Charges|url=http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/cpac-banned-frank-gaffney-over-baseless-anti-muslim-charges|accessdate=26 July 2015|work=[[Talking Points Memo]]|date=15 February 2011}}</ref>) |
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* Accusations that former |
* Accusations that former Hilary Clinton aide [[Huma Abedin]] is a secret agent of the [[Muslim Brotherhood]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kay|first1=Jonathan|title=Bachmann, Gaffney, and the GOP’s Anti-Muslim Culture of Conspiracy|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/07/23/bachmann-gaffney-and-the-gop-s-anti-muslim-culture-of-conspiracy.html|accessdate=26 July 2015|work=[[Daily Beast]]|issue=23 July 2012}}</ref> (After the allegation was repeated by [[Michele Bachmann]], U.S. senators [[John McCain]], [[Scott Brown]], and [[Marco Rubio]] joined in dismissing it, and [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives]] [[John Boehner]] said "accusations like this being thrown around are pretty dangerous."<ref>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/19/huma-abedin-michele-bachmann_n_1686557.html</ref>) |
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* The belief that [[Barack Obama]] is not a "[[natural born citizen]] of the United States" (popularly known as the "[[Barack Obama citizenship conspiracy theories|birther conspiracy]]").<ref name=s>{{cite news|url=http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/oct/14/the-jihadist-vote/|title=GAFFNEY: The jihadist vote|accessdate=2012-08-23|publisher=The Washington Times|first1=Frank|last1=Gaffney|date=2008-10-14}}</ref> |
* The belief that [[Barack Obama]] is not a "[[natural born citizen]] of the United States" (popularly known as the "[[Barack Obama citizenship conspiracy theories|birther conspiracy]]"). <ref name=s>{{cite news|url=http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/oct/14/the-jihadist-vote/|title=GAFFNEY: The jihadist vote|accessdate=2012-08-23|publisher=The Washington Times|first1=Frank|last1=Gaffney|date=2008-10-14}}</ref> |
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* The belief that the logo of the [[U.S. Missile Defense Agency]] is a coded indicator of "official U.S. submission to Islam" because it |
* The belief that the logo of the [[U.S. Missile Defense Agency]] is a coded indicator of "official U.S. submission to Islam" because it “appears ominously to reflect a morphing of the Islamic crescent and star.” <Ref>{{cite news|title=Far-right birther’s secret funders: Look who’s backing Islamophobe Frank Gaffney|url=http://www.salon.com/2014/10/01/far_right_birthers_secret_funders_look_whos_backing_islamophobe_frank_gaffney/|accessdate=24 July 2015|work=[[Salon (website)|Salon]]|date=14 October 2014}}</ref> |
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===Later career and commentary=== |
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According to a 2008 investigative report in ''[[The Tennessean]]'' titled "Anti-Muslim crusaders make millions spreading fear," Gaffney's salary as president of his Center for Security Policy was $288,300.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Smietana|first1=Bob|title=Anti-Muslim crusaders make millions spreading fear|url=http://archive.tennessean.com/article/20101024/NEWS01/10240374/Anti-Muslim-crusaders-make-millions-spreading-fear|accessdate=26 July 2015|work=[[The Tennessean|Tennessean]]|date=24 October 2010}}</ref> As of 2012 he received compensation of approximately $309,000 per year from the group.<ref>http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/2012-990-PDC-resize.pdf</ref> |
According to a 2008 investigative report in ''[[The Tennessean]]'' titled "Anti-Muslim crusaders make millions spreading fear," Gaffney's salary as president of his Center for Security Policy was $288,300.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Smietana|first1=Bob|title=Anti-Muslim crusaders make millions spreading fear|url=http://archive.tennessean.com/article/20101024/NEWS01/10240374/Anti-Muslim-crusaders-make-millions-spreading-fear|accessdate=26 July 2015|work=[[The Tennessean|Tennessean]]|date=24 October 2010}}</ref> As of 2012 he received compensation of approximately $309,000 per year from the group.<ref>http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/2012-990-PDC-resize.pdf</ref> |
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In 2003, Gaffney called on the United States military to "take out" ''[[Al Jazeera]]'' news network for inciting violence against the [[Western world]] by showcasing [[Osama bin Laden]] and [[Saddam Hussein]]'s "calls-to-arms."<ref name=r>{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,98621,00.html|title=Take Out Al Jazeera|accessdate=2009-06-26|publisher=Fox News|first1=Frank|last1=Gaffney|date=2003-09-29}}</ref> |
In 2003, Gaffney called on the United States military to "take out" ''[[Al Jazeera]]'' news network for inciting violence against the [[Western world]] by showcasing [[Osama bin Laden]] and [[Saddam Hussein]]'s "calls-to-arms."<ref name=r>{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,98621,00.html|title=Take Out Al Jazeera|accessdate=2009-06-26|publisher=Fox News|first1=Frank|last1=Gaffney|date=2003-09-29}}</ref> |
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Gaffney contributes to the media site [[Newsmax]], writing opinion pieces on topics such as politics, terrorism, and international affairs in a column titled "Security Watch."<ref>{{cite web|last=Gaffney|first=Frank|title=Frank Gaffney – Security Watch|url=http://www.newsmax.com/insiders/frankgaffney/id-40|publisher=Newsmax|accessdate=16 December 2013}}</ref> He also hosts a podcast called "Secure Freedom Radio." Featured guests have included [[Newt Gingrich]], [[John R. Bolton|John Bolton]], [[Donald Rumsfeld]] and many current and former policymakers and elected officials. |
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==Personal life== |
==Personal life== |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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* [[Alex Jones (radio host)|Alex Jones]] - commentator and conspiracy theorist |
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* [[Arthur C. Brooks]] - President, American Enterprise Institute |
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* [[Milton William Cooper]] - author and conspiracy theorist |
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* [[Jim DeMint]] - President, Heritage Foundation |
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* [[Thomas Gilligan]] - Director, Hoover Institution |
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* [[Clifford May]] - President, Center for the Defense of Democracies |
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* [[Kenneth Weinstein]] - President, Hudson Institute |
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==Bibliography== |
==Bibliography== |
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* |
* ''War Footing'' (Naval Institute Press, 2005) ISBN 978-1591143017<ref name=g>{{cite web|url=http://author.heritage.org/Press/Events/ev012406a.cfm|title=War Footing: 10 Steps America Must Take to Prevail in the War for the Free World|accessdate=2012-08-23|publisher=The Heritage Foundation}}</ref> |
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* |
* ''Shariah: The Threat to America'' (Center for Security Policy, 2010) ISBN 978-0982294765 |
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* Gaffney, Frank et al. "Shariah: The Threat To America: An Exercise In Competitive Analysis (Report of Team B II)" (Center for Security Policy, 2010) ISBN 098229476X |
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* Gaffney, Frank et al. "The Secure Freedom Strategy: A Plan for Victory Over the Global Jihad Movement" (Center for Security Policy, 2015) ISBN 1507756135 |
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* Gaffney, Frank, "Securing Freedom: 25 Years of Firefights in the War of Ideas" (Center for Security Policy, 2015) ISBN 1507860595 |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaffney, Frank}} |
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[[Category:1953 births]] |
[[Category:1953 births]] |
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[[Category:American Jews]] |
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[[Category:American columnists]] |
[[Category:American columnists]] |
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[[Category:American foreign policy writers]] |
[[Category:American foreign policy writers]] |
Revision as of 22:55, 25 September 2015
Frank J. Gaffney Jr. | |
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File:Frankgaffney.jpg | |
Born | April 5, 1953 |
Occupation | President of Center for Security Policy |
Organization | Center for Security Policy |
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr. (born April 5, 1953) is an American conspiracy theorist and the founder and president of the Center for Security Policy. He has written for The Washington Times, Townhall, and Newsmax and is the 2003 recipient of the "Louis Brandeis Award" from the Zionist Organization of America.[1][2]
Early life
Gaffney was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1975, Gaffney graduated from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service of Georgetown University.[3] He received his graduate degree from Johns Hopkins University's Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies.[4]
Career
Government work
Gaffney began his public service career in the 1970s, working as an aide in the office of Democratic Senator Henry M. Jackson, under Richard Perle.
From August 1983 until November 1987, Gaffney held the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Forces and Arms Control Policy in the Reagan Administration, again serving under Perle, who would later be scrutinized for promoting Douglas Feith after Feith had been fired from the National Security Council for passing classified information to the Israeli embassy.[5] Perle, himself, would also be accused of spying for Israel.[6]
In April 1987, Gaffney was nominated to the position of US Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy. He served as the acting Assistant Secretary for seven months. During this time, despite his official post, he was notably excluded by senior Reagan administration officials from the arms control talks then occurring with the Soviet Union. Gaffney was ultimately forced out of the Pentagon, with the Washington Post at the time noting that, within four days of Frank Carlucci's appointment as Secretary of Defense "Gaffney's belongings were boxed and he was gone."[7][8] Following his departure from government, he immediately set about criticizing the Ronald Reagan's pursuit of an arms control agreement with the USSR.[7]
In 1988, Gaffney established the Center for Security Policy (CSP), a pro-Israel advocacy group.[9]
Conspiracy theories
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Gaffney went "off the rails" sometime after being forced out at the Pentagon. The SPLC has described him as a formerly "respectable Washington insider" who has become "gripped by paranoid fantasies." According to the SPLC, Gaffney's beliefs stem from the discredited 1991 testimony of a lone Muslim Brotherhood member that he has come to believe is a "smoking gun, a mission statement pointing to a massive Islamist conspiracy under our noses."[10] David Keene of the American Conservative Union has contended that Gaffney "has become personally and tiresomely obsessed with his weird belief that anyone who doesn't agree with him on everything all the time or treat him with the respect and deference he believes is his due, must be either ignorant of the dangers we face or, in extreme case, dupes of the nation's enemies."[11]
Gaffney has been called a conspiracy theorist by Reason Magazine, Georgetown University's Bridge Initiative, Steve Benen, Slate Magazine, and The Intercept. [12][13][14][15][16]
Among the conspiracy theories Gaffney has promoted include:
- The belief that former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was involved in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the Oklahoma City bombing.[17]
- Accusations that Republican Party strategist Grover Norquist is a secret agent of the Muslim Brotherhood. According to Gaffney, Norquist had, as of 2014, "been working with the enemy for over a decade."[18] (Responding to the accusation, the board of directors of the American Conservative Union unanimously condemned Gaffney’s charges as “reprehensible” and “unfounded.”[19] The organization also banned Gaffney from its Conservative Political Action Conference.[11])
- Accusations that former Hilary Clinton aide Huma Abedin is a secret agent of the Muslim Brotherhood.[20] (After the allegation was repeated by Michele Bachmann, U.S. senators John McCain, Scott Brown, and Marco Rubio joined in dismissing it, and Speaker of the United States House of Representatives John Boehner said "accusations like this being thrown around are pretty dangerous."[21])
- The belief that Barack Obama is not a "natural born citizen of the United States" (popularly known as the "birther conspiracy"). [22]
- The belief that the logo of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency is a coded indicator of "official U.S. submission to Islam" because it “appears ominously to reflect a morphing of the Islamic crescent and star.” [23]
Later career and commentary
According to a 2008 investigative report in The Tennessean titled "Anti-Muslim crusaders make millions spreading fear," Gaffney's salary as president of his Center for Security Policy was $288,300.[24] As of 2012 he received compensation of approximately $309,000 per year from the group.[25]
In 2003, Gaffney called on the United States military to "take out" Al Jazeera news network for inciting violence against the Western world by showcasing Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein's "calls-to-arms."[26]
Gaffney contributes to the media site Newsmax, writing opinion pieces on topics such as politics, terrorism, and international affairs in a column titled "Security Watch."[27] He also hosts a podcast called "Secure Freedom Radio." Featured guests have included Newt Gingrich, John Bolton, Donald Rumsfeld and many current and former policymakers and elected officials.
Personal life
Gaffney is married and has at least one child. His sister, Devon Cross, serves on the advisory board of the controversial pro-Israel group Secure America Now and is married to Jay Cross, formerly president of the New York Jets and now a New York real estate developer.
See also
- Alex Jones - commentator and conspiracy theorist
- Milton William Cooper - author and conspiracy theorist
Bibliography
- War Footing (Naval Institute Press, 2005) ISBN 978-1591143017[28]
- Shariah: The Threat to America (Center for Security Policy, 2010) ISBN 978-0982294765
References
- ^ Gaffney, Frank. "Frank Gaffney – Security Watch". Newsmax. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
- ^ https://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/about-us/frank-gaffney/
- ^ "Frank Gaffney". TownHall. Retrieved 2012-11-23.
- ^ Ruppert, Michael C. (2004). Crossing the Rubicon. p. 531.
- ^ Shadow Elite, Janine R. Wedel, 2009. pp.147–91
- ^ http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=western_support_for_islamic_militancy_2028
- ^ a b Watson, Russell. "At Long Last an Arms Deal". Newsweek.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ "Disarmed but Undeterred; His Once Pervasive Power Waning, The Hard-Liner Awaits the Summit". Washington Post. 23 November 1987.
- ^ Cockburn, Alexander (2003). The Politics of Anti-Semitism. AK. p. 132. ISBN 1902593774.
- ^ "Frank Gaffney, Jr". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ a b "CPAC Banned Frank Gaffney Over Baseless Anti-Muslim Charges". Talking Points Memo. 15 February 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ "Leading GOP Candidates to Appear at Event Hosted by Anti-Muslim Conspiracist". The Intercept. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
- ^ Bennen, Steve (17 June 2014). "The crumbling of the right's intellectual infrastructure". MSNBC. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ "Presidential Candidates Set to Appear at Event Hosted By Anti-Muslim Conspiracy Theorist". Bridge Initiative. Georgetown University. 20 July 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ Weigel, David (14 October 2008). "Frank Gaffney, Obama Truther". No. Reason Magazine. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ Woodruff, Betsy (16 March 2015). "Glenn Beck Thinks Grover Norquist Is a Muslim Brotherhood Mole. Now, the NRA Is "Investigating."". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ Benen, Steve. "It never ends". Washington Monthly. Retrieved 2012-08-23.
- ^ Terkel, Amanda (5 March 2014). "Frank Gaffney Escalates Crusade To Take Down Grover Norquist". Huffington Post. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ Brinker, Luke (19 February 2015). "Conservative civil war: Islamophobic activist seeks to oust Grover Norquist from NRA board". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ Kay, Jonathan. "Bachmann, Gaffney, and the GOP's Anti-Muslim Culture of Conspiracy". Daily Beast. No. 23 July 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/19/huma-abedin-michele-bachmann_n_1686557.html
- ^ Gaffney, Frank (2008-10-14). "GAFFNEY: The jihadist vote". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2012-08-23.
- ^ "Far-right birther's secret funders: Look who's backing Islamophobe Frank Gaffney". Salon. 14 October 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
- ^ Smietana, Bob (24 October 2010). "Anti-Muslim crusaders make millions spreading fear". Tennessean. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/2012-990-PDC-resize.pdf
- ^ Gaffney, Frank (2003-09-29). "Take Out Al Jazeera". Fox News. Retrieved 2009-06-26.
- ^ Gaffney, Frank. "Frank Gaffney – Security Watch". Newsmax. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
- ^ "War Footing: 10 Steps America Must Take to Prevail in the War for the Free World". The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 2012-08-23.