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'''Pete Hegseth''' replaced [[Wade Zirkle]] as Executive Director of the pro-[[war in Iraq]] [[Vets for Freedom]] in May 2007<ref>[http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/017704.php "More time, please,"] ''Power Line'' Blog, May 21, 2007. Includes Hegseth quote from Minneapolis ''Star-Tribune''.</ref><ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/24/AR2007062401379.html "Reality Check for the Antiwar Crowd,"] ''Washington Post'', June 25, 2007.</ref> and became its full-time Executive Director on July 9, 2007.<ref>[http://swacgirl.blogspot.com/2007/07/vets-for-freedom-win-war.html "Vets for Freedom... Win the War?"], ''SWAC Girl'' Blog, July 12, 2007.</ref>
Hegseth is a Policy Specialist<ref>[http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/mi_staff.htm Staff], Manahattan Manhattan Institute, accessed July 5, 2007.</ref> at the Center for the American University<ref>[http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/cau.htm Manhattan Institute] website].</ref> at the [[conservative]] [[Manhattan Institute]] [[think tank]]. According to his July 2007 speaker's profile for the New York Young Republican Club, Inc., Hegseth "plans to pursue a Masters in Public Policy" at the [[Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs]]<ref>[http://www.wws.princeton.edu/ Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs], Princeton University, website.</ref> at Princeton University in fall 2007.<ref>[http://www.nycyr.org/meetings.php Scheduled Speakers], July 12, 2007 Speakers Forum, NYYRC website.</ref>
Hegseth served "served two overseas tours with the U.S. Army, serving as an infantry platoon leader in [[Iraq]] and [[Cuba]]. In between tours, Mr. Hegseth worked as an analyst" at [[Bear, Stearns & Co., Inc.]].<ref>[http://www.mindingthecampus.com/about.html About Us], ''Minding the Campus'', Manhattan Institute, accessed July 16, 2007.</ref>
Hegseth is an alumnus of Princeton University's James Madison Program.<ref>[http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/cau.htm Manhattan Institute] website.</ref>
==False claims?==
In a July 17, 2007, article published by Military.com, Christian Lowe wrote that, in 2006, Pete Hegseth "was leading Soldiers in combat, tamping down the flames of the sectarian bloodletting that erupted after a massive explosion demolished the so-called 'Golden Mosque' on his home turf of Samarra, Iraq ... Despite the danger, he saw value in his mission of stabilizing Iraq and fighting terrorism. ... But his fight didn't stop upon his return to high-intensity civilian life in New York City - just the tools he'd use to wage it."<ref>Christian Lowe, [http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,142577,00.html "Vet Group Plans Pro-War Blitz,"] Military.com, July 17, 2007.</ref>
:Note: "In between tours" to Iraq, Hegseth "worked as an analyst" at the "leading global investment banking, securities trading and brokerage firm"<ref>[http://www.bearstearns.com/sitewide/our_firm/index.htm Our Firm], BearStearns.com.</ref> [[Bear, Stearns & Co., Inc.]].<ref>[http://www.mindingthecampus.com/about.html About Us], ''Minding the Campus'', Manhattan Institute, accessed July 16, 2007.</ref>
Lowe then wrote:<ref>Christian Lowe, [http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,142577,00.html "Vet Group Plans Pro-War Blitz,"] Military.com, July 17, 2007.</ref>
:"So Hegseth teamed with former Marine infantry leader [[Wade Zirkle]] and other Iraq and [[Afghanistan]] war vets to muster troops to their cause. They started Vets for Freedom in 2006 hoping to energize like-minded vets of recent combat deployments into a fifth column will help influence the war debate."
Although a nice news story, story it may well be, since Hegseth's name was not associated with Vets for Freedom before May 9, 2007, when Hegseth, described as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. National Guard, appeared on [[Chris Matthews]]' MSNBC show [[Hardball]] as a VFF spokesman.<ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18592814/ Transcript: ''Hardball'' with Chris Matthews], MSNBC, May 9, 2007.</ref> At the time, Hegseth's name did not appear on the VFF website.<ref>Verified May 9, 2007.</ref>
In a May 21, 2007, posting on ''Power Line'' Blog, Hegseth announced that he had became VFF's Executive Director<ref>[http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/017704.php "More time, please,"] ''Power Line'' Blog, May 21, 2007. Includes Hegseth quote from Minneapolis ''Star-Tribune''.</ref>, replacing VFF co-founder Wade Zirkle.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20060712151720/www.vetsforfreedom.org/about/ About], Vets for Freedom, archived page from July 2006.</ref>
Additionally, in January 2006, when VFF was founded, Hegseth's name is not found among or associated with [[Vets for Freedom Leadership|VFF's founding members]]. Nor is it found on any official VFF (or [[Vets for Freedom Action Fund|VFF-AF]]) documents<ref>[http://forms.irs.gov/politicalOrgsSearch/search/Print.action?formId=22747&formType=E71 IRS Form 8871] for Vets for Freedom Action Fund, July 25, 2006.</ref>, [[Vets for Freedom/News Releases|news releases]], or appearances by VFF members prior to May 2007.
As of July 9, 2007, Hegseth was "working full-time" as VFF's executive director.<ref>[http://swacgirl.blogspot.com/2007/07/vets-for-freedom-win-war.html "Vets for Freedom... Win the War?"], ''SWAC Girl'' Blog, July 12, 2007.</ref>
==On abuse of detainees at Gitmo==
