Hack Exposes Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025

Allegations of Foreign Ties and Controversial Goals

Project 2025, managed by the Heritage Foundation, has come under intense scrutiny following a significant data breach by the hacktivist group SiegedSec. Identifying as “gay furry hackers,” SiegedSec targeted the project as part of their “OpTransRights” campaign, aimed at opposing anti-trans and anti-abortion laws. The breach resulted in the release of 2 gigabytes of internal data from The Daily Signal, a site run by the Heritage Foundation, exposing sensitive information including names, email addresses, and government email addresses of individuals who interacted with Heritage.

One of the most alarming revelations from the hack was the alleged connection between the Heritage Foundation and foreign entities, particularly those linked to China. The exposed data included IP addresses associated with China, raising concerns about potential undisclosed lobbying activities for a foreign government by the Heritage Foundation. If substantiated, these ties could suggest a significant breach of trust and raise questions about the influence of foreign governments on U.S. policy through conservative think tanks.

SiegedSec’s motive for the hack was to provide transparency regarding the supporters of the Heritage Foundation and to disrupt efforts to enforce regressive social policies. They aimed to expose the extent to which the Heritage Foundation might be influenced by foreign interests, specifically highlighting the irony of an organization that has often criticized foreign interference in U.S. politics now being linked to such activities itself. Despite these allegations, the Heritage Foundation denied the hack, describing the incident as an exaggeration by “criminal trolls.”

In response to the breach, Mike Howell, a former Trump official and current executive director of Heritage’s Oversight Project, engaged in a heated exchange with the hackers. Howell’s confrontational stance underscored the aggressive approach taken by some within the organization to address the breach and manage its fallout.

Former President Donald Trump has publicly distanced himself from Project 2025, describing some of its proposals as ridiculous and claiming no prior knowledge of the project. This distancing appears to be a tactical move given the backlash from attack ads and mischaracterizations of the project. Despite Trump’s public disassociation, many of his former officials are deeply involved in the project, and its goals align closely with his policy agenda.

Project 2025 aims to radically reshape the federal government through several key initiatives: Dismantling the Administrative State: The plan involves purging tens of thousands of federal employees and replacing them with conservative pre-vetted picks. It calls for eliminating entire departments like Homeland Security and Education and transforming the FBI into a political task force accountable to the president. Reclassifying Federal Workers: Utilizing a Trump-era policy called Schedule F, the project seeks to turn thousands of career civil servants into political appointees, making them more responsive to the president’s directives. Expanding Presidential Power: The project is underpinned by the unitary executive theory, which posits that the president has enormous executive authority, thereby reducing Congress’s power to check the president’s actions. Consolidating Immigration Agencies: The plan includes initiating a massive deportation project, aiming to send back millions of illegal aliens to their native countries.

Critics argue that these changes could lead to significant disruptions within the federal government, affecting national security, emergency management, social services, and more. Replacing experienced civil servants with political loyalists could undermine the competence and efficiency of federal agencies. The potential influence of foreign entities, particularly China, further complicates the narrative, suggesting that Project 2025’s implementation could have international ramifications.

The hack and its revelations have intensified the public debate about Project 2025 and the Heritage Foundation’s role in shaping a far-reaching conservative agenda. As the project continues to gain attention, its potential impact on American governance, coupled with the alleged foreign ties, remains a contentious and highly concerning issue.

Mike Howell

Mike Howell is the Executive Director of the Oversight Project at The Heritage Foundation, which was launched in January 2022. The Oversight Project is Heritage’s investigative and oversight arm, focusing on driving successful federal, state, and local oversight and accountability. It utilizes Heritage’s issue area experts to inform strategic records requests, targeted litigation, and innovative investigations (The Heritage Foundation) (WilkowMajority.com).

Before joining The Heritage Foundation, Howell served as the Chief Legal Point of Contact for the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the General Counsel, where he managed oversight and investigations for the department’s 3,000-lawyer office. He has extensive experience on Capitol Hill, having worked as an attorney for the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the House Oversight Committee. During this time, he led investigations into various national security issues under figures like Senator Ron Johnson and Congressman Jason Chaffetz (The Heritage Foundation) (Omny Studio).

At Heritage, Howell has also served as a liaison to the Trump Administration and as a Senior Advisor for Government Relations. His areas of focus include immigration, border security, and congressional oversight (The Daily Signal) (WilkowMajority.com).

This background positions Howell as a significant figure within The Heritage Foundation, particularly in relation to Project 2025, which seeks to implement a conservative agenda across the federal government, in a Trump administration.

The Heritage Foundation

The Heritage Foundation is a prominent conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1973, it aims to promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defence (The Heritage Foundation) (The Heritage Foundation). The Foundation has been influential in shaping U.S. conservative policy, notably contributing to the policy direction of the Reagan administration through its “Mandate for Leadership” policy study (The Heritage Foundation) (The Heritage Foundation).

Heritage Foundation’s “Children” Organizations

The Heritage Foundation operates in tandem with several affiliated and subsidiary organizations that amplify its influence and extend its reach into various aspects of policy and public life:

Heritage Action for America:

• Role: This 501(c)(4) advocacy group operates independently but shares the Heritage Foundation’s board of trustees. It focuses on grassroots mobilization and advocacy to advance conservative policies.
• Involvement in Project 2025: Heritage Action plays a crucial role in rallying public support and applying pressure on lawmakers to adopt the policies outlined in Project 2025 (Ballotpedia).

American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC):

• Role: ALEC is a conservative group that drafts and shares model state-level legislation among U.S. state governments.
• Involvement in Project 2025: ALEC collaborates with the Heritage Foundation to promote and implement conservative policies at the state level, serving as a crucial partner in the broader legislative strategy (The Heritage Foundation).

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF):

• Role: ADF is a conservative Christian nonprofit organization that focuses on issues of religious freedom, sanctity of life, and marriage and family.
• Involvement in Project 2025: ADF contributes to the legal frameworks and strategies within Project 2025, particularly concerning social policies and religious liberties (The Heritage Foundation) (The Heritage Foundation).

The Federalist Society:

• Role: This organization advocates for a textualist and originalist interpretation of the U.S. Constitution.
• Involvement in Project 2025: Members of the Federalist Society are involved in the judicial recommendations and legal aspects of Project 2025, aiming to influence the judiciary in line with conservative principles (The Heritage Foundation).

Turning Point USA:

• Role: Turning Point USA is a nonprofit organization that promotes conservative values on high school, college, and university campuses.
• Involvement in Project 2025: Turning Point USA engages young conservatives and prepares them for roles in a potential conservative administration through educational and leadership programs (The Heritage Foundation).