Top Counterterrorism Official to Resign, Will Leave ‘Huge Shoes to Fill’
- Posted on June 9, 2011 at 8:01pm by
Billy Hallowell
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The former Navy fighter pilot who was an important terrorism-fighting official in the Bush and Obama administrations is resigning after 4 1/2 years on the job, the White House said Thursday.
Michael Leiter, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, is credited with helping put in place major reforms after an al-Qaida bomb plot against a Detroit-bound airliner in 2009. The attempted attack highlighted a failure among government agencies to share intelligence.
Leiter’s departure comes not long after the killing of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, one of the top U.S. counterterrorism goals.
President Barack Obama said Leiter provided him and his national security team “an in-depth understanding of terrorist activities.”
White House spokesman Jay Carney said Leiter’s departure was his own decision. A U.S. official close to Leiter said he had asked to leave last year, but the White House persuaded him to stay on. Leiter told friends the successful bin Laden raid meant he could depart on a high note.
Leiter also contributed to the White House’s forthcoming new national counterterrorism strategy, which will outline what an administration official called “a broad, sustained, and integrated campaign against al-Qaida.”
The official said the strategy, to be announced this summer, will help coordinate U.S. counterterrorism efforts with those of its allies, in the wake of the bin Laden killing and political upheaval throughout the Mideast.
A second U.S. official said it sets priorities for terror targets and breaks threats into two tiers, according to the level of danger to the U.S.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive strategic matters.
Leiter has worked under four directors of national intelligence, and three different CIA directors.
The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., said Leiter provided “important continuity … through the transition from the Bush administration to the Obama administration.”
Leiter is “leaving huge shoes to fill,” Rogers said.
There was no immediate word on a replacement for Leiter, who will leave in July. His deputy, Andrew Liepman, will serve as acting director in the interim.
Leiter has not decided what he’ll do next, but he will be staying in Washington, one official said.
He got married a month ago, a long-planned event that landed on the weekend of the bin Laden raid.
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...............R..U..Kidding...Me
Posted on June 10, 2011 at 11:51pmAccording to the obamanation administration there are no terriorist anyways (only manmade distasters)
so we don’t need anyone to head a usless anti-terriorist department.
Now if we can only get God to take over the manmade distaster part.
Report Post »abbygirl1994
Posted on June 10, 2011 at 10:12pmAnother resignation, sheesh, I wish the whole administration would resign. God help us!
Report Post »LowTechBackup
Posted on June 10, 2011 at 7:41pmbetter not to be associated with the deliberate transfer of military and intelligence technology (not to mention sources and methods) to our new “friends”. let us not forget the space tech of NASA (translation missile and satellite tech) is openly transferred to our new “friends” under the scam of outreach to those solid governments in the mideast…
Report Post »historypaper
Posted on June 10, 2011 at 3:16pmThe terrible domestic war is about to begin and patriots are leaving the administration. The primitive drums of civil-war can be heard around the world including the United States. The typhoon of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton has swollen to civil unrest as the paper bombs have been flying for almost a year.
Report Post »People, people just like you, are now carrying a huge Obama Clinton debt and our borders are wide open to terrorists and illegal aliens.
Our industrial centers are empty and over 25 million Americans are unemployed and lightning storm numbers are being revealed as the great Obama Clinton depression waits in the future.
The American surge is about to begin and there is no case study to describe the minute by minute enormous pressure building inside homes around America.
With all possible speed, help your nation.
SilentReader
Posted on June 10, 2011 at 2:57pmMichael Leiter, thank you for your great contribution to this war on Islamofascism that we will be fighting for a very long time!
Islam is a whole civilization that is based on slavery, through subjugation and murder. Western Civilization is based on freedom, through the Golden Rule. And we have not even begun to fight this scourge of the earth. Islamism. It is more dangerous than any of the isms because they seek to overthrow Western Civilization and freedom and replace it with Islam and brutal Sharia.
Join us here, because we are not waiting for this dhimmi Obama government to take this threat seriously. We’re taking the matter into our own hands now.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/American-Defense-League_Utah-Division/168039826587938?sk=wall
https://www.facebook.com/pages/American-Defense-League-ADL/207300892619641?notif_t=fbpage_admin
And, find an ADL division near you through the links, and get active. Because if we don’t fight these Islamists now, our children and grandchildren will have to fight them later.
Report Post »publicuss
Posted on June 10, 2011 at 2:08pmSize 10 is big?
Botched Paramilitary Police Raids
An Epidemic of “Isolated Incidents”
“If a widespread pattern of [knock-and-announce] violations were shown . . . there would be reason for grave concern.” -Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, in Hudson v. Michigan, June 15, 2006.
An interactive map of botched SWAT and paramilitary police raids, released in conjunction with the Cato policy paper “Overkill: The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids,” by Radley Balko.
http://www.cato.org/raidmap/
Check it out!!
Report Post »Its Gonna Getcha
Posted on June 10, 2011 at 12:57pmNo one wants to work with this president. No one wants to be his friend. So much for revenge of the nerds.
Report Post »Volsense
Posted on June 10, 2011 at 11:42amAriel Durant said,”A great civilization cannot be coquered from without until it destroys itself from within.”‘ Leitner probably had a ringside seat watching it happen.
Report Post »ED4237
Posted on June 10, 2011 at 11:32amThis is the idiot that went on vaction when the underware bomber happened then he blamed the CIA for allowing the man to travel. This man and everyone in this admin is a moron and they should all go. The Osama killing proved that we did not need the NCC anyway it was all done by the CIA,NSA and our military, wow it proved that government just grows but it wasn’t needed. The NCC was created to make idiots in congress feel better and gave the appearance of DC doing something after 9-11 instead of just letting the CIA,NSA and our military do their job.The intell comuntity is to big as far as there are way to many agencies that are involved and that is not good. They have so many so congress can blame someone other than themseleves and it allows those like Lieter ablity to lie and blame someone else.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on June 10, 2011 at 11:27amThe real life Mitch Rapp?
Report Post »Akbarjonnie Shaheed
Posted on June 10, 2011 at 11:15amObama rule imploding from within. This is only the beginning. The People see the danger to American freedom and future of their children. The real change is in progress.
Report Post »bill oswald
Posted on June 10, 2011 at 11:00amThan you Michael Leiter for your service and induring two and a half years of an incomputent administration.
Report Post »redbone007
Posted on June 10, 2011 at 10:10amwe all know that Obama was forced to go after UBL and he did not order the k i l l i n g UBL. many are being asked to resigned and leave from this admin because they trick obama in getting UBL. http://sheya.com/2011/05/04/someone-authorized-the-killing-of-bin-laden-but-it-wasnt-obama/
Report Post »PaulfromTexas
Posted on June 10, 2011 at 9:36amPeople with any life left in them, any chance of future thoughtful enterprise are diving off the ship of state.
Report Post »Fun to watch .
eat-more-bacon-USA
Posted on June 10, 2011 at 9:36amI can’t believe that he held out this long – it must be terribly stressful to be connected to this disastrous “president” knowing that his singular goal is to destroy America.
Report Post »Akbarjonnie Shaheed
Posted on June 10, 2011 at 9:22amWhen you have a prez who just does not get it, there reaches a time you must stand up for the best interest of America and The People.
De Oppresso Liber
Report Post »powhatan
Posted on June 10, 2011 at 9:22amDon’t blame him…getting out cause he knows whats coming…
Report Post »SlimnRanger
Posted on June 10, 2011 at 4:25pmYes PowHatan i am sure he knows whats coming and could be why some senators and congressmen will not be running for re-election,Tom Coburn our senator here in Okla. says this is his last term,and our democratic congressman Dan Boren says this is his last term and he is a blue dog Dem. so yes i think alot of them know whats coming
Report Post »NOBALONEY
Posted on June 10, 2011 at 7:59amObama policies, and politics, and the State Department have compromised our counterterrorism, and intelligence.
Report Post »illuminoddy
Posted on June 10, 2011 at 2:36amwho wants to put all their hard work in while working for the adolph hitler administration, who will take all the credit for it
no matter how noble the cause, its unethical to have your work associated with that which is immoral and unethical
Report Post »davidgoodbar
Posted on June 11, 2011 at 10:09amMaybe he knows something we don’t know…
Report Post »illuminoddy
Posted on June 10, 2011 at 2:31amhe probably couldnt morally accept helping Obama to get re-elected
Report Post »MercyMe
Posted on June 10, 2011 at 9:34amThat was my first thought.
Report Post »Jaycen
Posted on June 10, 2011 at 10:46amIndeed. He seems like he’s probably a man of integrity. He doesn’t really fit in with this administration.
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