Freeman Withdraws as Head Of National Intelligence Council

March 11th, 2009|Editor
State

Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair, who named Freeman to the post, yesterday accepted the decision “with regret,” according to a statement from his office.

Freeman was in the final stages of getting security clearance to head the council, which helps put together National Intelligence Estimates about potential threats around the world and foreign policy issues for the president and head of intelligence services.

His withdrawal was the culmination of weeks of criticism from Republican and Democratic lawmakers and pro- Israel lobbyists who questioned Freemans objectivity on issues in the Middle East. Some lawmakers also questioned his views on China.

In a letter to supporters yesterday, Freeman said he withdrew because of a concerted effort by pro-Israel lobbyists to spread “libelous distortions” about his experience. “The tactics of the Israel Lobby plumb the depths of dishonor and indecency and include character assassination, selective misquotation, the willful distortion of the record, the fabrication of falsehoods, and an utter disregard for the truth,” Freeman wrote.

Lawmakers who opposed his appointment were unapologetic.

“His statements against Israel were way over the top and severely out of step with the administration,” Senator Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, said in a statement after the withdrawal was announced.

Republicans said they were concerned that Freeman was president of the Middle East Policy Council, a Washington- based group they said was funded by Saudi Arabia. Freeman also drew fire from critics for having been a member of the International Advisory Board of Cnooc Ltd., Chinas biggest offshore oil explorer.

Investigation

Last week, Edward Maguire, the inspector general for Blairs office, agreed to look into questions about Freemans financial ties to Saudi Arabia at the request of 10 House lawmakers, including Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio.

“Given his close ties to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, we request a comprehensive review,” they wrote on March 3.

In his letter, Freeman said he had no conflicts of interest. “I have never sought to be paid or accepted payment from any foreign government, including Saudi Arabia or China, for any service, nor have I ever spoken on behalf of a foreign government, its interests, or its policies,” he said.

“It calls into question the essential judgments being made,” he said in a statement.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes said it was unfortunate Freeman bowed out.

“I regret that the controversy surrounding his selection as chairman of the NIC played out so publicly, especially since the inspector general of the DNI was still examining the claims against Ambassador Freeman,” Reyes, a California Democrat, said in a statement.

Freeman was a foreign-service professional who worked with 100 governments in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe. He would have headed a council whose reports have generated controversy.

In December 2007, U.S. intelligence released the findings of a National Intelligence Estimate that found Iran had ended its nuclear weapons program. Yet the report found the country was continuing to enrich uranium, a central step to producing a nuclear bomb.

Iranian officials have said theyre developing nuclear materials to supply energy.

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