Wagons Circle Around NCTC Director Leiter, Under Fire
EmailThe White House and allies of Michael Leiter, the director of the National Counter Terrorism Center, disputed a New York Daily News report Thursday claiming Leiter "decided not to return to his agency's 'bat cave' nerve center in McLean, Va., until several days after” the attempted Christmas Day bombing of Northwest Airlines flight 253.
The story says that Leiter “remained on ski slopes” after Christmas, but Denis McDonough, National Security Staff Chief of Staff, refutes that, saying that “Leiter was — throughout the events of December 25, 2009 — indeed at the National Counterterrorism Center in McLean, Virginia, and intimately involved in all aspects of the nation’s response to the attempted terrorist attack — to include coordinating intelligence, examining terrorist watch-listing, and briefing Members of Congress.”
Leiter stayed late at the NCTC on December 25, an intelligence official tells ABC News, and the next morning he held secure communications working the issue with many in the U.S. government.
He did go on vacation the day after the attempted attack, but a close associate of Leiter says that the leave was quite different than the carefree “ski trip” being depicted.
Leiter is divorced, and the purpose of the ski trip was to take “his seven-year-old son for his birthday to meet his grandparents,” both of whom are in their late 70s, the close associate tells ABC News.
He did so only “after explicit consultations with both the White House and the Director of National Intelligence,” McDonough said, adding it “did not affect in any way his ability to remain engaged with all elements of the United States Government. “
Leiter, who was appointed to head the NCTC in 2007 by President George W. Bush, has spent time today talking to people on Capitol Hill, explaining his side of the story, as well as the facts, and trying to assuage concerns. Leiter and Director of National Intelligence Admiral Dennis Blair (Ret.) are under fire for their failure to connect the dots and anticipate the threat posed by Umar Farouq Abdulmuttalab.
Support for the NCTC director in the White House seems solid as of Thursday mid-day. Obama administration officials suggest that any time a director of the NCTC goes on vacation, he would do so with the ability to hold secure teleconference calls and the like, and officials insist Leiter’s vacation wasn’t much of a vacation.
“During the following days, Director Leiter engaged in regular, repeated, and extended classified discussions with the White House, the President’s National Security Staff located in Hawaii, the Director of National Intelligence, the Department of Homeland Security, various members of Congress and their staffs, and of course the National Counterterrorism Center,” McDonough said.
Leiter is a former Naval Flight Officer who participated in various military operations in the former Yugoslavia and Iraq. Like President Obama, he served as president of the Harvard Law Review.
– jpt
Can Mitt Romney Win Conservatives Back? 
Possible Contraception Compromise in D.C.
Why wasn’t he golfing instead!?!?
Posted by: Hole in 1 | January 7, 2010, 1:19 pm 1:19 pm
Hope there’s enough wagons for Timmy G.
Jan. 7 (Bloomberg) — The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, then led by Timothy Geithner, told American International Group Inc. to withhold details from the public about the bailed-out insurer’s payments to banks during the depths of the financial crisis, e-mails between the company and its regulator show.
Posted by: GS Rulz | January 7, 2010, 1:22 pm 1:22 pm
How could the WH not defend him? The POTUS was surfing, golfing, eating shaved ice, renting out movie theaters and racing to his very expensive hotel at the horrifying news of one of his friend’s son getting a boo-boo.
Posted by: jennifert7 | January 7, 2010, 1:35 pm 1:35 pm
Wonder how many kids were on that flight to visit THEIR grandma and grandpa for the holidays…And they wonder why?????
Posted by: Parallex View | January 7, 2010, 1:36 pm 1:36 pm
Its a big ole party house for these guys. Of course they will defend each other. You can doers elected a activist who still parties and has no clue he is a president of this country
Posted by: Jim Rod | January 7, 2010, 1:38 pm 1:38 pm
Where was the Commander in Chief while this was happening?
Golfing. Not returning to Washington.
Perfect. The buck stops…over there.
Posted by: Good Lt. | January 7, 2010, 2:17 pm 2:17 pm
===Leiter is divorced, and the purpose of the ski trip was to take “his seven-year-old son for his birthday to meet his grandparents,” both of whom are in their late 70s, the close associate tells ABC News.===
Good grief. A 17 year old is old enough to understand daddy needed to stay in Washington. They should have made the age of the child 7 or something.
Posted by: Axey | January 7, 2010, 2:19 pm 2:19 pm
Umm..OK…lemme get this straight.
The story that you’re pushing for Barky and Leiter is that he was taking his teen age son to go snowboarding with the grandfolk?
Nah..that doesn’t sound stupid…not all all
Posted by: curious | January 7, 2010, 2:34 pm 2:34 pm
Axey… curious… You need to re-read the article it says his son is (7) Seven years old.Not a teenager. What could he have done after the Fact? Obama did nothing for 3 days.
Posted by: stormerF2 | January 7, 2010, 2:54 pm 2:54 pm
If I was the Prez….I’ll FIRE all of the Bush appointees in these Agencies. Why, they’re puppets and is Capable of Allowing this to happen for Party Affiliations Sake. I don’t put nothing past these Fear-MONGERING torturing agents. AND THESE ARE THE POLICIES SET IN PLACE BY THEM!!!
Posted by: sara | January 7, 2010, 2:57 pm 2:57 pm
=== You need to re-read the article it says his son is (7) Seven years old==
Well, it sure does. I could have sworn I read 17. See? It is more sympathetic when the child is 7 not 17.
Posted by: Axey | January 7, 2010, 2:59 pm 2:59 pm
===What could he have done after the Fact? Obama did nothing for 3 days.===
First, Obama did nothing. Can’t argue with you there. Second, one of the first things reported was there were others coming. He went anyway. However, since the child is 7, not 17, I am a little more sympathetic to his family obligation.
Posted by: Axey | January 7, 2010, 3:02 pm 3:02 pm
So, both Leiter and Obama got the emergency call at 3:00 am–and then just rolled over and went back to sleep.
Rest easy, America.
Posted by: I'm not a President, but I Play One on TV | January 7, 2010, 3:04 pm 3:04 pm
===If I was the Prez….I’ll FIRE all of the Bush appointees in these Agencies.===
I would too. In fact, I’m still perturbed Bush didn’t fire all of the Clinton era appointees. Starting with George Tenet.
Posted by: Axey | January 7, 2010, 3:05 pm 3:05 pm
===So, both Leiter and Obama got the emergency call at 3:00 am–and then just rolled over and went back to sleep.===
They didn’t even bother making the call to Obama. The time zone differences, you see? Caused a problem in their notifying the president. Had they called him immediately, it would have been the 6:00 am phone call.
Posted by: Axey | January 7, 2010, 3:09 pm 3:09 pm
This is another Obama mistake “clear and sinple” We are not at war with anyone…I will have a little sit-down with Iran..etc.etc..This guy has no clue what he is doing…he’s confused…
Posted by: Gary Fischer | January 7, 2010, 3:24 pm 3:24 pm
We are not at war with anyone…I will have a little sit-down with Iran..
____________________________________
Gary the ‘we are not at war’ is an old discredited talking point – check the west point speech for starters.
And yes, negotiating with people makes sense; if that fails sanctions; if that fails military options.
While Bush blustered and strutted, Iran developed a secret nuclear facility on his watch – so much for strutting and posturing.
Posted by: tierra | January 7, 2010, 3:30 pm 3:30 pm
“”"”And yes, negotiating with people makes sense; if that fails sanctions; if that fails military options.”"”"”"
Posted by: tierra
You do realize there are 3 different sets of sanctions on Iran. Now, Obama wants to talk to Iran? Let me make sure I get the quote right from Almadenijad, “The international community can give Iran “as many deadlines as they want, we don’t care.
We told you that we are not afraid of sanctions against us, and we are not intimidated.” Hmmm, wonder how many times he’s going to repeat that until we actually believe him!
Posted by: lfrichar | January 7, 2010, 4:11 pm 4:11 pm
Oh please. Who ever fed this poor guy’s name as the scapegoat part deux (after CIA) toss it back to them to eat themselves.
I seem to recall the President stayed on vacation. And…it took him 3 days before he commented on this. OH! And, then when he shared his opinion, well, lets say all confidence sunk to an all time low.
Posted by: Linda | January 7, 2010, 4:38 pm 4:38 pm
I also have another idea.
Being this WH thinks everything is fun and games and the finally got their “big prize” and everyone seems to want to just have fun and the terrorists seem to know this along with the rest of the world, maybe in the future, they shouldn’t have holidays shut down for extended vacation. After all, the country is supposed to keep operating. I think I read that somewhere. (snark)
So, starting now, let them take their vacations other times of the year and not all at once. I know, what a novel idea.
Posted by: Linda | January 7, 2010, 4:42 pm 4:42 pm
You do realize there are 3 different sets of sanctions on Iran. Now, Obama wants to talk to Iran?
____________________________________
You do realise Iran developed a secret nuclear facility on Bush’s watch don’t you? And that there is a coalition of nations on side, including the U.N., to monitor and deal with Iran?
What would you prefer? That Obama strut around and posture like Bush?
Posted by: tierra | January 7, 2010, 6:03 pm 6:03 pm
Terrorism strike – No worries!
Leiter hits the slope, Obama hits the links!
BTW – Perhaps I missed Jake’s post on Gibbs defense of Obama’s BROKEN PROMISE to broadcast healthcare debate on C-SPAN… But thanks for letting us all know of “President Obama Used in Jacket Ad, Without White House Approval” and “Vice President Biden Rushes to Bedside of Seriously Ill Mother” – These are issues of extreme importance to the American public…
Posted by: tjp612 | January 7, 2010, 7:12 pm 7:12 pm
“under fire” from who? A fraudulent hit piece by the Daily News.
“Circling the wagons” how? By setting the record straight as to what really happened, and debunking the notion that Leiter skied for days after the 12/25 incident?
Tapper suggests some type of coverup, when the official response is simply to debunk this little bit of journalistic malpractice. Seems that Tapper, who is a rare bird in having the guts to challenge the Admin, is nevertheless stretching it here.
Posted by: biwah | January 7, 2010, 7:43 pm 7:43 pm
“What would you prefer? That Obama strut around and posture like Bush?
Posted by: tierra”
You mean he DOESN’T ALREADY? He fooled me, OR YOU apparently.
That IS the most posturing Buffon we ever had in the Office. Even CLINTON pales in comparison. But, continue to live in your fantasy, I want no part of it. I know reality is just too much to bear for some of you….er…. people. But it WILL bite you on the willy one day, I promise you it will.
Posted by: RoBoTech | January 7, 2010, 9:30 pm 9:30 pm
What would you prefer? That Obama strut around and posture like Bush?
Posted by: tierra”
You mean he DOESN’T ALREADY? He fooled me, OR YOU apparently.
___________________________________
No, it really was Bush who strutted around like a little bantam rooster and mouthed nonsense like ‘we gonna git him dead or alive’. Did he? No, he failed.
And it was Bush who bragged the enemy should ‘bring it on’ – thus encouraging the enemy to attack our troops.
When you talk about ridiculous strutting, you talk about Bush and his administration.
All the while, Iran develops a secret nuclear facility on his watch, North Korea tests its first nuclear weapon on his watch, bin Laden and al Qaeda escape in Afghanistan on his watch . ..
Posted by: tierra | January 8, 2010, 12:41 am 12:41 am
If Director Leiter were a military officer, he would have been fired. He should do the right thing and resign to spare Mr. Obama the embarrassment, if not out of shame.
The real problem of course is with his boss, Mr. Brennan. Mr. Brennan’s company is a contractor, not unlike Haliburton, Blackwater, etc. However he is also a senior adviser to the Obama administration in exactly the area his company benefits from government contracts.
This is a clear conflict of interest.
I wonder how much his company will profit from Mr. Obama’s sudden new interest in national security, guided by Mr. Brennans review.
Shouldn’t the MSM express even a mild interest in this matter?
Posted by: csbd | January 8, 2010, 1:43 am 1:43 am
Fire This Bush Plant Mr. President!!!
Posted by: sara | January 8, 2010, 12:02 pm 12:02 pm
If you’re a complete incompetent, you can’t get a job anywhere, except the United States government. So, did Michael Leiter not return because he knew this was a false flag operation or because he is a complete incompetent? Either way this idiot should be fired. He’s the head of the NCTC, not the fry station operator at McDonalds.
Posted by: Sarah | January 10, 2010, 11:01 am 11:01 am