Former US diplomat quits post as analyst
WASHINGTON - A former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia resigned yesterday from his new post as chairman of the National Intelligence Council following congressional criticism for comments about the Israeli government and alleged ties to foreign governments.
Charles Freeman's resignation came just hours after Dennis Blair, director of National Intelligence, said at a Senate hearing that he was standing behind his appointment of Freeman as chairman of the council, which analyzes national security issues. Freeman had not begun his work as chairman, and Blair said he accepted the resignation with regret.
The National Intelligence Council draws information and analysis from all US intelligence agencies to produce national intelligence estimates. They are the intelligence agencies' most comprehensive statements and are meant to be unvarnished and apolitical.
Freeman has aggressively criticized the Israeli government, the war in Iraq, and the war on terror. In the last two weeks almost three dozen lawmakers, primarily Republicans, have questioned his ability to be objective in his analysis.
Freeman's financial, personal, and business ties with the governments of China and Saudi Arabia have also been called into question. He was president of the Middle East Policy Council, which received funding from the Saudi government, and is on the international board of advisers to a Chinese-government owned oil company.
The congressional complaints resulted in an inspector general's investigation into Freeman's ties to the Saudi government.
On Monday, all seven Republican members of the Senate Intelligence Committee sent a letter to Blair expressing concerns about Freeman's suitability for the job. They joined more than a dozen members of the House who over the last two weeks have sent similar letters and requested the inspector general's investigation.
Senator Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, warned Blair at a hearing yesterday that the Freeman controversy would not go away anytime soon.
Blair stood firm, saying Freeman's strong opinions would be valuable on the council.
