Goss quits as CIA chief (Bill Gertz)

The Washington Times ^ | 5-6-06 | Joseph Curl and Bill Gertz

[smoothsailing]

Goss quits as CIA chief

By Joseph Curl and Bill Gertz

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Published May 6, 2006

CIA Director Porter J. Goss resigned abruptly yesterday, leaving a post he held for less than two years and becoming the latest high-level administration official to be ensnared in a White House shake-up.     

Mr. Goss, widely unpopular among senior officials in the intelligence community and blamed for repeated leaks in recent months, called President Bush yesterday morning to offer his resignation. "I've accepted it," the president said.     

Yesterday's announcement was hastily arranged, with the two men speaking briefly to reporters in the Oval Office, just before Mr. Bush departed for an afternoon bike ride.     

Mr. Bush dodged questions about a possible successor, but Time magazine reported on its Web site late last night that the president planned to name Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden to the post, possibly as soon as Monday.     

Gen. Hayden, the principal deputy director of national intelligence, previously served as director of the National Security Agency and was one of the chief architects of the Bush administration's warrantless wiretap program.     

Among others mentioned as possible replacements were Richard Armitage, the former deputy secretary of state who administration officials say has been lobbying for the job; Frances Fragos Townsend, Mr. Bush's homeland security adviser; David Shedd, chief of staff to Director of National Intelligence John D. Negroponte; and Mary Margaret Graham, Mr. Negroponte's deputy for intelligence collection.     

The president yesterday praised the departing CIA director for his service.     

"I appreciate his integrity. ... Porter's tenure at the CIA was one of transition, where he's helped this agency become integrated into the intelligence community. And that was a tough job, and he's led ably," Mr. Bush said. "He honors the proud history of the CIA.....

[bert]

.....How about Tomás de Torquemada?......

He's Catholic.

[smoothsailing]

To put my post in it's proper context, you should first read posts 3 through 6.

Perhaps I worded it poorly, but my point was the political skill displayed by the President in the timing of the announcement, the apparent choice of Hayden as a replacement, and the fact that Goss can remain a trusted advisor to the President, but without the scrutiny he would recieve as a public figure.

Hope that helps, Rob.

[TVenn]

This appears to be related to the expanding hookergate scandal involving Kyle "Dusty" Foggo,Duke Cunningham, and "partners".

[misterrob]

Read the article:

1) Goss signed on for a different job than what it morphed into. He was a stand up guy who left an elected position to step into a role that he believed in.

2) He actually believed in the value of the CIA. Yes, he was trying to clean the place up but was also willing to fight for it. Negroponte wants to reduce its role and Goss wasn't pleased with the direction things were going.

3) Goss ruffled a lot of feathers and some of those feathers appeared to belong to powerful people. That stymied his effectiveness and likely increased friction with the WH

I am not certain how the Cunningham scandal plays into this at all. What I do think is that the CIA is a huge mess, Bush inherited a huge problem and Goss stepped into an untenable situation.

[TVenn]

http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=32916&dcn=todaysnews

According to past and present CIA officials interviewed over the past month, CIA executive director Kyle "Dusty" Foggo--whose career duties have encompassed letting CIA contracts--has had a long, close personal relationship with two contractors identified (though not explicitly named) in court papers as bribing Cunningham: Brent Wilkes of the Wilkes Corp., whose subsidiaries include defense contractor ADCS; and former ADCS consultant Mitchell Wade, until recently president of defense contractor MZM, Inc. It is a relationship, the CIA officials say (with some putting a particular emphasis on Wilkes), that has increasingly been of concern.

One current and two retired senior CIA officials told Government Executive that (as noted last week by reporter Laura Rozen in The American Prospect's TAPPED blog) the relationship of Wilkes and Foggo--who the CIA's Web site declares is "under cover and cannot be named at this time," even though he is pictured and identified on a federal charity web page--has been a subject of increasing concern by some at Langley.

Another recently-retired senior agency official, while not naming Wilkes or Wade by name, also noted concerns borne out of both personal experience with and reports from colleagues about Foggo. "If you were a case officer and worked with him, you'd be saying to yourself, 'I've got to watch this guy,'" says the former official. "There is one contractor with whom he enjoys a very, very, very close relationship."

According to several of the officers interviewed for this article, Foggo and Wilkes have been friends since at least their college years at San Diego State University in the 1970s, where they were roommates. According to several regulars at Washington's Capital Grille, the two jointly lease one of the restaurant's private wine lockers.

[TVenn]

http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/67926.htm


SEX SCANDAL JOLTS CONGRESS

By GEOFF EARLE
May 3, 2006 -- WASHINGTON - Congress was abuzz yesterday over a shocking investigation of lawmakers that involves a top spy, limos, and hookers.

Federal prosecutors are investigating whether contractors provided rogue former Rep. Randall "Duke" Cunningham with prostitutes as part of a bribery scandal that landed the lawmaker in the slammer.

At issue is whether two government contractors gave Cunningham free limousine service and lined up hookers for sex trysts in Washington's Watergate Hotel.

"The guy's certainly a scumbag - this is just more proof of that," said one House Republican aide...

[TVenn]

"The CIA inspector general has opened an investigation into the spy agency's executive director, Kyle "Dusty" Foggo, and his connections to two defense contractors accused of bribing a member of Congress and Pentagon officials."

EXCLUSIVE: Top CIA Official Under Investigation: No. 3 Official at CIA Is Subject of Investigation Related to Bribery Probe

[Ann Archy]

Armitage is slimey....Powell's lap dog.

[Chgogal]

CIA IG opened an investigation on Foggy who was appointed by Goss - Mary McCarthy's old turf, how interesting. Looks like CIA IG is going to get a new boss. So, just possibly, Bush cut Clinton Moles off at the pass....

[IrishRainy]

Um, I went to SDSU in the 70s too, graduated in 1978. Wish I could remember all the details from back then. Ah, college....

[TVenn]

You should have been able to get a contract from the Department of Homeland Security providing limo service to government employees with your connections.

[TVenn]

You should have been able to get a contract from the Department of Homeland Security providing limo service to government employees with your connections.

"At issue is whether two government contractors gave Cunningham free limousine service and lined up hookers for sex trysts in Washington's Watergate Hotel."

In case there are some folks not following this closely, the company providing limousine service for polititians and Administration officials and hookers had a very lucrative contract with the Department of Homeland Security.Why those folks cannot drive there own cars and hire taxis like all the working stiffs paying the bills do, I do not know.

[Marine_Uncle]

Ping.
Perhaps a totally different and plausible answer, per freepers comments.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

This appears to be related to the expanding hookergate scandal involving Kyle "Dusty" Foggo,Duke Cunningham, and "partners".

Some would like to make that connection stick,.....I doubt it!

[Marine_Uncle]

" Some would like to make that connection stick,.....I doubt it!"
Same here. At the end of the day, I don't think the L/MSM are going to get anything out of this deal but an empty bag.

[Howlin]

Exactly.

[Howlin]

From Drudge, via Vanity Fair: Former Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee names Richard Armitage as Bob Woodward's source for the Valerie Plame leak.

http://talkleft.com/new_archives/014295.html

[gondramB]

>>Mr. Goss, widely unpopular among senior officials in the intelligence community and blamed for repeated leaks in recent months, called President Bush yesterday morning to offer his resignation. "I've accepted it," the president said. >>

Goss blamed for the leaks?!
I haven't heard that but then this is the Times - different from the Post but also with a warped perspective.

[Neenah]

It just seems odd that Goss would just 'quit' like that....I wonder if we will ever know what has really taken place....

Isn't this kind of scary ? I mean, NOBODY knows ANYTHING.....are we frogs in the pot ?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I mean, NOBODY knows ANYTHING

Huh.....there is lots of speculation....but it is really just the usual turf wars type of thing....