State Department Security Chief Resigns { Richard Griffin }

AP via SFGate ^ | 10/24/7 | MATTHEW LEE, Associated Press Writer

[SmithL]

WASHINGTON, (AP) -- The State Department's security chief announced his resignation on Wednesday in the wake of last month's deadly Blackwater USA shooting incident in Baghdad and growing questions about the use of private contractors in Iraq.

Richard Griffin, the assistant secretary of state for diplomatic security, announced his decision to resign at a weekly staff meeting, according to an internal informational e-mail sent to colleagues.

"He read his letter of resignation at the weekly Diplomatic Security staff meeting," said the e-mail, which was read to The Associated Press by one its recipients. "There was no detailed reason provided and no effective date identified at this time."

Neither Griffin nor spokesmen for the department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security could be reached for immediate comment.

Griffin announced his resignation just a day after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ordered a series of measures to boost government oversight of the private guards the department uses to protect its diplomats in Iraq.

The steps were recommended by a review panel Rice created after a Sept. 16 incident in which Blackwater personnel are accused of killing 17 Iraqi civilians. The panel found serious lapses in the department's oversight of such guards, who are employed by Griffin's bureau.

[Publius6961]

The hobbling of our national military and security functions by incompetents continues.
It makes no difference if it's ignorance, incompetence or conscious sabotage: the results will be identical --- and bad.

[untrained skeptic]

The hobbling of our national military and security functions by incompetents continues.

So was Griffin one of the people in the State department hobbling security functions, or was he enabling them.

Blackwater asked to have cameras installed on vehicles to document incidents to avoid false accusations, and their efforts were short down by our state department because of legal concerns.

So was Griffin among those in the State department that are working for our war effort, or against it?

[elpadre]

“Blackwater asked to have cameras installed on vehicles to document incidents to avoid false accusations, and their efforts were short down by our state department because of legal concerns”

I read this someplace else and apparently happened in 03 and several times subsequently. What possible legal concerns could there be to document with cameras the work they do?? Police cars have had cameras for years.

[untrained skeptic]

I read this someplace else and apparently happened in 03 and several times subsequently. What possible legal concerns could there be to document with cameras the work they do?? Police cars have had cameras for years.

My guess is that the State department and the Iraqi government didn't want video documentation of who they were moving around and where they were taken.

[elpadre]

“didn’t want video documentation of who they were moving around and where they were taken”

- probably so, but in that environment they are preventing the security contractors the ability to defend their actions.

[kabar]

So was Griffin among those in the State department that are working for our war effort, or against it?

A Bush political appointee. What do you think?

Ambassador Griffin came to Diplomatic Security from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, where he served as Inspector General from 1997 to 2005. As Inspector General, he directed a nationwide staff of auditors, investigators, inspectors, and support personnel. His office conducted oversight reviews to improve the economy, effectiveness, and efficiency of Veterans Affairs programs, and to prevent and detect criminal activity, waste, abuse and fraud.

Ambassador Griffin previously served as Deputy Director at the U.S. Secret Service, where he was responsible for planning and directing all investigative, protective, and administrative programs. He began his career with the Secret Service in 1971 as an agent in the Chicago office. Subsequent positions included Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Presidential Protective Division, Special Agent in Charge in Los Angeles, Deputy Assistant Director in the Office of Investigations, and Assistant Director for Protective Operations.

During his career in the Secret Service, Ambassador Griffin received a number of special achievement awards. He also received in 1994 the Senior Executive Service Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Executive. In 2000 and again in 2005, he received the Exceptional Service Award of the Department of Veterans Affairs

[untrained skeptic]

With that resume I would think that he was working for the war effort and is resigning in disgust at how we have been treating our troops and contractors.