Intelligence Czar Dennis Blair Resigns After Scathing Report

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Dennis Blair has announced he is resigning as National Intelligence Director. The announcement came after a meeting with President Obama, where officials say it became clear that the President had lost confidence in Blair.







Intelligence chief resigns after scathing report

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Enlarge By By Charles Dharapak, AP



Dennis Blair said it was with "deep regret" that he informed President Obama on Thursday that he would resign.







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By Mimi Hall and David Jackson, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — President Obama's director of national intelligence said Thursday he will step down on May 28. His decision comes just days after a Senate panel released a scathing report outlining critical lapses that allowed an alleged bomber to board a Detroit-bound flight on Christmas Day last year.

In a message to his staff, Dennis Blair said it was with "deep regret" that he informed Obama on Thursday that he would resign.



Blair's position was created after the 9/11 attacks to coordinate the government's disparate intelligence agencies with the goal of preventing future attacks.



His tenure was marked by public turf disputes with CIA Director Leon Panetta over personnel assignments overseas and criticism by lawmakers such as Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., over intelligence agencies' failure to prevent the attempted bombing over Detroit and another in New York City's Times Square on May 1.



Andy Johnson, head of the national security program at the politically moderate think tank Third Way, said Blair "inherited one of the toughest jobs" in government and did well helping to establish counterterrorism programs in Iraq and Afghanistan.



"I am grateful for his leadership," President Obama said in a statement. "During his time as DNI, our intelligence community has performed admirably and effectively."