Counterterror Big Steps Down

BY JOSEPH STRAW

The man responsible for tracking terrorists and the threats they pose to the U.S. is stepping down after four years on the job, officials said.
 
After National Counterterrorism Center Director Michael Leiter's departure July 8, new deputy director Andrew Liepman will take over NCTC on an acting basis, said spokesman Carl Kropf.

The resignation follows the recent departure of former deputy director Geoff O'Connell, and precedes the expected release of the Obama Administration’s new counterterrorism strategy, which Leiter helped write.
 
Leiter’s tenure spanned two administrations and survived 2009’s Christmas Day plot, in which Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab boarded a U.S.-bound airliner with a shoddy bomb in his underwear that failed to detonate in flight. Several red flags about Abdulmutallab arose beforehand, but the government failed to link them and spot the threat. The plot brought about changes in how NCTC prioritizes data and analysis.
 
Asked what brought on the resignation, Kropf said that "after four and a half years in probably one of the toughest jobs in government, Mike thought it was the right time to depart."

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Leiter's decision to leave was "absolutely" his alone.

In a written statement President Obama said that Leiter "has been a trusted advisor to me and to the entire national security team, providing us with an in-depth understanding of terrorist activities that affect our Nation’s security. I am confident that Mike will be leaving the National Counterterrorism Center, the counterterrorism community, and the nation in a significantly stronger position to confront the terrorist threats we face."