Retired Ambassador Charles Freeman, the Obama administration's appointment for Chairman of the National Intelligence Council, withdrew his candidacy. Opposition to Freeman centered on his supposed anti-Israel views and alleged improper ties to Saudi Arabia and China. Charles Freeman responded to the allegations against him in a strong statement published by a Foreign Policy blog. The first two paragraphs are below:
You will by now have seen the statement by Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair reporting that I have withdrawn my previous acceptance of his invitation to chair the National Intelligence Council.Read the Full Statement
I have concluded that the barrage of libelous distortions of my record would not cease upon my entry into office. The effort to smear me and to destroy my credibility would instead continue. I do not believe the National Intelligence Council could function effectively while its chair was under constant attack by unscrupulous people with a passionate attachment to the views of a political faction in a foreign country. I agreed to chair the NIC to strengthen it and protect it against politicization, not to introduce it to efforts by a special interest group to assert control over it through a protracted political campaign.
