[classicman]

Another one rides the bus...

Freeman Withdraws as Top Intelligence Analyst

Charles Freeman, the veteran diplomat slated to become the top U.S. intelligence analyst, withdrew under intense pressure from a largely Republican group of lawmakers.

The lawmakers had criticized Freeman’s statements on China, Israel, and the 9/11 attacks, and they had raised concerns about his business ties in the Middle East and China. Dennis Blair, director of national intelligence, said today that he accepted “with regret” Freeman’s decision to give up the post of National Intelligence Council chairman.

Just hours earlier, Blair defended his longtime colleague under sharp questioning at a Senate hearing, calling Freeman, a former ambassador to Saudi Arabia, “a person of strong views,” and adding that Freeman wouldn’t serve “precooked pabulum” to policy makers. He also said Freeman’s provocative comments were taken out of context.

Critics focused on Freeman’s comment that the Chinese government acted too slowly to crack down on protesters in Tiananmen Square in 1989.