April 30, 2002


9-11 Investigator Leaves Position - to spend more time with his family?

The head of the congressional investigation into the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks has quit after little more than two months on the job.

The circumstances surrounding the departure of L. Britt Snider, a former inspector general at the CIA, were unclear Monday, although officials familiar with the situation said it revolved around a dispute over a personnel decision. Nor is it clear how Snider's departure will affect the investigation, which was expected to conduct hearings as early as next month.

The investigation, being conducted jointly by the House and Senate Intelligence committees, is looking into why the CIA and other agencies failed to detect the Sept. 11 terrorist plot that left 3,000 dead.

Spokesmen for leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sens. Bob Graham, D-Fla., and Richard Shelby, R-Ala., confirmed Snider's departure but declined further comment, calling it a "personnel matter."

In February, Graham, Shelby and leaders of the House Intelligence Committee announced Snider's appointment with some fanfare, praising him as an objective investigator. But some critics suggested Snider's long working relationship with CIA Director George J. Tenet meant the investigation would amount to a whitewash.

Hmmmmmm....what is that smell??




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