A high-ranking Department of Homeland Security official in charge of the agency's analysis of intelligence about terrorists resigned yesterday, citing health reasons.
The resignation came less than a month after assistant secretary Paul Redmond angered many House members at a hearing when he testified that his newly established office has not hired enough analysts or set up enough secure communications lines to receive classified FBI and CIA data for analysis purposes.
A department spokesman said Redmond's resignation was "totally unrelated" to his June 5 testimony before the House Select Committee on Homeland Security, which congressional sources described as a major setback for the agency's relations with Congress.
Redmond is a legendary CIA counter-intelligence official who helped unmask some of America's most infamous spies before his 1998 retirement.
In a statement last night, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said, "The entire country will benefit from Paul's work establishing a new agency, and it will be one of his greatest legacies."
-- John Mintz
© 2003 The Washington Post Company
