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Your Complete Post-Goss Rundown

The stories this weekend following on Porter Goss’ decision to step down from the CIA fell into two different categories: why he left, and how General Michael Hayden is likely to be received as his successor.

On why he left:

On Hookergate being the reason – or it at least gets a mention:

CIA Boss Goss is Cooked
“It’s all about the Duke Cunningham scandal,” a senior law enforcement official told the Daily News in reference to Goss’ resignation. (NYDN)

Goss Out, But CIA Struggles on
Emblematic of the CIA’s woes is its number-three man, Executive Director Kyle (Dusty) Foggo. His story is a depressing tale of reform gone awry. (Newsweek)

Cunningham Investigation Spreads
There are inquiries into the actions of officials at the C.I.A. and the Homeland Security Department and of members of the House Intelligence Committee. (NYT)

CIA Director Goss Abruptly Quits
The agency also has been drawn into a federal investigation of bribery that has sent former Rep. Randall “Duke” Cunningham to prison…. Friday, people with knowledge of the continuing Cunningham inquiry said the CIA official, Kyle “Dusty” Foggo, is under federal criminal investigation in connection with awarding agency contracts. (WSJ)

Goss Forced Out as CIA Director
Senior administration officials said Bush had lost confidence in Goss, 67, almost from the beginning and decided months ago to replace him. In what was described as a difficult meeting in April with Negroponte, Goss was told to prepare to leave by May, according to several officials with knowledge of the conversation….
After Goss’s announcement yesterday, Foggo told colleagues that he will resign next week. Last week, the agency confirmed that Foggo attended private poker games with Wilkes at a Washington hotel. (WaPo)

Did Goss Try to Muzzle Foggo Inquiry?
The CIA has been getting warnings about Foggo for months – but the CIA didn’t initiate an internal investigation until March. And now the lid has been blown off. (W&P)

The party line – a turf battle with Negroponte was the reason:

Negroponte Cracks the Whip
Time gives the most weight to a power struggle between Porter Goss and intelligence czar John Negroponte, but notes that Goss’ choice of Kyle “Dusty” Foggo as his Executive Director was the “X factor” in Goss’ demise. (Time)

Director of C.I.A. Is Stepping Down Under Pressure
As Mr. Negroponte has fought to reshape the intelligence operations, his office has repeatedly clashed with Mr. Goss and his staff at the C.I.A. (NYT)

Goss: CIA resignation ‘one of those mysteries’
Porter Goss said Saturday that his surprise resignation as CIA director is “just one of those mysteries,” offering no other explanation for his sudden departure after almost two years on the job. (CNN)

CIA Chief’s Ouster Points to Larger Issues
Goss was pushed out by Negroponte after clashes between them over Goss’ management style, as well as his reluctance to surrender CIA personnel and resources to new organizations set up to combat terrorism and weapons proliferation. (LAT)

On opposition to Hayden’s nomination:

In GOP, Doubts On Likely CIA Pick
The Republican chairmen of the House and Senate intelligence panels raised serious concerns about Gen. Michael V. Hayden on the eve of his expected nomination today as CIA director, with Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.) calling him “the wrong man at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

White House Set to Fight for Hayden
The nomination of Gen. Michael V. Hayden to take over the CIA would trigger a fresh battle over the secret warrantless surveillance program he oversaw on behalf of President Bush, a debate that could help shape the contours of the fall midterm congressional elections, officials in both parties said yesterday. (WaPo)

Key Republicans Wary on CIA Front-Runner
Some lawmakers in the president’s own party say a military man should not lead the civilian spy agency. (AP, also see Bloomberg)

Key Republican Airs Concerns on C.I.A. Pick
The man widely expected to be President George W. Bush’s choice to lead the C.I.A. encountered surprisingly stron bipartisan opposition today, with the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee bluntly calling him “the wrong man at the wrong place at the wrong time.” (NYT)

Democratic Lawmakers Admit Taking Briber’s Money

Sisters-in-Congress Loretta and Linda Sanchez (D-CA) say they each took several thousand dollars in campaign contributions from a man who has confessed to bribing Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA). (OC Register)

In Other Muck

Rove’s Time in Limbo Near End in CIA Leak Case
Rove expects to learn as soon as this month if he will be indicted — or publicly cleared of wrongdoing — for making false statements in the CIA leak case, according to sources close to the presidential adviser. (WaPo)

Central Intelligence Agency Directors
For those interested, here’s a list of prior CIA Directors and their backgrounds. (AP)

Congress Tightening Reins on Defense Contractors

In the wake of multiple scandals involving private defense firms, the Hill is requiring the Pentagon and others to tell more about what their contractors are up to. (WaPo)

Democrats Pledge Probes of Bush, not Impeachment
Democrats will launch a series of investigations of the Bush administration if they take control of Congress in November but are not out to impeach President George W. Bush, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said on Sunday.

Is Kennedy’s Seat Now Vulnerable?
Now that Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) has so publicly admitted his addiction to pain medication, his seat, usually reliably Democratic, may be vulnerable to a Republican challenge. (The Fix)

Kennedy Case Shows Tensions
As an internal investigation conducted by the acting chief of the Capitol Police found that two police management officials improperly handled the department’s investigation into a car crash involving Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) last Thursday, national Fraternal Order of Police called the incident a symptom of a broader problem of “political policing” being encouraged by agency brass. (Roll Call)

Rove’s Days Of Wondering to End Soon

Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald is said to be close to deciding whether or not to charge the senior Bush aide with perjury. (WaPo)

7 Hoping to Replace DeLay Meet GOP Leaders
Seven hopefuls interviewed this weekend for the outgoing Republican’s place on the November ballot. The potential candidates met with GOP leaders from Harris County in a closed session on Saturday. Each handed in a questionnaire and gave presentations to about 50 local GOP officials. (Chron)

Air Force to Examine Fundraising E-Mail Sent by a General
The Air Force is investigating whether a two-star general violated military regulations by urging fellow Air Force Academy graduates to make campaign contributions to a Republican candidate for Congress in Colorado, Pentagon officials said yesterday. (WaPo)

Gift Solicitation Invites Ethics Debate over New FDA Commissioner
At issue is an invitation recently circulated to National Institutes of Health employees for a “farewell reception and roast” to be held on the NIH campus in Bethesda in honor of von Eschenbach, who will go on to head the FDA. In addition to the $25 entrance fee for the May 17 event, the invitation solicits additional “contributions” for a gift for the outgoing boss. Problem is, that’s a violation of federal ethics rules, according to legal eagles inside and outside the Beltway. (WaPo)

Rubbing Shoulders With Trouble, and Presidents
A disbarred New York lawyer with a criminal record for attempted larceny and patronizing a 16-year-old prostitute, Mr. Burgess owns International Profit Associates, a management consulting company in Illinois…. But despite the trail of problems dating to the 1980’s, many prominent politicians have accepted campaign contributions and speaking fees from Mr. Burgess and his company. (NYT)

Environmentalists Mobilize Against Pombo
Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA) is facing a GOP primary challenge and a serious general election contest. Though he enjoys the advantages of incumbency, a Republican-leaning district and sizable campaign coffers, the 14-year congressional veteran is engaged in his first genuine race in years because of a concerted assault by national environmental groups. (WaPo)

Pombo Feted by Industries
Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA), the environmentalists’ scourge, was feted by the industries he so loyally serves. I’d tell you more, but they kicked me out. (Salon)

Drilling Company’s Gifts Scrutinized
Among Williams Co’s many bids for influence, their $25,000 contribution to Tom DeLay’s state PAC in 2002 has landed them in hot water. (Denver Post)

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