Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, December 29, 1994 TAG: 9412290123
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From The Associated Press and Hearst Newspapers
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
President Clinton, who said he accepted the resignation with regret, reportedly has a short list of candidates to succeed Woolsey. It includes Deputy Defense Secretary John Deutch; Adm. David Jeremiah, a former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Morton Abramowitz, a former chief of intelligence at the State Department.
Woolsey had come under harsh criticism from lawmakers for failing to take tough disciplinary action at the CIA in the wake of revelations in February that Aldrich Ames, a CIA counterintelligence officer, had been spying for the Soviet Union and Russia for nine years.
A senior administration source who spoke on condition of anonymity said Clinton tentatively had decided to fire Woolsey in mid-October and began at that time to assemble a list of possible successors. But the Republican victory in November forced the White House to put that plan on hold, the source said, so it could spend more time seeking a candidate who could be confirmed by the new GOP-controlled Senate.
The White House said Clinton did not request Woolsey's resignation, but senior officials said they were not surprised he decided to leave after a stormy two years.
The departure was welcomed on Capitol Hill by both parties.
``It is an opportunity for the president to put somebody in who is prepared to really make some changes,'' said Woolsey's biggest critic, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Dennis DeConcini, D-Ariz. He said Deutch would be an excellent replacement.
Sen. John Warner, R-Va., ranking Republican on the Senate intelligence committee and a longtime friend of Woolsey's, Wednesday called him a ``distinguished public servant'' who had not been able over time ``to develop a give-and-take with Congress.''
Although most of Ames' spying came before Woolsey took office, he was criticized for not sufficiently punishing Ames' supervisors. Woolsey, 53, also faced fire for the agency's bloated budget, an extravagant secret building project and allegations of sexual harassment at the agency. Democratic lawmakers, angered that he stubbornly avoided admitting to agency mistakes, were among Woolsey's biggest critics.
Woolsey said his family figured prominently in the decision.
``For their patience and understanding in the face of lost evenings, weekends and holidays, it is time for recompense,'' he said in a statement. He said he would remain in office until the end of January while Clinton seeks a replacement.
The president credited Woolsey with transforming U.S. intelligence in the aftermath of the Cold War.
``Jim Woolsey has been a staunch advocate of maintaining an intelligence capability that is second to none,'' the White House said.
by CNB