White House defends intel chief after gaffe

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

After the nation’s top intelligence official fumbled a simple question about terrorism on national television, the White House on Wednesday acknowledged that Director of National Intelligence James Clapper had been in the dark about a terrorist plot disrupted in England.

It was an inconvenient distraction for the Obama administration, which had hoped to use the day to reassure Americans that it had fixed the mistakes that nearly allowed al-Qaida to take down a U.S.-bound airliner last Christmas.

Clapper appeared stumped Tuesday night when asked on ABC News whether a significant terror plot uncovered in London could have security implications in the United States. The plot had received huge news coverage this week and was a major focus in the U.K.

“London?” Clapper asked, looking across the table at Obama’s homeland security adviser, John Brennan, who also was being interviewed.

In practice, British and American authorities work hand-in-hand on such cases regardless of how involved senior intelligence officials get. But it was an embarrassing moment for the embattled position of director of national intelligence. The job, created after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, has failed to live up to its billing as a central, strong overseer of the nation’s intelligence infrastructure.

And the image of Clapper turning, perplexed, to Brennan, only reinforced the impression by many in the intelligence community that it’s Brennan who really controls the nation’s intelligence apparatus.