On Friday, after he was announced as an agency review team member for Barack Obama,
John O. Brennan submitted his resignation from INSA, an intelligence community and industry think tank; he had been the group's chairman since 2007.
An associate of Brennan's said that he has also stepped down -- perhaps temporarily -- from his position as CEO of the The Analysis Corporation (TAC), a national security and counterterrorism contractor.
Transition rules prohibit agency review team members from drawing salaries on the side or working for non-profits engaged in their subject areas; Brennan's decision to accept an invitation suggests a willingness to work for the Obama administration after the transition ends.
National security experts believe that Mr. Brennan, who endorsed Obama early in the campaign, has the inside track to Langley, where he served as deputy executive director under George Tenet and the founding director of the Terrorist Threat Analysis Center (now the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC).)
Brennan has served on both the operations and analysis sides of the CIA, serving as chief of station in Saudi Arabia, chief of analysis for the director's counterterrorism center, and a daily intelligence briefer for Bill Clinton.
Brennan and Obama have not always agreed on intelligence policy. Brennan supported retroactive legal immunity for telecom companies who helped the government's surveillance programs after 9/11; Obama did not.
Brennan's long association George Tenet and with the CIA during the first few years of the Bush administration may give civil liberties advocates and Congressional Democrats some pause; it is not clear to what degree Brennan participated in or was read into many of the intelligence community's controversial post 9/11 /Iraq programs, including extraordinary renditions and orders that sanctioned coercive interrogation techniques.
Since leaving the government, Brennan has written and lectured extensively about management and reform of the intelligence community. He's also written a provocative paper on Iran, arguing that the next president should quickly appoint a presidential level envoy to the country.
Here's the INSA resignation letter:
Dear Board Members:
It is with regret that I must submit my resignation as Chairman of the Board of INSA; my resignation letter is attached. As stated in the letter, I must relinquish the position of INSA Chairman, as I have committed to working full time on the transition team of President-elect Barack Obama. In order to be compliant with the Presidential Transition Team's code of ethical conduct, I need to separate myself from my for-profit and not-for-profit responsibilities while I am engaged in transition matters. As the INSA by-laws do not allow for a leave of absence by the INSA Chairman, and time does not allow for Board to convene to address the issue, I must tender my resignation.
I have greatly enjoyed my association with INSA over the past 18 months, and I sincerely appreciate and value the collegiality, professionalism, and wisdom shown by the members of the Board.
Respectfully,
John Brennan
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