President Bush has nominated one of the architects of the
Justice Department’s anti-terror response after the Sept.
11, 2001 attacks to become secretary of homeland security.
U.S. Appeals Court Judge Michael Chertoff is the second
nominee the president has put forward to lead the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Chertoff will still
need to be confirmed by Congress.
Former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, HREF=t_ci_newsView.cfm?nid=1558>who was the keynote speaker
at the 2004 ISC West, withdrew his nomination HREF=t_ci_newsView.cfm?nid=2009>a week after he was
nominated by Bush over concerns on his tax and hiring
records.
Chertoff, 51, was once an assistant attorney general at the
Justice Department and in the mid-1990s was a special
counsel for the U.S. Senate’s committee that investigated
the Whitewater affair involving former President Bill
Clinton.
“In all of his roles, Mike has shown a deep commitment to
the cause of justice and an unwavering determination to
protect the American people,” Bush said as he announced
Chertoff’s nomination on Jan. 11. “In the days after Sept.
11, Mike helped trace the terrorist attacks to the al Qaida
network. He understood immediately that the strategy in the
war on terror is to prevent attacks before they occur.”
