Homeland Security Adviser Joins White House Exodus

Townsend leaves behind mixed legacy
By Jonas Oransky,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 19, 2007 2:23 PM CST
Homeland Security Adviser Joins White House Exodus
White House Homeland Security Adviser Frances Townsend briefs the media on actions to protect Americans from terrorist threats, Tuesday, July 17, 2007, at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)   (Associated Press)

The president's homeland security adviser resigned today, extending the string of high-profile White House departures. Frances Frago Townsend was in charge of the president’s counterterrorism program for 4½ years, the Washington Post reports, managing the response to the London bombing and upgrading air transportation security. No reason was given for her departure.

“We are safer today because of her leadership,” Bush said today. Rudy Giuliani first hired Townsend as a federal prosecutor; her prominent role in Janet Reno’s Justice Department led many Republicans to question her most recent appointment. But she impressed doubters by getting tough with Arab royals and skydiving with Navy SEALs. (More George W. Bush stories.)

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