 | Washington, D.C. - Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee that funds the Justice Department’s counterterrorism programs, today called on the Senate to reject the confirmation of President Obama’s nominee to head the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC). In a letter to Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein, Wolf said he believed Obama nominee Matt Olsen’s actions as the director of the Obama Administration’s Guantanamo Review Task Force raise serious questions about his judgment and ability to ensure unbiased analysis. |
Wolf, who has a long history of work on terrorism issues, cited three separate instances of concern about questionable decisions and statements by Olsen regarding the release of terrorist detainees held at Guantanamo Bay to meet the Obama Administration’s goal of closing the prison within a year of the president taking office.
Wolf referred to evidence that the task force led by Olsen altered some detainee assessments, overturning Department of Defense (DOD) assessments, to clear and expedite the release of a large number of detainees. Wolf indicated DOD believes that some of these detainees have since returned to terrorism since their release.
Wolf questioned Olsen’s judgment under pressure from the Obama Administration to re-classify detainee threat levels. "The director of the NCTC must be able to withstand political pressure," Wolf said, "and that is not something I have seen in Mr. Olsen’s actions."
Wolf also said he has evidence that Olsen was not forthright with him and his staff in a briefing about the effort to release a number of Uighur detainees to northern Virginia in 2009.
"Leading the NCTC is a serious responsibility and requires a director that is exceptionally experienced, forthcoming, trustworthy and has strong judgment," wrote Wolf.
He added: "I do not question Mr. Olsen’s professional qualifications for this position, but from my observations of his recent leadership positions, I believe that he lacks the judgment to lead the NCTC."
The full text of Wolf’s letter is available below:
Dear Senator Feinstein:
I write in opposition to Mr. Matthew Olsen's nomination to serve as director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), which is located in my congressional district. I believe Mr. Olsen exercised questionable judgment and made misleading statements while serving as the special counselor to the attorney general and executive director of the Obama Administration's Guantanamo Review Task Force, where he led the interagency process to implement the president's executive order that led to the release of a number of dangerous terrorist detainees held at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. Dozens of high risk terrorist detainees recommended for release by the task force led by Mr. Olsen were released abroad to dangerously unstable countries, including Yemen, Somalia and Afghanistan.
As then-ranking member and now chairman of the House Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations subcommittee -- which funds the Justice Department, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Marshals Service and which helped fund the NCTC's predecessor, the Terrorist Threat Integration Center -- I was disturbed by decisions and statements made by Mr. Olsen in 2009 while he led the task force. These concerns have deepened based on new information that has come to light in recent articles from Newsweek, The Washington Post, The National Journal and The Weekly Standard. These reports have raised troubling questions about Mr. Olsen's leadership of the task force and his actions in response to White House influence.
Additionally, my personal interactions with Mr. Olsen, as well as these subsequent news reports, lead me to conclude that he was not forthright with the Congress and may have changed detainee assessments under political pressure from administration officials. I believe these are troubling concerns which deserve a thorough investigation and should give the Senate serious pause as it considers who should lead the NCTC. I have visited the NCTC on several occasions and have met with a number of its former directors, as well as the former and current directors of National Intelligence. I have seen firsthand the critical work that is done by the center and fully understand the need for an independent, capable and principled director to lead the operation.
There are three concerns that have led me to oppose Mr. Olsen's nomination. First, it is clear to me that in order to achieve the president's promise to close Guantanamo Bay during his first year in office, Mr. Olsen may have been susceptible to the immense political pressure placed on the interagency task force to re-classify detainee threat levels. Second, it has become clear that Mr. Olsen's task force may have altered some detainee assessments -- overturning Department of Defense assessments -- in order to clear and expedite the release of a large number of detainees. Third, I have recently learned that Mr. Olsen was not forthright me and my staff about the effort to release a number of Uighur detainees to northern Virginia in 2009. Attached is a white paper that addresses these concerns in greater detail.
Leading the NCTC is a serious responsibility and requires a director that is exceptionally experienced, forthcoming, trustworthy and has good judgment. The analyses and recommendations provided by the NCTC have direct bearing on the safety of the American people. The director must be able to withstand political pressure from all sides, facilitate the complete and straightforward sharing of information and ensure unbiased analysis. I do not question Mr. Olsen's professional qualifications for this position, but from my observations of his recent leadership positions, I believe that he lacks the judgment to lead the NCTC.
I am willing to testify about my concerns during your committee's upcoming confirmation hearing for Mr. Olsen. Please do not hesitate to contact me at 202-225-5136 to discuss any of this information.
Frank Wolf Member of Congress
Washington Office 241 Cannon Building Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-5136 (202) 225-0437 fax
TEXT and IMAGE CREDIT: Congressman Frank R. Wolf
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