AP: Nominee for Pentagon Watchdog Withdraws

Nominee for Pentagon Watchdog Withdraws

By JOHN SOLOMON
The Associated Press
Wednesday, December 6, 2006; 6:04 PM

WASHINGTON -- President Bush's nominee to be Pentagon inspector general has withdrawn
from consideration, meaning the Defense Department likely will start a second year without
its chief watchdog even as the military spends billions a month in Iraq.

David Laufman, a decorated federal prosecutor, sent Bush a letter last week withdrawing
from consideration after the Senate Armed Services Committee declined to hold a vote
on his nomination before Congress recessed this year.

The committee's top Democrat, Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, is poised to become its chairman
in January and has raised concerns about Laufman's nomination. The White House formally
withdrew Laufman's name on Wednesday.

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But the nomination came to a halt after Laufman testified to the Senate Armed Services
Committee this summer that the inspector general's law requires him to consult with the
defense secretary before embarking on sensitive cases.

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