Former CIA spy hunter Paul Redmond, who helped catch notorious Moscow mole Aldrich Ames, has withdrawn from consideration to become the Bush administration’s top counterspy, U.S. intelligence officials say.

Mr. Redmond had been selected to be national counterintelligence executive, but backed out after the FBI held up his formal appointment by conducting a lengthy background investigation, said officials speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Mr. Redmond could not be reached for comment. In addition to uncovering Ames in 1993, Mr. Redmond conducted the damage assessment into the case of FBI counterintelligence agent Robert Hanssen, who spied for Moscow for 16 years before his 2001 arrest.

A sense of entitlement or indignation or a closeted skeleton? I don’t even want to think about it. Lots of good work to be done here – sanity to discussions like DP World, Lenovo, etc. – if they would be allowed to do their jobs. Sadly it seems like that isn’t going to happen any time soon.

D.Y. – I can mail you a sextant if you need it.

About the Author

Michael Tanji

Michael Tanji spent nearly 20 years in the US intelligence community. Trained in both SIGINT and HUMINT disciplines he has worked at the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, and the National Reconnaissance Office. At various points in his career he served as an expert in information warfare, computer network operations, computer forensics, and indications and warning. A veteran of the US Army, Michael has served in both strategic and tactical assignments in the Pacific Theater, the Balkans, and the Middle East.