Key Defense Department official resigns

Stephen Cambone, the undersecretary of defense for intelligence, will leave at the end of the year.

Published December 1, 2006 11:26PM (EST)

Even on a slow news day, there's no getting away from the traditional Friday afternoon news dump, and this one's got a biggie: Stephen Cambone, the Department of Defense official widely seen as Donald Rumsfeld's consigliere, has resigned.

Cambone has reportedly long been disliked within the military for his actions on behalf of Rumsfeld; indeed, in August 2001 Washington Post reporter Thomas Ricks told the story of a general who told a Hill staffer that "if he had one round left in his revolver, he would take out Steve Cambone." Cambone has also come under fire for his perceived role in the abuses at Abu Ghraib.

The DOD announcement says Cambone "looks forward to spending more time with his family."


By Alex Koppelman

Alex Koppelman is a staff writer for Salon.

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