[Washington Times] Eli Lake - The Obama administration on Thursday named as chairman of the National Intelligence Council a veteran former diplomat who heads a think tank that has received major financing from Saudi Arabia. Chas W. Freeman Jr. served as U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia during the 1991 Gulf War. Since 1997, Freeman has been president of the Middle East Policy Council (MEPC), a Washington think tank. In 2007, he accepted a $1 million donation from Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz al-Saud. MEPC Vice President Anne Joyce said the council aims to further U.S.-Arab relations and widen the range of debate in Washington from what the group sees as an excessively pro-Israel focus. In his new position Freeman will oversee production of national intelligence estimates.
2009-02-27 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive