News
Nov 17 2016, 7:09 pm ET
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper Resigns
by Ken Dilanian and Corky Siemaszko
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper delivered some reassurance Thursday to Americans worried about the Trump transition — along with his resignation.
"I know a lot of people have been feeling uncertain about what will happen with this Presidential transition," Clapper said. "There has been a lot of catastrophizing, if I can use that term, in the 24-hour news cycle and social media. So, I'm here with a message: It will be okay."
The exit of Clapper, who submitted his resignation Wednesday evening, is not a surprise.
In interviews with NBC News over the last year, Clapper said he was counting down the days to stepping down at the end of President Obama's final term in office. He started as a young intelligence officer reporting to his father during the Vietnam War and said that after than 50 years of service it was time to go.
Clapper's resignation, which is effective Jan. 17, comes as the Trump team has been struggling to put together a cabinet and mulling what's likely to be a change in national security direction once Obama departs.
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/director-national-intelligence-james-clapper-resigns-n685301