White House Military Office Director resigns over NYC flyover

A top White House aide says he was stoned when told about the overflight that sent panic across lower Manhattan two weeks ago….

Louis Caldera, the director of the White House Military Office, resigned Friday for his responsibility in Air Force One photo-op flyover over New York City.

That flyover sparked panic after Air Force One and an F-16 fighter buzzed the Statue of Liberty and the lower Manhattan financial district, sending terrorized office workers streaming into the streets of New York on April 27.

Caldera said in his resignation letter to President Barack Obama the controversy had made it impossible for him to effectively lead the White House Military Office. Caldera added, “Moreover, it has become a distraction in the important work you are doing as president.”

The White House also released a report on the incident late Friday afternoon via e-mail, with a short written statement from White House press secretary Robert Gibbs. There was no statement about the matter from President Obama, who last month declared the fly over was a “mistake” and vowed it would not be repeated.

The report said the flight was designed to update the official photo of the plane, known as Air Force One when the president is aboard.

The report as well said Deputy military director George Mulligan told investigators he first notified Caldera about the proposed photo shoot on April 20 in both a conversation and in an e-mail sent a week before the flyover was scheduled to take place that said Caldera should notify deputy chief of staff Jim Messina because it was the flyover was highly unusual.

Caldera however said he didn’t recall the conversation and hadn’t seen the e-mail because he has two official accounts. He also said he was suffering from severe muscle aches and had been prescribed pain medication and was stoned not at his top form when the photo op was scheduled.

Caldera’s resignation takes effect May 22, but he is duties at the White House Military Office are over immediately and he will use the two weeks of his remaining employment to complete the necessary steps to leave the White House.

When Obama appointed Caldera to the job during the presidential transition, the then president-elect then hailed Caldera as having a resume that was second-to-none. Obama said then: “I know he’ll bring to the White House the same dedication and integrity that have earned him the highest praise in every post.”

The Air Force estimated the photo shoot cost us taxpayers $328,835, of which $35,000 in fuel alone was for the presidential 747 and two jet fighter escorts.

White House aide resigns over NYC flyover (MSNBC)

Related articles by Zemanta

• Air Force One Flyover Photo on the Way (usnews.com)
• So Why Does Air Force One Need Publicity, Anyway? (time.com)
• NYC flyover cost more than $300,000 (msnbc.msn.com)
• You: $328,000 Photo: NYC Air Force Shot Won’t Be Released (abcnews.go.com)
• President Apologizes for Air Force One Overflight (littlegreenfootballs.com)
• Stupid People (slobokan.com)