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Aide resigns over Air Force One photo incident
A top White House aide resigned on Friday for his role in Air Force One's $328,835 photo-op flyover above New York City that sparked panic and flashbacks to the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.
- Agencies
- Published: 22:58 May 9, 2009
Washington: A top White House aide resigned on Friday for his role in Air Force One's $328,835 photo-op flyover above New York City that sparked panic and flashbacks to the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.
The sight of the huge passenger jet and an F-16 fighter plane flying past the Statue of Liberty and the lower Manhattan financial district on April 27 sent panicked office workers streaming into the streets. Obama said it would not happen again.
The aide, Louis Caldera, said the controversy had made it impossible for him to lead the White House Military Office effectively. "Moreover, it has become a distraction in the important work you are doing as president," Caldera said in his resignation letter to President Barack Obama.
An internal White House investigation found missed messages and an out-of-the-loop Caldera. The former Army secretary said he did not know that Air Force One, the president's jet, would fly at 305 metres altitude during the April 27 photo shoot, failed to read an email message detailing the plan and did not recognise the potential for public fear.
Caldera's office approved the photo-op, which cost $35,000 (Dh128,450) in fuel alone for the plane and two jet fighter escorts. The Air Force estimated the photo shoot cost taxpayers $328,835.
White House officials said the flight was designed to update the official photo of the plane, known as Air Force One when the president is aboard. The White House released a photo of the blue-and-white plane high above the Statue of Liberty, with New Jersey in the background.
The White House also released a report on the incident late Friday via email, with a short written statement from White House press secretary Robert Gibbs. There was no statement about the matter from Obama, who last month declared the embarrassment a "mistake" and vowed it would not be repeated.
The White House report, which did not deal with officials' conduct outside the White House, portrayed Caldera as unaware of the potential for public fear and deaf to concern.
After the flight, Caldera met with top administration officials and was asked if the White House had been notified. "The director responded yes, someone had mentioned it to him," according to the report.
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