Veterans Official Steps Down After Theft

[kpete]

Veterans Official Steps Down After Theft

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: May 30, 2006
Filed at 2:32 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Veteran Affairs deputy assistant secretary who didn't immediately notify top officials about a theft of 26.5 million veterans' personal information is stepping down, citing missteps that led to the security breach.

Michael H. McLendon, deputy assistant secretary for policy, said Tuesday he would relinquish his high-level post on Friday. McLendon supervised the VA data analyst who lost the data and is the first official to leave after VA Secretary Jim Nicholson pledged to hold officials accountable after the May 3 burglary, in which a government-owned laptop and disks were stolen from an agency analyst's home in Maryland.

''Words are inadequate to describe how I feel about these recent events and the impact on the band of brothers and sisters of service members and veterans that we are supposed to serve,'' McLendon wrote in a letter obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.

''Given that this very serious and tragic event occurred on my watch and in my organization, I feel it necessary that I tender my resignation,'' stated the letter, which was submitted to the VA late Friday. ''I would be modeling the wrong behavior to my staff and others in VA if I took no action to be responsible.''

more at:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Vets-ID-Theft.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

[panader0]

1. Wow! He wants to accept responsibility. Perhaps bush is listening

[MyNameGoesHere]

2. I just can't quite

believe there isn't something else here. 19 day to release the info. And why did this person have it in the first place? Who is this person? I can see having some of the data BUT ALL? It's just not making much sense to me yet. I have a feeling on this one it is not what it seems.

[Richard Steele]

3. Nor can I.

I also want to know WHY an "analyst" had 26 million
personnel files AT HIS HOUSE.

And apparently, the "burglar" who stole them
knew what they were-
otherwise, why steal data CDs?

No, something smells here.