Bush Names New Head of Sept. 11 Panel

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, December 17, 2002

Bush Names New Head of Sept. 11 Panel

US President George W. Bush on Monday named former New Jersey governor Thomas Kean as new chairman of the independent commission investigating the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001.

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US President George W. Bush on Monday named former New Jersey governor Thomas Kean as new chairman of the independent commission investigating the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001.

Kean, currently president of Drew University in New Jersey, served New Jersey governor from 1982 to 1990. He will replace former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who resigned two days ago as commission chairman because of potential conflicts of interest.

"Tom Kean is a leader respected for integrity, fairness and good judgment," Bush said in a statement. "I am confident he will work to make the commission's investigation thorough. It is important that we uncover every detail and learn every lesson of Sept. 11."

Before Kissinger's abrupt withdrawal, former Senator George Mitchell, a Democrat from Maine, also stepped down as vice chairman citing the same reason. The Democratic Party has named former Representative Lee Hamilton, a Democrat from Indiana, to replace Mitchell.

The 10-member bipartisan commission will conduct the most comprehensive probe yet into why the United States was unable to prevent the terrorist attacks. The investigation would be broader than the one conducted jointly by the House and Senate Intelligence committees since June, which focused on the failures of US intelligence agencies.

On Sunday, House Speaker Dennis Hastert named former Illinois Governor Jim Thompson and attorney Fred Fielding to serve on the independent commission.

The Republican Party and Democratic Party each is responsible for appointing five members of the panel, formally known as the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks.

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