Caldera resigns due to Air Force One NYC flyover

by: Oreo

Fri May 08, 2009 at 16:32:04 PM EDT

President Obama accepts resignation of Louis Caldera as Director of the White House Military Office

Statement from White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs:

The President has accepted the resignation of Louis Caldera as Director of the White House Military Office. Attached is Mr. Caldera's resignation letter. Also attached is a report sought by the President and conducted by Jim Messina, deputy chief of staff, and a photo.

The President has asked his Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina and Defense Secretary Gates or his designee to jointly review the organizational structure of the White House Military Office and the reporting relationship of its components to the White House and the Air Force, and to make recommendations to him to ensure that such an incident never occurs again.

You can read Caldera's resignation letter here and the full report from the internal review here.

Update from Matt:

[Defense Secretary Robert Gates] wrote that the April 27 flyover, which involved two F-16 aircraft escorting Air Force One low over New York City, had been planned for weeks and coordinated with the Federal Aviation Administration liaisons in the region, air traffic control representatives, and tower supervisors. The FAA notified New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office, the U.S. Park Police, the New York Police Department and other local agencies three days before the flight, Gates wrote in the letter. -Washington Post

Bloomberg was complaining that no one in his office had been told. I wonder if he'll retract that now.