"I hope readers understand we're working very hard to establish credibility and integrity, and I would hope this does not undermine it," said John P. "Pat" Philbin, FEMA's director of external affairs.
"I think it was one of the dumbest and most inappropriate things I've seen since I've been in government," (*) Michael Chertoff said.
(*) Chertoff's first job after law school was as a clerk for Murray Gurfein, a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. That was in 1978.
Philbin's last scheduled day at FEMA was Thursday. He has been named as the new head of public affairs at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
