Judge nominated to head Homeland Security

WASHINGTON -- President Bush on Tuesday chose federal appeals court judge Michael Chertoff to be his new Homeland Security chief, turning to a former federal prosecutor who helped craft the early war on terror strategy.\n"Mike has shown a deep commitment to the cause of justice and an unwavering determination to protect the American people," Bush said. "Mike has also been a key leader in the war on terror."\nChertoff headed the Justice Department's criminal division from 2001 to 2003, where he played a central role in the nation's legal response to the Sept. 11 attacks, before the president named him to appeals court position in New Jersey.\nChertoff, a federal appellate court judge with the 3rd U.S. Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, would replace Tom Ridge, the department's first chief. "He leaves some very deep shoes to fill," Chertoff said of Ridge.\n"I will be proud to stand again with the men and women who form our front line against terror," he said.\nChertoff, who rounds out Bush's second-term Cabinet, is actually the president's second pick for the job. Former New York City police chief Bernard Kerik withdrew as nominee last month, citing immigration problems with a family housekeeper.\nAfter failing to disclose the nanny problem during an initial screening, Kerik acknowledged it during a subsequent vetting phase as he filled out a clearance form.\nBush said that Chertoff has "been confirmed by the Senate three times," signaling that he should have no problem surmounting the advise and consent process.\nChertoff, whose appeal court nomination sailed through Congress, won immediate support on Capitol Hill, where even Democrats applauded the choice.\n"Judge Mike Chertoff has the resume to be an excellent Homeland Security Secretary, given his law enforcement background and understanding of New York's and America's neglected homeland security needs," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.\nChertoff's name was on a list of possible candidates when Ridge resigned, but he was not approached because he had been on the federal bench just a year and it was believed he would want to stay, an administration official said. When Kerik withdrew, the White House reached out to Chertoff and he expressed interest. Bush held an unannounced meeting with Chertoff on Saturday. On Sunday, after attending church and going for a bike ride, Bush called and offered the job.\nChertoff and his wife, Meryl, each donated $1,000 to Bush's first presidential campaign.\nChertoff, whose resume includes stints as a federal prosecutor in New Jersey and the Senate Republicans' chief counsel for the Clinton-era Whitewater investigation, was one of the administration's key figures in the war on terror.\nHe took the lead in 2003 in successfully arguing the government's case in a potentially precedent-setting appeal involving terrorism suspect Zacarias Moussaoui, the lone man charged as a conspirator in the Sept. 11 attacks, and playing a significant role in development of the U.S. Patriot Act to combat terrorist attacks.\nAs the U.S. attorney for New Jersey from 1990 to 1994 -- named by Bush's father -- Chertoff oversaw high-profile prosecutions of Jersey City Mayor Gerald McCann, New York chief judge Sol Wachtler and the kidnappers and killers of Exxon executive Sidney Reso. Chertoff personally handled the stock fraud trial of Eddie Antar, founder of the failed Crazy Eddie discount electronics chain.\nHe entered private practice in 1994 but stayed in the public spotlight.\nAs chief Republican counsel to the Senate Whitewater Committee during the administration of President Bill Clinton, Chertoff played a major role in the investigation of the Clintons' Arkansas business dealings; the suicide of Vincent Foster, a Clinton aide and former law partner of Hillary Clinton; and other allegations against the Clintons.\nIn 2000, he worked in Trenton, N.J., as special counsel to the state Senate Judiciary Committee that investigated racial profiling in New Jersey.\nThe choice of a new homeland security chief completes a substantial makeover of the Bush team as the president awaits his swearing-in Jan. 20 for a new term.