CHARLES MOLINEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Well, President Bush is expected to move fast and find a replacement for Henry Kissinger. Kissinger made a surprise move yesterday. He stepped down as head of the panel to investigate the September 11 attacks. CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux has more.</s>SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It was a bombshell for President Bush. A senior administration official tells me that news of Dr. Kissinger's resignation of the September 11 commission came as a complete surprise to the president, that he told chief of staff Andy Card, who then passed it along to the president late Friday afternoon. The controversy, whether or not Kissinger's business interests would conflict or appear to conflict with his duties as chair of the commission, whether or not he was required to disclose the names of his private-sector clients associated with his consulting firm, as had been requested by some Democrats and 9/11 victims. Kissinger, in his letter to the president, said that to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, that he was prepared to submit all relevant financial information to the White House as well as to an independent review. A senior administration official telling me that he told chief of staff Card that he was willing to disclose the names of his clients as well, but he feared that he would not be able to satisfy his critics. In his words, he said that there would be "no end to the controversy." Now, President Bush accepted Kissinger's resignation with regret. It was just days ago that former Senator George Mitchell, the co-chair of the commission, also stepped down under pressure to quit his own law firm. The administration says that it will try to find a replacement for Kissinger very soon. Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, the White House.
Henry Kissinger Drops Bombshell on President Bush