"Because I was led to believe by [McGreevey] that he had someone with serious and powerful credentials to take this position."

DiFrancesco said that Freeh, a New Jersey native, had already agreed to take the sensitive post without any compensation, but Governor-elect McGreevey was reluctant to sign off on the arrangement.

"I did ask Jim McGreevey to call [Freeh]," recalled DiFrancesco. "He did not call him. Eventually he told me he had someone else in mind. I couldn't argue with that - he was the incoming governor."

DiFrancesco said McGreevey mentioned the name of former U.S. attorney Herb Stern.

But when he heard that McGreevey had picked Cipel instead for the top security post, he was mystified.

"I thought it was a really dumb mistake," he told Hannity. "I couldn't figure out why he would do that. ... It sent a really bad signal to law enforcement."

DiFrancesco noted that "about half" the people who died in the World Trade Center came from New Jersey, saying that having a former FBI chief in charge of state security could have been a real morale booster.

"Louis Freeh was an apolitical person, someone with a great background," he told Hannity. "We needed to make a statement in New Jersey to help our people feel secure and safe."

DiFrancesco said McGreevey's resignation announcement on Thursday helped clear up the mystery of the Freeh snub, telling Hannity, "You know, now we see why" McGreevey picked Cipel instead.

McGreevey was eventually forced to withdraw Cipel's name from consideration after the FBI refused to give him national security briefings because he was not an American citizen.

Instead, Cipel was installed in a no-show state job, paid a six-figure salary and given three assistants as well as a car and driver.

Editor's note: