00:00The appointment of Mandelson as ambassador was a serious error of judgment.
00:04I advised the Prime Minister in support of that appointment, and I was wrong to do so.
00:10As I said in my resignation statement, I resigned because I believe responsibility should rest with those who make serious
00:18mistakes.
00:20Accountability in public life cannot apply only when it is convenient.
00:24The Prime Minister relied on my advice, and I got it wrong.
00:30It is also important, however, to distinguish between what I did do and what I did not do.
00:35What I did do was make a recommendation based on my judgment that Mandelson's experience, relationships, and political skills could
00:42serve the national interest in Washington at an important moment.
00:46That judgment was a mistake.
00:48What I did not do was oversee national security vetting, ask officials to ignore procedures, request that steps should be
00:57skipped,
00:57or communicate explicitly or implicitly that checks should be cleared at all costs.
01:03I would never have considered that acceptable.
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