IGh,
Forgive me, but I thought it was clearly established that the NTSB's role was to:
- make a big fuss about any investigation which isn't conducted according to their house rules, and then,
- leak all the details to the media as soon as it suits them...
Of course, having a safety board appointed along political lines is the way to go!
(Maybe later I'll put a few words together about the BEA...)