CORRECTED: No Court - Martial Likely for Bush Critic

MONTEREY, Calif. (Reuters) - The case of a suspended Air Force officer who accused President Bush of allowing the Sept. 11 attacks to happen to prop up his presidency has been resolved and military experts said on Thursday he would likely avoid a court-martial.

Lt. Colonel Steve Butler could face nonjudicial punishment such as a fine or a letter of reprimand for accusing Bush of knowing about the attacks but doing nothing to stop them, Air Force spokeswoman Wendy Varhegyi said.

She declined to say exactly what will happen to Butler, who friends say had planned to retire before his letter sparked the storm of controversy.

``The investigation is over and the matter has been resolved,'' she said.

Butler, a 24-year Air Force veteran who served as a navigator in the 1990 Gulf War and was most recently posted at Monterey's Defense Language Institute, was not immediately available for comment and has said nothing publicly since his letter was published on May 26 in the local newspaper.

The letter accused Bush -- the commander in chief of the U.S. armed forces -- of ``sleazy and contemptible'' conduct aimed at boosting his political ends.

``Of course Bush knew about the impending attacks on America,'' Butler said in his letter. ``He did nothing to warn the American people because he needed this war on terrorism. His daddy had Saddam and he needed Osama.