Washington, DC – Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today announced his opposition to the nomination of Gina Haspel to lead the Central Intelligence Agency:
“Torture is disqualifying. It is disqualifying for those who commit the act of violence. It is disqualifying for those who give the order, follow the order, or supply the pretext for the order. And it is disqualifying for those who help to cover it up.
“We know Ms. Haspel was a willing participant in one of the darkest episodes in the CIA’s history—an episode that degraded our standing in the world, put U.S. captives at great risk of similar torture, and failed at obtaining significant intelligence gains. While Congress has been denied access to the full extent of her involvement, she was sufficiently involved to be disqualified to lead the agency.”
Whitehouse served on the Intelligence Committee from 2007 until 2011 and was deeply involved in compiling the 2014 Senate report on the Bush-era CIA’s detention and interrogation program. He currently serves as the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
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