The Obama administration’s choice for a top intelligence post at the Homeland Security Department is expected to face questions from senators about his ties to the CIA’s harsh interrogations of terror suspects.
At issue is the extent of Philip Mudd’s involvement in the CIA’s interrogation program while a senior official at the agency during the administration of President George W. Bush. Mudd was nominated to be undersecretary of intelligence and analysis at Homeland Security. His confirmation hearing is expected next week.
Mudd, who was deputy director of the Office of Terrorism Analysis at the CIA, had direct knowledge of the agency’s interrogations, which included a method of simulated drowning called “waterboarding,” according to a congressional aide, who was not authorized to disclose the information and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Neither Mudd nor the White House responded to requests for comment.
The interrogation methods have come under criticism by Democratic lawmakers and President Barack Obama, who has said waterboarding is torture.
Sen. Kit Bond, the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Thursday that Mudd’s ties to the program will be queried.
“Even though members of this committee did not object to the program until it became politically risky, I expect the nominee will be questioned on his involvement,” Bond told The Associated Press.
Another Republican senator wants more information about Obama’s top pick for the post as well. Sen. Susan Collins said her staff is looking into the extent of Mudd’s involvement in the interrogation programs.
Charlie Allen, the former top intelligence official at the Homeland Security Department and longtime senior official at the CIA, said Mudd is the right person for the job.
“He is a highly respected professional intelligence officer who is honest and is an individual of high integrity. Period,” Allen said.
Part of Mudd’s job as the chief intelligence officer at the department would be to continue to build the intelligence operations and to work with the FBI and the rest the other intelligence agencies, collecting and sharing information about potential threats to the country. The position was created in 2003.
The Democratically controlled Senate will have to decide whether indirect involvement or knowledge of the CIA’s interrogation program is enough to disqualify a candidate who has been praised by Allen and other current and former intelligence officials.
Mudd’s analysts used information obtained through harsh interrogations, and the congressional aide said that Mudd probably will be questioned on whether the analysis branch pressured interrogators in the field to use harsher methods because they believed detainees were not telling the truth.
In November, Obama’s selection of John Brennan to become CIA director was derailed after a firestorm of criticism from liberal bloggers that associated Brennan with the Bush administration’s interrogation, detention and rendition programs. Rendition is the practice of sending suspects to another country, allegedly with the expectation that the suspect will be tortured.
Faced with the prospect of contentious confirmation hearings, Brennan withdrew from consideration. He currently serves as the president’s White House-based homeland security adviser, which did not require Senate confirmation.
Phil LaVelle, spokesman for the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Mudd’s confirmation hearing will be next week. La Velle would not comment further.
