Gina Haspel told a top Democrat that she would “refuse to undertake any proposed activity that is contrary to my moral and ethical values” if confirmed to lead the CIA, and acknowledged that the agency’s past use of some interrogation techniques reflected poorly on the CIA.
“With the benefit of hindsight and my experience as a senior Agency leader, the enhanced interrogation program is not one the CIA should have undertaken,” she said in a letter to Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the leading Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee.
That committee will vote Wednesday on her nomination, and most Democrats have said they are not yet convinced Haspel would refuse to implement enhanced interrogation techniques that many have said amount to torture.
Warner has not made up his mind about Haspel but could announce a decision later today. Warner told the Washington Examiner following Haspel’s confirmation hearing last week that he was concerned Haspel did not fully denounce the use of enhanced interrogation techniques that have now largely be declared torture.
Haspel’s letter to Warner said both she and the agency “have heard hard lessons,” since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. But she said she “won’t condemn those that made the hard calls,” and said valuable information was obtained from the interrogation program.
Haspel is expected to win approval from the committee on Wednesday and from the Senate later this month. She has already garnered the support of two red-state Democrats and all Republicans but one.
