ACLU Comment on Haspel Letter to Sen. Warner

WASHINGTON — CIA director nominee Gina Haspel wrote a letter to Sen. Warner (D-Va.) trying to address concerns of the agency’s torture program.

Christopher Anders, deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Washington Legislative Office, said:

“Once again, Gina Haspel doesn’t even acknowledge any role that she had in the CIA’s torture program. This letter is just the latest evidence that Haspel fails the test of honesty and transparency that is expected of one of the highest agency posts. In a glaring conflict of interest, she alone decides what aspects of her personal involvement are made public. So far, her decision has been to hide every shred of evidence.

“She went through an entire public hearing without once acknowledging her own actions. In a letter to the Senate today she admits that ‘the program ultimately did damage to our officers,’ but does not acknowledge that she had a supervisory role. Haspel is using her power to keep her own role secret as a way to help jam through her own nomination. As Sen. Mark Warner wrote last week, ‘this lack of transparency for the American people about someone nominated for a cabinet-level position is unacceptable.’”