Mark Warner on Pompeo CIA confirmation

U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued this statement after the Senate voted 66-32 to confirm Rep. Mike Pompeo as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

“I congratulate Congressman Pompeo on his confirmation by the Senate, and believe that he can be an effective leader of the CIA at a time when the Agency is facing many challenges.

“While I do not agree with some of the views he has expressed, Congressman Pompeo has impressed me with his respect for the dedication and impartiality of the intelligence professionals at the CIA. I have received his assurances that he will accurately represent the unvarnished views of the analysts who work there, no matter what the President or others may want to hear, and that he will cooperate with Congress, particularly as we look into Russia’s efforts to interfere with our election system.

“I have also been reassured by the multiple responses he has made under oath to comply with the law banning torture. And let me be clear: As Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I will oppose any effort by this Administration or by Congress to change the existing policies of the United States of America, which ban the torture of detainees.”