U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees released the following statement announcing his opposition to Acting Director Gina Haspel’s nomination for director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
“There have been many casualties of the war against terrorism; among them was the moral judgment by those in our government who were complicit in the use of torture. Gina Haspel has served this country with dedication and patriotism during a difficult chapter in our nation’s history. But based on my review of classified and unclassified information as well as her testimony this week, I believe her role in the Agency’s use of torture and efforts to destroy evidence of it was neither minor nor incidental. In particular, I was especially disturbed that she personally wrote a cable ordering the destruction of videotape evidence of the Agency’s use of torture despite her knowledge that Administration officials had not approved such destruction. The cable led to destruction of videotapes at a time when both court proceedings and congressional committees were inquiring about such evidence.
“Torture is inhumane and counter to American values, and I echo my colleague John McCain’s disappointment in Gina Haspel’s failure to condemn it as immoral during her hearing.
“I believe the CIA needs leadership that not only honors the rule of law but meets a higher calling to the moral principles of our nation. Zeal in the mission cannot allow us to compromise our values. For this reason, I will vote no on Gina Haspel’s nomination.”
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