Sen. Wyden: CIA engaging in 'cover-up' of director nominee Gina Haspel's background

Erin Kelly | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Why Gina Haspel is a controversial CIA pick Gina Haspel is a career CIA official and would be the first woman to head the agency. But her involvement in operating CIA “black sites” during the Bush administration is controversial.

WASHINGTON — Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee say they are increasingly "disturbed" by classified information they are reading about CIA director nominee Gina Haspel, and Sen. Ron Wyden charged Tuesday that the agency is engaged in a "cover-up" of her covert actions.

Although the senators are barred by federal law from disclosing what they've read, it has been widely reported that Haspel was involved in the CIA's use of torture while interrogating suspected terrorists during the George W. Bush administration. She also reportedly carried out orders to destroy videotapes showing prisoners being waterboarded.

Wyden said his concerns about Haspel, who has served as the agency's deputy director since early last year, "are significantly broader than what has been alleged in the press."

"They're (the CIA) doing everything they can to keep the facts from getting out," Wyden, D-Ore., said in an interview. "I believe there is a cover-up of her background."

CIA spokesman Ryan Trapani said Tuesday that the agency is working to release as many details of Haspel's long — and by nature secretive — career as possible without jeopardizing national security.

"Deputy Director Haspel has a storied career at CIA and a record of tremendous service to this country," Trapani said in a statement. "Prior to last year, Deputy Director Haspel’s entire career at CIA was classified, including the fact she worked at CIA. CIA has made publicly available many details and will continue to see what additional information can be made available consistent with national security requirements."

Trapani said the agency will share her classified record with all senators and not just with the Senate Intelligence Committee, which normally gets an exclusive look at secret documents. The committee will conduct a confirmation hearing with Haspel as early as next week, and will then vote on whether to recommend her approval by the full Senate.

More: Gina Haspel, nominated by Trump as first woman to lead CIA, has controversial past

"Through the confirmation process, the American public will get to know her for the first time," Trapani said. "When they do, we are confident America will be proud to have the Deputy Director as the next CIA Director."

Wyden, along with Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., wrote a letter to current CIA Director Mike Pompeo this week asking him to declassify information about Haspel's 33-year career at the CIA so that the public and the full Senate can read what she has done.

Feinstein is the former chairman of the committee and oversaw the production of a 2014 report on the CIA's use of torture to interrogate suspected terrorists after the 9/11 attacks. President Obama banned the use of torture in a 2009 executive order, and Congress solidified the ban in a 2015 defense bill.

"The more we review the classified facts, the more disturbed we are, both by the actions she (Haspel) has taken during her career and by the CIA’s failure to allow the public the opportunity to consider them," the senators wrote in their fifth letter to Pompeo.

Wyden said it will be "pretty hard" for senators to ask Haspel crucial questions about her actions at the CIA while they try to avoid revealing classified information.

"The American people need to know what this is all about," Wyden said.

If confirmed by the Senate, Haspel would become the first woman to head the agency. She would replace Pompeo, who has been nominated by President Trump to serve as secretary of State.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C., has expressed strong support for Haspel, who has spent the bulk of her career in secret counterintelligence operations around the world.

"I know Gina personally and she has the right skill set, experience, and judgment to lead one of our nation’s most critical agencies," Burr said in a recent statement.

In an April 9 letter to the committee, more than 50 former national security officials from both Democratic and Republican administrations — including former CIA directors John Brennan, Leon Panetta, George Tenet and Michael Hayden — endorsed Haspel.

"Ms. Haspel's qualifications to become CIA Director match or exceed those of most candidates put forward in the Agency's 70-year history," they wrote. "She has spent more than 30 years of her life quietly serving America and the CIA, routinely stepping up to handle some of the most demanding assignments around the globe."

Haspel's numerous awards have included the Intelligence Medal of Merit, a Presidential Rank Award, and the George H.W. Bush Award for Excellence in Counterterrorism.

However, Haspel's confirmation by the Senate is far from certain. Republicans hold a slim 51-49 majority, and Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has already come out against Haspel's nomination because of her involvement in torture. It's not clear how many Democrats will support her.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a former prisoner of war who was tortured by the North Vietnamese, also has expressed concern about Haspel. It's not certain if McCain, who has been undergoing treatment for brain cancer, will be well enough to vote on her confirmation.

"Ms. Haspel needs to explain the nature and extent of her involvement in the CIA’s interrogation program during the confirmation process," McCain said last month.