In a secret vote on Wednesday, the Senate Intelligence Committee approved of Gina Haspel to head the Central Intelligence Agency.
Ten Senators on the panel supported the nomination, while five were opposed. “No” votes included Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who blasted both Haspel and the committee immediately after the proceedings.
“Gina Haspel and the CIA have committed one of the most blatant abuses of power in recent history, aided and abetted by a total failure of Congressional oversight,” Wyden said in a statement.
The senator referenced Haspel’s position as both the nominee to head the CIA and as a classification authority determining which of her records should be released to the public and the committee for vetting purposes.
During her confirmation hearing last week, Wyden alleged that Haspel and the agency were only releasing documents that were favorable to her, while withholding damaging records.
Haspel played an integral role in the CIA’s illegal torture program. In 2002, she ran a black site in Thailand where waterboarding and other brutal interrogation techniques were used. She was then involved in a decision to destroy videotapes of the torture sessions, despite the objections of Bush administration officials and congressional overseers. Many of the records about her service in the agency during this time are secret.
In his statement on Wednesday, Wyden included a cryptic warning.
“My concerns are wide-ranging and are based on still-classified matters that are far broader than what has been reported in the press,” he said. “They are not just historical, but involve what kind of leader she is and will be going forward, if she is confirmed.”
Although the vote was secret, committee members Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) had already publicly expressed their support for Haspel. There are seven Democrats and eight Republicans on the committee.
The full Senate is now expected to take up Haspel’s nomination before the week is out.
Though two Republicans will not support the nominee–Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.)–Democratic support ensures Haspel will clear the Senate. In addition to Sens. Manchin and Warner, Haspel has, in recent days, secured the support of Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.).
