Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told reporters on Wednesday that he will try to declassify as much information as possible about Gina Haspel, the nominee to lead the CIA, who was involved in the agency’s torture program.
“We want to declassify as much as possible without jeopardizing someone’s what we call sources and methods,” Coats told reporters, according to Politico. “Every effort will be made to explain fully what her role was.”
Haspel played a key role in the CIA’s secret torture program, overseeing the torture of at least one terrorism suspect in a CIA prison in Thailand. She also helped destroy video tapes of torture sessions carried out at the prison.
Given Haspel’s background, senators have demanded that the CIA release information on Haspel’s role in the torture program, and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has come out against her nomination.
Coats defended Haspel to reporters on Wednesday.
“Gina plans to be totally transparent in regards to this issue, and a lot of that has been mischaracterized,” he said, per Politico. “What is being alleged is simply not true.”
