A Democrat on the Intelligence Committee said he didn’t receive satisfactory answers — or even preparedness to discuss the interrogation program — from President Obama’s nominee to lead the CIA, counterterrorism adviser John Brennan.
“I was deeply disappointed today during my meeting with John Brennan,” said Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.). “A few weeks ago, I had asked that he be prepared to discuss at today’s meeting the findings of the Senate Intelligence Committee’s comprehensive study on the CIA’s Detention and Interrogation program. Not only was he not prepared to discuss the important findings, but he hadn’t reviewed the report at all.”
Udall sits on the Intelligence Committee, before which Brennan will stand for a confirmation hearing on Feb. 7. He and Sens. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Ron Wyden (R-Ore.) asked to meet with Brennan yestesrday after asking him to review the committee’s findings, which were based on a documentary review of more than 6 million pages of CIA and other records and raised questions about intelligence operations and oversight.
Udall said Brennan promised to take a peek at the report before his confirmation hearing.
“I intend to hold him to that promise, and I hope Mr. Brennan will be more forthcoming in his testimony next week,” he said. “I understand that he may not see it in his or the CIA’s interests to criticize the very agency that he hopes to lead, but I see this as an opportunity for Mr. Brennan to correct the record, institute the necessary reforms and help restore the CIA’s reputation for integrity and analytical rigor.”
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