Feinstein wants Haspel's records in interrogation program declassified

Feinstein sent a letter to Haspel and outgoing CIA Director Mike Pompeo saying that a full accounting of Haspel's record in the Bush-era interrogation program is needed to evaluate her record.

"As we move forward with the nomination process for Ms. Haspel, my fellow senators and I must have the complete picture of Ms. Haspel's involvement in the program in order to fully and fairly review her record and qualifications," Feinstein wrote. "I also believe the American people deserve to know the actual role the person nominated to be the director of the CIA played in what I consider to be one of the darkest chapters in American history."

Feinstein is poised to play a key role in the confirmation process. She was chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee when Democrats released their scathing report on the Bush-era interrogation program and is still on the panel.

After Haspel was nominated, Feinstein praised her record as deputy CIA director, and said the two of them have had lengthy conversations about the CIA's treatment of terror suspects. But Feinstein, who is up for re-election this year and faces a challenger from her left, said she would wait until after Haspel's confirmation hearing to decide how she'll vote on her confirmation.

Feinstein now joins Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden and civil liberties groups who have called for the CIA to declassify records related to Haspel's role in the interrogation program.

During her 30-year CIA career, Haspel supervised the interrogation of terrorism suspects in Thailand, and she later was involved with the decision to destroy tapes of CIA interrogations.

Haspel, who is currently deputy CIA director, faces a difficult confirmation battle over those actions, with Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky already opposed her nomination and Democrats planning to make that a key issue when she testifies on Capitol Hill.