King voting no on Trump's CIA director nominee
Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, who caucuses with Democrats, announced Wednesday evening he will vote against Gina Haspel's nomination to be the next CIA director.
Posted — Updated"So, following my private meeting with Acting Director Haspel, extensive study of classified and unclassified documents, discussions with intelligence professionals, her testimony before our Committee, and after hearing from hundreds of concerned citizens in Maine, I have concluded that I do not believe she is the right person to lead this important agency, and will vote no on her nomination," he said in a statement.
Republicans hold a narrow majority on the chamber, but with GOP Sen. Rand Paul saying he'll oppose Haspel and Sen. John McCain recovering from brain cancer in Arizona, Republicans expect to need at least a few Democrats in order to confirm Haspel.
King is the latest senator to say he will not vote for Haspel. Earlier Wednesday, Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia said he will vote yes for Haspel and Sen. Jon Tester of Montana said Tuesday he'd vote no.
Both King and Manchin sit on the Senate intelligence committee, which hosted Haspel's confirmation hearing earlier Wednesday.
Copyright 2024 by Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.
