HARTFORD — U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Monday announced his opposition to the confirmation of President Donald Trump’s nominee for Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Congressman Mike Pompeo (R-Kansas). Due to weather-related travel cancellations and delays, Murphy was unable to return to Washington to cast his vote. Murphy released the following statement. He will also submit a statement of opposition to the Congressional Record. 

“I oppose Congressman Pompeo’s confirmation because I believe he will take the CIA in a dangerously wrong direction.

“America needs a CIA director who will uphold American values by resolutely condemning torture and mass surveillance. Congressman Pompeo's last minute attempt to walk back his opposition to torture is very disturbing, and suggests the Trump Administration is readying to abandon our commitment to international human rights.

“Second, Congressman Pompeo's enthusiasm for bringing back programs that sweep up massive amounts of Americans' private information is deeply troubling. I have no confidence that Donald Trump would sufficiently protect the private emails of Americans if he had access to them, and Congressman Pompeo's support for large scale data collection programs is inconsistent with the bipartisan reforms of the PATRIOT Act that passed in the last Congress.

“Third, I am very worried that Congressman Pompeo, as CIA Director, will continue the trend of covert agencies usurping the power of the State Department and the Defense Department. Congressman Pompeo, under questioning, refused to acknowledge the longstanding precedent of diplomatic embassies having primary authority for final sign off on overseas operations. This suggests Congressman Pompeo could lead a rogue agency that will frustrate rather than aid our diplomatic objectives overseas."

In June 2015, Murphy joined U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) to lay out principles for a forward-looking foreign policy. The Senators wrote in Foreign Affairs, “we believe that covert actions such as mass surveillance and large-scale CIA lethal operations must be constrained. The dramatic expansion of the U.S. intelligence apparatus after 9/11, largely unseen and unchecked, requires greater oversight and restraint. Decisions about surveillance, lethal drone strikes, and interrogation techniques must be made in the light of day with greater congressional oversight. For example, the United States should consolidate authority for offensive counterterrorism operations at the Department of Defense instead of the CIA, which has more limited congressional oversight.”

The senators also wrote, “we believe that the United States should practice what it preaches regarding civil and human rights, and defend its values internationally. America’s reputation as a beacon of freedom and opportunity is a powerful asset. Inadequate respect for civil rights domestically robs from the United States the moral authority to root out abuses and corruption overseas. Actions abroad that are illegal under U.S. law and out of step with American values, such as torture, must be prohibited. Human rights and gender equality should not be viewed as secondary to security issues, but appropriately recognized as essential to long-term global stability.”

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