[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 12 (Monday, January 23, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S387]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     CONFIRMATION OF MICHAEL POMPEO

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, today, I voted against Representative 
Pompeo's confirmation as Director of the CIA. His changing statements 
on the use of torture leave me no choice. His written answers to the 
Senate Intelligence Committee, saying that he will consult with CIA 
experts as to whether the methods in the U.S. Army Field Manual are 
sufficient and, if they aren't, work with legal experts and 
congressional overseers to make changes, are extremely alarming and 
contradict what he told me personally when we met in my office.
  Federal law now clearly prohibits torture and ``cruel, inhumane, and 
degrading'' treatment of detainees and prohibits interrogation 
techniques not authorized by the Army Field Manual. We cannot go 
backwards on this seminal issue of human rights.
  For years, I was highly critical of the CIA's detention and 
interrogation program and repeatedly questioned its legality. Over 13 
years ago, I authored the first legislation to make clear that the 
cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment of detainees is illegal under 
U.S. law in all circumstances. Today, I stood in opposition of 
Representative Pompeo's confirmation to be CIA Director because, in 
order to win the war on terrorism, we must remain true to the 
principles upon which our country was founded.

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