US President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Gina Haspel, is projected to secure enough votes to win Senate confirmation after two senior Democratic senators expressed support for the nominee.
Democratic Senators Mark Warner and Heidi Heitkamp announced on Tuesday that they would vote for Haspel to be the next CIA director, who has so far won “yes” votes from 10 of the committee’s 15 members.
“Over the last year I’ve had the opportunity to work with Ms. Haspel in her role as Deputy Director, and I have always found her to be professional and forthright with the Intelligence Committee,” said Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee.
“Most importantly, I believe she is someone who can and will stand up to the President if ordered to do something illegal or immoral — like a return to torture,” he added.
Heitkamp, Democrat of North Dakota, also released a statement moments after Warner…