Senators Demand That Their Colleagues Have Access To Report On Destruction Of Videotapes Before Voting On CIA Director Nominee

WASHINGTON, D.C. - After reviewing the investigation report written by U.S. Attorney and former special prosecutor John Durham regarding the destruction of videotapes by the CIA, known as the Durham report, U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Angus King (I-Maine), and Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.), are calling for all senators to have access to it before voting on Gina Haspel's nomination to be Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director.

The Justice Department provided the Durham report to Senate leadership and the Senate Intelligence Committee, but has blocked other Senators from seeing the report. Yet in a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions today, the senators wrote that they, “believe that no senator can consider Ms. Haspel’s nomination in good conscience without first reviewing this document.”

The senators continued, “We strongly urge that the Justice Department immediately permit all senators to review the Durham report without redactions. While it may not be typical practice to make such materials available outside the Department, we do not believe these are typical circumstances.”

The full text of the letter is below and available here. 

Honorable Jeff Sessions
Attorney General of the United States 
Department of Justice
Washington, D.C. 20530 

Dear Attorney General Sessions:

We have reviewed the investigation report written by U.S. Attorney and former special prosecutor John Durham regarding the destruction of videotapes by the CIA, known as the Durham report. We believe this report is highly relevant to the nomination of Gina Haspel to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The Justice Department provided this report to Senate leadership and the Senate Intelligence Committee, restricting its review to Committee members and limited staff. Yet we believe that no senator can consider Ms. Haspel’s nomination in good conscience without first reviewing this document.

As the CIA has declassified the internal investigation into the videotapes’ destruction authored by former Acting Director Michael Morell, we believe there also needs to be more transparency with regard to the Durham report. We strongly urge that the Justice Department immediately permit all senators to review the Durham report without redactions. While it may not be typical practice to make such materials available outside the Department, we do not believe these are typical circumstances. 

Thank you for your prompt attention to our request.

Sincerely,