The 10-5 vote behind closed doors clears the way for Haspel to receive a confirmation vote of the full Senate as early as this week.
Haspel is expected to win confirmation when a vote occurs despite her role in supervising a CIA black site in Thailand where prisoners were tortured as well as concerns over her role in the destruction of videotaped recordings of brutal CIA interrogations.
During her confirmation hearing before the Senate intelligence committee last week, Haspel was grilled by Democrats over her record, and repeatedly asked if she thought torture was immoral. She did not say it is.
Senator
John MaverickMcCain
... the Senator-for-Life from Arizona, former presidential candidate and even more former
foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution. As an
ordinary citizenhe greased the infamous
hookers peeing on the Obamabed in Moscowdossier in an attempt to smear President Trump...
, a Republican who was a victim of torture during the Vietnam War, urged his colleagues to reject her nomination shortly after the hearing concluded.
"Ms. Haspel’s role in overseeing the use of torture by Americans is disturbing. Her refusal to acknowledge torture’s immorality is disqualifying," McCain said. "The Senate should exercise its duty of advice and consent and reject this nomination."