On the recordJune 6, 2017
today the Senate will vote on the nomination of Courtney Elwood to be CIA general counsel. This is an important job that got even more important in the past week. As I will explain, this position may play a crucial role in determining whether history is erased or preserved for generations of Americans to come. As Senators know, last week the current chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee demanded that several key government agencies get rid of their copies of the torture report prepared by Senator Feinstein and her colleagues. I am going to take a few minutes to describe what this has to do with Courtney Elwood. In short, it starts with the CIA's history of torture, which was carefully documented and sourced by the Intelligence Committee under Senator Feinstein's leadership. This is the issue that is being debated--the CIA's history of torture. That is why it is critically important that the CIA get back its copy of the report. If Courtney Elwood is confirmed, the decision on whether to do so may be up to her. Here is why: The CIA Director, Mr. Pompeo, who said at his confirmation hearing that he would read the report, has gotten rid of the CIA's copy. He did so despite the fact that the current chair of the Intelligence Committee had no authority to demand that of him. Mr. Pompeo got rid of the report despite a personal promise to read it, and he did this even though it may have violated the law.…





