Senior intelligence officials who have served in Republican and Democratic administrations endorsed the nomination of Gina Haspel to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Politico reported.
The group, which includes six former CIA directors, sent a letter to the bipartisan leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee Monday.
More than 50 people signed the letter, including John Brennan, Leon Panetta, and Michael Morell, who led the CIA during Barack Obama's administration, as well as James Clapper, who was director of national intelligence during the Obama administration.
"Those who have served alongside Ms. Haspel have only the utmost praise and respect for her. She has broad support from the CIA workforce… within the U.S. national security community and among our allies around the globe, admiration for her is unsurpassed," the group wrote in the letter.
Haspel, the deputy director of the CIA, is likely to need Democratic support as a number of Republican lawmakers have expressed their doubts, according to Politico.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said in March that he would do "whatever it takes" to block the nomination of Haspel to the position.
On March 23, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., wrote a letter to Haspel, asking her for a "detailed account" of her role overseeing CIA interrogation programs between 2001 and 2009.
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