WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) questioned Avril Haines, President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee to serve as Director of National Intelligence (DNI), on the importance of depoliticizing America’s Intelligence Community (IC) given recent administration moves that resulted in the undercutting of independent analysis from the IC. During Haines’s nomination hearing before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Senator King emphasized the importance of providing unbiased intelligence to American decision makers, regardless of political implications. In response to Senator King’s questioning, Director-nominee Haines affirmed her commitment to providing unvarnished facts, no matter the preferences of President Biden.

Excerpts from Sen. King’s questioning are below:                                                                                                          

KING: “You’ve talked extensively today about your concern about the politicization of intelligence and I wholeheartedly agree with you. What do you believe should be done structurally to ensure the integrity of the analytic process, in other words, just saying it’s going to be not compromised needs to be buttressed by structural and institutional supports it seems to me, like additional support for the ombudsmen program in the CIA and throughout the community. Can you talk to me about how to put into practice your concern about the depoliticization of the Intelligence Community?”

HAINES: Yes Senator, thank you. Fully appreciate your leadership, also, on these issues. I don’t have specific structural recommendations at this stage. I do think it’s reasonable to consider whether or not the ombudsman has sufficient support. I think that one of the first things I’d like to do is send the clear message to the Intelligence Community that we are expected to produce apolitical, unvarnished intelligence to the President-elect, to his senior advisors, and that the President himself expects that and will expect the Intelligence Community to provide information regardless of whether or not he wants to hear it…But I would commit, sir, to come back to you once I’ve had an opportunity, if confirmed, to dig in in a sense, and also to get your advice on these questions.

KING: Has the president elect ordered you to tell him the truth?

HAINES: The President-Elect has just about done that. I’m not sure he – he hasn’t put it in writing that way but he has made it absolutely clear that he expects that the IC will provide him with political truth to power analysis. And truly, has been adamant about this. He really understands and recognizes the importance of that to the health and decision process within government.

KING: I think the danger – the good news is you have a long and positive relationship with the President-elect you have his confidence obviously, the bad news is that that long relationship could create a kind of friendship that would inadvertently or unconsciously skew your advice. Not that you wouldn’t tell him something that he does need to hear, but you might not want to tell him something that he doesn’t want to hear. I hope you will continue to maintain a positive confident relationship, but at the same time, be prepared because there are going to be moments in your analysis and your agency’s analysis will be different from the policies of the Administration.

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Senator King has long been a strong supporter of an independent, apolitical Intelligence Community. He raised this issue during the nomination of DNI John Ratcliffe, who he voted against confirming in part due to then-Congressman Ratcliffe’s extensive political background. Senator King also expressed his opposition to President Trump’s removal of Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson, arguing: “When America has more hard thinkers with independent, evidence-based judgment, we are all safer and stronger…When speaking the truth leads to potential retribution, we know less and are at increased risk; the world we live in is darker and more dangerous.”