WASHINGTON--Donald Trump's nominee to head the CIA sought on Thursday to repair damage from the president-elect's feud with U.S. intelligence agencies, saying he accepted their findings on Russian hacking, would not comply if ordered to renew use of harsh interrogation techniques and would always "have their backs."
Mike Pompeo's testimony at his Senate confirmation hearing appeared aimed at reassuring staff at the agency he has been picked to lead, even at the risk of contradicting or distancing himself from some of Trump's strongest criticism of the intelligence community.
Diverging from Trump's stated aim of seeking closer ties with Russia, Pompeo accused the Russian leadership of "aggressive action" in meddling in the November U.S. elections, of "asserting itself aggressively" by occupying part of Ukraine and of doing "doing nearly nothing" to destroy Islamic State.
Pompeo, a Republican member of the House of Representatives and a former U.S. Army officer, insisted that if necessary he would be ready to stand up to Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, and would shield CIA operatives against any effort to politicize its work. "You have my commitment that every day, I will not only speak truth to power, but I will demand that the men and the women (of the CIA) ... follow my instruction to do that each and every day," he said.
For weeks, the Republican president-elect questioned the intelligence agencies' conclusion that Russia used hacking and other tactics to try to tilt the election in his favor - an unprecedented breach between an incoming U.S. leader and the intelligence operatives he will soon command. Trump said on Wednesday that Russia was behind the hacking but that other countries were hacking the United States as well.
Asked about the hacking, Pompeo said he was very clear about what he called an "aggressive action" ordered by the Russian leadership, and accepted the U.S. intelligence report on the matter. "I've seen nothing to cast any doubt on the findings in the report," he said.
Trump this week also furiously denounced intelligence officials for what he said were leaks to the media by intelligence agencies of a dossier that makes unverified, salacious allegations about his contacts in Russia. By contrast, Pompeo voiced strong support for the agency, saying he has seen Central Intelligence Agency staff "walk through fire."
He said he understood it would be a problem "if folks were afraid there would be political retribution" and promised "to have their backs at every single moment. You have my word I will do that."
