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September 11, 2009

Ex-CIA, NSA Director Appointed to Declassification Panel
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Controversy is brewing over the appointment of a top Bush administration
official to a White House advisory panel on declassification. Michael
Hayden, the former director of the National Security Agency and later
the Central Intelligence Agency, has been tapped to join the Public
Interest Declassification Board. Senate Minority Leader Mitch Mc Connell
appointed Hayden during the August recess. Hayden oversaw the Bush
administration’s warrantless spy program and aggressively backed CIA
practices including secret prisons and extraordinary rendition. He has
recently opposed the release of government memos authorizing the use of
torture, saying their disclosure would harm national security.



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