Serve as the cia and dr. General talked about interrogation techniques at his confirmation hearing yesterday. Ciasharply served as acting Inspector General sense 2015 cured the Senate IntelligenceCommittee Hearing is one hour and 20 minutes. All this sharpley next nominee to the Inspector General of the cfo of congratulations find your sen. Burr i would like to welcome our witness today, the nominee to be the next Inspector General of the Central Intelligence agency. Chris, congratulations on your nomination. I would like to recognize the family you have brought with you today. I understand your wife, kimberly, is here, as well as your sons. Give me a wave, ok . And your daughter and her husband. Good. Now, of course, your mother, joyce. Welcome. Our goal to conduct this hearing is to enable the qualifications chris already provided responses to 85 questions prevent presented by the committee to dave members can ask additional questions and hear from mr. Sharpley in open session. And receiving his masters from the naval postgraduate school. And to receive a commission from the u. S. Air force with the counterintelligence officer with the special investigations. As director of security and towhee retired honorably from the air force in 2002 immediately following went to the office of the Inspector General as a federal agent since then with the department of energy with those offices at the t. A. R. P. Program landed 2010 cruz received the president ial word awarded in 2012 he retired as a federal civilian Law Enforcement officer starting his career at the california. If you dont mind me saying i dont think you very good and retiring. [laughter] through 2015 serving as the Inspector General of the cia. He has served as deputy and acting ig of the cia. The Inspector General is critical to the Intelligence Community and i trust you will lead with integrity ethically and morally. As i mentioned with the nominees this committee will faithfully followed the charter with realtime oversight over the Intelligence Committee and its activities. To wrasse difficult and probing questions of you and your staff with the complete and timely response. And to have that consideration. And for your years of service with the military and a look forward to your testimony i now recognize the vicechairman for an opening statement. Good to see you again mr. Sharpley vision and your family congratulations to your nomination. I believe the job of the Inspector General of the caa is critical from any agency. This committee will rely on the Inspector General to ensure those organizations are using taxpayer dollars wisely. Were in the spirit of the law to protect whistleblowers to report fraud and waste and abuse those functions with the organization like the cia by necessity i appreciate your third ig nominee to come forward and i express my hope for the position of the of ig this position has been vacant since february but i am concerned with those changes that are occurring there. We talk about a number of important issues you will face. And then with that importance to protect whistleblowers. To make sure all cia employees know their rights and responsibilities. It for them to report waste fraud and review reduce abuse. And your job is hard heating hard hitting. And to guard your independence. To hear you reaffirmed that is your goal. Into have that Interrogation Program specifically with the executive branch that is not reported. How your office lost the then found the copying of the report and to return that to the committee. And how that came to be lost and finally to get the reassurance looking and not russian interference. They give for this service to our country and for being here today is another opportunity to serve our country afford to the discussion. Please raise your right hand. The you you give the committee the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth so help you god . I do. Please be seated. Now moving to your statement. With his practice that i asked five standard questions we propose to each nominee it is yes or no for the record. To agree to appear before the committee when invited . Yes. If confirmed weve said officials and designated staff . Yes. Provide documents or materials requested to carry out the oversight . Yes i do. We will ensure your office and staff provide materials when requested . Do you agree to inform and brief to the full extent possible of intelligence activity and covert actions rather than just the chair or vice chair . I do. Now i will recognize members by seniority. In to appear before you to consider the nomination in tv the Inspector General of the caa per gram humbled to tackle the challenges of this important decision. At the risk of a bite to use back speak to my background and experience to serve. So over the past 36 years after receiving a commission the airforce in 1981 it was the Counter Intelligence officer. During the tenures of activeduty service. Or for another 10 years with the air force reserves. And with those Security Specialist and i retired honorably from the reserves in 2002. Upon transitioning to parttime reserve side began fulltime employment as a civilian special agent at the department of energy Inspector General then i became the Inspector General for investigations with leadership responsibilities covering the Nuclear Weapons complex. And for those of troubled assets relief program. To assist them to build brand new offices to detect and counter fraud with banking and Financial Markets through the 2008 and 2012 time frame. To have those investigainvestiga tive programs for prosecutions the returns significant dollars to u. S. Treasury. In through the civilian agent a lawenforcement officer that is where i began with the cia Inspector General buckley. Day the eric being those breast best practices to be applied at the office of Inspector General. I answer that call where i served as his deputy until his retirement as a deputy acting as Inspector General through now. To preempt a the threats in those objectives. The mission is essential at california per cry have not continued to stand firm with the team of auditors and inspectors in as acting Inspector General and to make to the cia leadership it to further strengthen the process by incorporating the best practices across the community. I further believe successfully to establish a reputation as an independent objective and honest acting Inspector General. By the director. And my hope is it has been to gain the trust of this committee. If confirmed i will continue to be responsive to a committee concerns. The mission of the cia is not more important than it is right now with National Security risks. And with keen attention. The cia appropriately response and that classified highrisk mission that those classified activities received. That is why a capable Inspector General is needed. With that Mission Integrity and efficiency so those skills that have been acquired and that has prepared me to fill the cia Inspector General. Thank you for this opportunity to testify and i will answer any questions you may have. It is my intention that for planning purposes we will encourage members to have additional questions for the record. I will also remind members for those that they should of that fact. And the cia Inspector General of whose work in most cases but the work of the ids office and employees had you planned to continue your efforts that the employees and contractors are fully aware of the function of the ig . With then cia there is an Awareness Program to see on an annual basis. Making a complaint in that training. With that significant effort soever those opportunities arise. Beyond that and extensive damage sure Whistleblower Program and i have had the opportunity to build two whistleblower hotline programs and to make improvements for energy and here at cia per gram very proud of the practices we put in place with those contractors with the ability to make confidential and anonymous and any given time those process to put him place that every complaint or concern that is received is given a review by then senior staff by the office of Inspector General slow those skills sets are able to look at the issue to say they think the complaint or concerns should be handled. The biggest challenge ended it is of recruitment with those systems in place with of cia with the on boarding process to recruit our fox. In my opinion and to put very strongly about and for every person to identify the individual but i have to give three conditional offers of employment. I know that statistically to out of three and will lose over the period of time from the time i give it to the time they go on board and for every offer of of prime and i have to conduct five interviews ago to fill 10 slots but is perceived of by a turnover we have other Mission Areas would like a the services of my people have to offer 30 offers of employment and then 150 interviews that is the anonymous process so the process of on boarding is the most prominent. I want to go back to follow up on those whistleblowers. So with these Whistleblower Programs talk about what else you can do on the hot line it in the answers to the written questions that youd try to beef up to bring in those experts to help devise you and to take us through your commitment have particularly with increased retaliation of reprisals basis of the whistleblower. Whistle blowing and the programs of the Inspector General is essential to the success of any Inspector General of any program whether confidence of whistleblowers that they feel and comfortable to provide information if they are not they will not come to you if you cannot fulfill your mission of exploring fraud waste and abuse. So in particular to everything is compartment it scattered around the world that the first thing that i did to approve the of Whistleblowing Program is with the robust of Reach Program about what that program is about so the main thrust of that reaches to ensure where the cia officer is located around the world to make a confidential anonymous complaint or sharing of concern. Diane very comfortable the we know from the type of work that they are in with the effectiveness of the various programs we know the even though i am comfortable with the program it would be appropriate and prudent to invite others. Then the ig Community Better known to have very solid programs when i refer to this in the questionnaire a lot my chief of staff to reach out to these individuals with individual assessment with the education effort. And then as it comes into a timely fashion. And then to address those issues. And that can be prevented calmly and quickly. But what did come up was how the report was lost and with that explanation that you offered we in the process. And if anybody was held accountable . I would be happy to discuss those issues and i understand it is an important issue. So we received a copy of the committees study december 2014. That the reporter be uploaded and that was done. When we receive guidance they should not be placed into any system with the freedom of information act so that organization in that uploaded to delete the report to take the desk to put in a classified safe to delete that from the system from the right to administrator responsible to handling the media but the process is in place an order to control the classifieds is to destroy a the diskette. And then to request we got the desk to the best of my knowledge i asked where was but nobody could find a desk. I informed the committee we could not find it. And then to insure there is no way to find out what happened. So with that itea administrator is that it had been shredded and they were unaware of the deletion of the document and had shredded the desk. Several munch months later the individual departing going through the classified safe and they found the disk it was the embarrassment to me and the litigation to cease at that time part of the conclusion of that litigation was a congressional document to inform the of committee we found a the disk and opened the investigation with what happened. How do we find testimony it was shredded when it wasnt . The bottom line was we found the individual who had since left from the office of the ig and california did not remember actually shredding the disk but they felt because they shredded others they shredded that as well. It is embarrassing and i have apologized. Also around that time to the chair of the committee that produced the study that i made the independent jump to return the desk disk it is not a reflection of what the quality of the report or the effort it was a fiveyear effort and i understand the value to the committee. I do have an unclassified a copy of the executive summary in my possession. Those were the circumstances with that incorrect testimony i have since changed the process at the cia to make sure it cannot happen again that there is a second decision level that process is in place i am convinced nothing like this would never happen again. Mr. Sharpley thanks for reading with us i thought you were candid so they give for that. Any other questions are in a classified setting. Senator feinstein . I do have one question. When did you inform the Committee Found a the disk . Dont have the specific date but as soon as i founded i called the end and informed the staff chief. If you could find the date of appreciate to know this i have a special interest as i was chairman of the committee when the report was done. And is a grateful relief not one fact has been refuted and that 7,000 page report were the 500 page summary. So the point of disturbing to the department with some poison document and learn from it. I very much doubt that has happened and i really look forward to the declassification. And i am heartened to see increasing the members of congress agree to that. So let me go to a document that i just received with the whistleblower situation i will read and ask for your comment that the sharpley nomination when the Intelligence Community has day begun to attract questions by the indian that said this highlights the communities continuing struggle to deal with the issue so the document dated february 2017 is on the official letterhead of the office of the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community to detail is a serious flaw of procedures used to investigate the retaliation in cases. Bearing the title pertaining to whistleblowers to access declassified information the authors name is redacted i would ask that you send a copy to the Intelligence Committees office. I am unfamiliar with that document. I am not aware of its contents space and. [inaudible] have you looked for it . On the letterhead of the Intelligence Committee. This is the first to my never heard of this. Let me read the conclusion. Of the of protection policies and standards and to have a failure of reprisal protections for those making protective disclosures. Than to be legally sanctioned of alleged wrongdoing by intelligence to the superiors in the government designated to receive the information the document states the complainant making a protected disclosure has a minimal chance to have that process to be adjudicated in the complete manner. To issue policy directives parts of which were enacted into law with procedures under which the whistleblowers could report waste fraud and abuse without fear of retaliation. And also had a couple of cases that i. M. Interested you have not seen this document. You know, of which of what i am speaking . I do not provide not in possession i am aware of it. I will give you the title. Cia Inspector General nominee has three open whistleblower retaliation cases implicating him. I may end by the name of adam and project of government oversight so what do you know about this . Spec recently i read an article by this gentleman i am unaware of any open investigations on me or the details of any complaints about me. So is hard for me to respond to that but if there are complaints or investigations i support a process in place with the confidentiality of anyone and acting ig in for confidentiality it is important to recognize the process and we honor them but i cannot speak to the specifics. I ask this be put in the record so mr. Sharpley can take a good look and let us know when writing what is fact and fiction. Would be pleased to do that. If i take one moment with respect to the documents you are referring to that is done at the assessment that there is the of minimal ability to have that particular issue looked at i cannot speak to the rest of the inspectors general i challenge the validity i feel very strongly of the whistleblower retaliation and a the hot line. With all concerns whether involving crime or mismanagement that are put out from the council of inspectors general i am very proud. And not kn