The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) " President Donald Trump's pick to head the CIA says the agency's enhanced interrogation program "is not one the CIA should have undertaken."

Gina Haspel's comments came in a letter Tuesday to senators as the Trump administration works to shore up support for her confirmation amid an intensifying public debate over torture.

Haspel wrote that she has "learned the hard lessons since 9/11." She says, "With the benefit of hindsight and my experience as a senior Agency leader, the enhanced interrogation program is not one the CIA should have undertaken."

Haspel's letter comes after Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona urged colleagues to reject the nominee over her past role in CIA interrogations.