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 McConnell 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.