On Wednesday, the Senate Intelligence Committee voted 10-5 to recommend Gina Haspel to be confirmed as President Trump’s pick for director of the CIA. The move follows weeks worth of criticism towards Haspel, the current deputy director of the CIA, over her former role in the agency’s post-9/11 era enhanced interrogation and detention practices.
Democrats have shown resistance towards her as the pick for top U.S. spy as they believe the CIA has been “selective” in its declassification of information about her following her position as the chief of a base at a black-site prison in Thailand in 2002, where techniques such as waterboarding were used on terror suspects.
According to a report from Fox News, committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-NC) released a statement saying, “Gina Haspel is the most qualified person the president could choose to lead the CIA and the most prepared nominee in the 70-year history of the agency.”
“She has acted morally, ethically and legally, over a distinguished 30-year career and is the right person to lead the agency into an uncertain and challenging future. I’m pleased to see the committee favorably report her nomination to the full Senate, and I look forward to her swift confirmation,” he added.
Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), vice chairman of the committee, has been one of Haspel’s harshest critics. On Tuesday, he reportedly said, “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 has refused to criticize her colleagues and superiors for their conduct surrounding enhanced interrogation techniques during what she called a “tumultuous time.” Nevertheless, she said that the CIA under her command would not carry out the previous techniques.
During a committee confirmation hearing last week, Haspel was also scrutinized for her involvement in the destruction of at least 92 interrogation tapes in 2005. She testified that they were destroyed after the order was given by her supervisor at the time, Jose Rodriguez, and that she was not recorded on the tapes. Though, she did tell the committee that she was an advocate for destroying the tapes to protect the identity of CIA agents.
Overall, throughout the hearing, Haspel reminded lawmakers of the important role played by the intelligence community after the 9/11 attacks.
“After 9/11…I stepped up. I was not on the sidelines, I was on the frontlines in the Cold War and I was on the frontlines in the fight against Al Qaeda,” she said in response to grilling from Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR).
Since the harsh questioning by Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) last week over ties to former director John Brennan and enhanced interrogation techniques, Warner and Senators Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) have all announced their support for Haspel.
“As director of the CIA, Gina Haspel will be the first operations officer in more than five decades to lead the agency. I believe that she will be a strong advocate for the agency’s workforce, and an independent voice who can and will stand up on behalf of our nation’s intelligence community,” Warner said after the Wednesday vote. “Most importantly, I believe she is someone who can and will stand up to the president if ordered to do something illegal or immoral – like a return to torture.”
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said on Fox & Friends, “We’re very optimistic, we think obviously Gina Haspel is the most qualified and credible person that you can find to run the CIA.” She added, “We’re excited about her taking the helm as the full director of this agency and things look really good.”
