Trump's CIA Nominee Dodges Torture Questions At Confirmation Hearing
On Wednesday, Gina Haspel, President Trump's nominee to replace Mike Pompeo as CIA chief, faced loud protests during her confirmation hearing in front of senators. One protester shouted, "Bloody Gina! You are a torturer!"
Haspel, who is a career CIA official, has faced intense scrutiny since her nomination because of her role in torturing detainees and destroying records of that torture.
Haspel oversaw a CIA black site in Thailand, where individuals were taken and tortured in the wake of 9/11. It's been reported that Haspel oversaw and was present for at least one waterboarding on the site. During her confirmation hearing, Haspel pledged that if confirmed, she would not restart the black site program.
In other moments, however, Haspel defended torture that was carried out by the CIA in its black site program. When Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) asked Haspel about her moral read on the CIA's "enhanced interrogation" methods, Haspel praised the agency for its efforts.
Later she said, "I don't believe that torture works," but that "valuable information was obtained from senior al Qaeda operatives…I don't think it's knowable whether interrogation techniques played a role in that."
Haspel has also gotten heat for her role in the destruction of tapes showing the brutal torture of two black site detainees. According to the CIA, Haspel directly ordered for the tapes destruction, claiming they posed a "serious security risk for [redacted] officers recorded on them," just as investigators were beginning to probe the black site program. During her confirmation hearing, Haspel told Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) that she advocated for the destruction of the torture tapes because they were a "security risk."
According to The Washington Post, Haspel's hearing almost didn't happen. Haspel reportedly expressed interest in withdrawing her nomination Friday over concerns that her record would prevent her confirmation. After several hours of convincing from White House staff, she changed her mind.
Haspel only needs a simple majority to be confirmed, but due to Senator John McCain's (R-AZ) extended absence and almost no Democratic support, her chances still remain a question.
