Tag Archives: Gina Haspel

The Hill reports: White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday that Democrats are “losing their war against women in the Trump administration,” as Gina Haspel prepares to be sworn in as the first female CIA director. Haspel, whom President Trump tapped to lead the agency after picking former CIA Director Mike Pompeo to be Secretary of State, faced …

The Washington Post reports: The Senate voted Thursday to confirm Gina Haspel as the next CIA director after several Democrats were persuaded to support her despite lingering concerns about her role in the brutal interrogation of suspected terrorists captured after 9/11. Lawmakers approved her nomination 54 to 45, a wider than expected margin, with six Democrats voting yes and two …

Reuters reports: U.S. Senate committee voted Wednesday in favor of Gina Haspel, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be CIA director, and she is expected to be confirmed by the full Senate as soon as next week. The Intelligence Committee voted 10-5 behind closed doors to approve the nomination, which was expected after two of its seven Democratic members, Vice Chairman …

The Washington Post reports: Gina Haspel appears to have secured enough votes to be confirmed as the country’s next CIA director after stating in a letter to a top Democrat that the agency never should have detained terrorist suspects and employed brutal interrogation techniques against them. Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) said Tuesday that he had …

Manchin was first. The Hill reports: Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) has announced he will support President Trump’s pick to lead the CIA, Gina Haspel, increasing her chances of being confirmed. Donnelly said in a statement Saturday he believes that Haspel “has learned from the past, and that the CIA under her leadership can help our country confront serious international threats …

New York Magazine reports: After Gina Haspel’s confirmation hearing on Wednesday it appeared likely that she had the votes to become the next CIA director. But that night Senator John McCain released a statement urging his colleagues to reject her nomination, potentially giving wavering senators the cover they need to oppose her. McCain has been home in Arizona battling brain …

Axios reports: Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) said Wednesday that he will vote to confirm President Trump’s nominee for CIA director, Gina Haspel. Why it matters: Several Republicans and outside groups were hoping they could get Manchin, a red-state Democrat, to fold on Haspel because, with his support, Haspel will go to the floor as a bipartisan nominee. They also hope …

The Hill reports: President Trump’s nominee to lead the CIA Gina Haspel will be grilled by senators Wednesday at a hearing expected to center on her role in the CIA’s use of harsh interrogation techniques during the George W. Bush administration. Haspel, a 33-year career veteran of the agency, faces a difficult confirmation battle given the GOP’s narrow 51-49 majority. …

The Washington Post reports: Gina Haspel is expected to tell the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday that she “will not restart” the CIA’s brutal interrogation program if confirmed to lead the agency, according to excerpts of her remarks released by the agency in advance of what is expected to be a contentious confirmation hearing. Haspel’s hearing comes just days after …

“I believe she should double down and say, ‘I’m proud of what I accomplished, whether it was black sites, enhanced interrogation, and I dare anyone to sit in my shoes and accomplish as much as I’ve done.’ And she could even, if she wanted to, if they could un-classify everything, tell us everything that you were able to pick up, …

The Washington Post reports: Gina Haspel, President Trump’s nominee to become the next CIA director, sought to withdraw her nomination Friday after some White House officials worried that her role in the interrogation of terrorist suspects could prevent her confirmation by the Senate, according to four senior U.S. officials. Haspel told the White House she was interested in stepping aside …

GOP Sen. Rand Paul today published a blistering op-ed attacking Trump’s pick to head the CIA. An excerpt: Over the past several days, there has been an increasingly granular debate about the degree of Gina Haspel’s participation in the torturing of detainees at the CIA’s Thailand “black site,” with neocons going out of their way to try to defend the …