After an initial worry about her history of overseeing the CIA’s post 9-11 interrogation (torture) program ……It has become apparent that Senator’s have decided NOT to block her nomination on that, but to approve her to lead the agency due to her knowledge of it…..
She had been carfeul at first to portray one face in public for Donald Trump to see, while showing a more contrite face about interrogation policy for the agency going forward, to the Senator’s who will vote to confirme her…..But in the end backed away from usage of the method of questioning…
The committee released the result of the vote that was conducted in closed session without giving further details. However, all eight Republicans and two of the seven Democrats on the panel earlier expressed support for Haspel. The remaining five Democrats had announced their opposition.
The confirmation vote by the full Senate could occur before the end of the week.
The interrogation program became one of the darkest chapters of the CIA’s history and tainted America’s image worldwide after the Sept. 11 attacks. Critics opposed Haspel’s nomination in part because of her role supervising a secret CIA detention site in Thailand for several months in 2002.
Haspel has not disclosed any details of what she did in connection with the interrogation program or say whether she thought it had been immoral.
But during her confirmation hearing last week, she said she doesn’t believe torture works as an interrogation technique and that her “strong moral compass” would prevent her from carrying out any presidential order she found objectionable.
“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,” according to Haspel’s written answers to some 60 additional questions from lawmakers…..
Note….
Her boss, President Donald Trump , has said he supports using torture methods and would push for more extensive use of it…
Gina Haspel has been confirmed as the first women America Central Intelligence Agency Director by the US Senate….
Good
She has pledged to NOT agree to future torture programs…..She is an insider….and they can boast of bringing in the first woman….
Odd that Trumpists would want someone so embedded in the “Deep State” but I think she will do a good job.
John Brennan was nominated by Obama for the same job, and h had a higher ranking position in the CIA than Haspel during this post-9/11 period.
If the Democrats (and others) were fine with confirming Brennan, then Haspel should not have been an issue. It seems like a bunch of Senators who voted for Brennan just voted against her because it was Trump who nominated her and for no other reason.
The actual confirmation vote (54-45) isn’t in yet, but the vote on cloture was 54-44 (2 not voting)
Republican against: Rand Paul, Ky
2 Republicans not voting: John McCain, Ariz. & Todd Young, Ind.
Democrats for cloture:
Joe Donnelly, Ind.
Heidi Heitkamp, N. Dak.
Joe Manchin, W. Va
Bill Nelson, Fla, &
Jeanne Shaheen, N. Hanp., &
Mark Warner, Va
By my hasty arithmetic, that’s
For cloture: 48 GOP + 6 Dem.
Against cloture: 1 GOP (Paul) + 2 Ind. (Sanders & King) + 41 Dem
Not voting: 2 GOP (McCain & Young)
See: https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=115&session=2&vote=00100
I know that Flake came out and said he would vote no.
As always thanks DSD for the count breakout….
With the knowledge that at least 3 Democrats has declared their support for Haspel she was a lock..
what a difference in the two weeks of this….
She was going to withdraw
But was talked out of it….
What CG heard or read turned out to be correct:
There were 2 GOP nays on confirmation itself: Rand Paul of Ky and Jeff Flake of Ariz.
Flake’s Ariz. partner John McCain (to whom we all wish at least a remission) again did not vote, but Todd Young of Ind., who did not vote on Cloture came back to vote FOR confirmation.
So the net Republican vote for confirmation remained at 48, but the votes against it increased from one to two and the GOP non-voters dropped to one.
The same six Democrats who’d voted for cloture also voted for the nomination itself (Manchin, Warner, Nelson, Heitkamp, Donnelly & Shaheen). Total 54 yea.
The same 41 Democrats and 2 Independents who’d voted against cloture also voted against the nomination, but joined by two Republicans (Paul & Flake) in place of one (just Paul), the total Senate vote against confirmation rose by one to 45.
54-45-(1 not voting)
See: https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=115&session=2&vote=00101
So the total vote stayed the same for closure and confirmation , eh?
Interesting…
The terms of Rand Paul (R-Ky), Mark Warner (D-Va) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) run beyond next January, while Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) is not running for re-election this November.
The other four dissidents (all D) are all facing re-election battles in Red states this November: Bill Nelson (D-Fla), Joe Manchin (D-W. Va), Heidi Heitkamp (D-NPL, ND) and Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.)
Mark Warner’s Virginia partner, Tim Kaine (D), who voted against confirming Gina Haspel does face re-election this year in a bluish purple state.
***
On a different tangent, Gina Haspel’s gender as CIA director (directress? directrix?) is noteworthy, matched perhaps by Stella Remington’s earlier term as the head of MI 5 (the UK’s Security Service).
However, the CIA’s external work is closer to that of MI 6 (the Secret Intelligence Service or SIS) or the Russian GRU, while MI 5’s counter-intelligence task is closer to that of the counterintelligence work of the FBI (and to a lesser extent, Homeland Security) or the Russian FSB (successor to the KGB).
Apart from the believable but fictional Rosa Klebb (in From Russia With Love), does anyone here know of any other women who have so far (and to public knowledge) headed major intelligence or counter-intelligence services?
Depending on how one sees the primary functions of the Department of Homeland Security, Kirstjen Nielsen might qualify as a woman who preceded Gina Haspel into such a position.
DHS is NOT an Intelligence organization….
So NO…
It doesn’t qualify…
It does have it’s own Intelligence shop though….
DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis...
That group is headed by a male…