On Thursday the 17th, the Senate confirmed Gena Haspel as CIA director despite concerns about her role in previous interrogation programs. Haspel played a big role in CIA’s infamous torture and interrogation program under Bush. She was the head of a secret prison in Thailand when Qaeda members were waterboarded. Haspel apologized, saying that the programs “did damage to our officers and our standing in the world.” During her confirmation today, she promised that her moral compass would make sure so that she won’t revisit the torture programs.
The vote was 54-45, with mostly Republicans and a handful of Democrats.
Haspel is a veteran of the CIA alright, with 33 years spent in the Agency, but her previous role in torture also puts her seniority into question. Is it safe to give Haspel such power? And will her moral compass really prevent the Agency from revisiting torture? The intelligence committee should set up annual audits and investigations to keep the spy agency in check
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