Gina Haspel confirmed as the new CIA director
President Trump’s new appointee for CIA director, Gina Haspel, has been confirmed by the Senate as several Democrats crossed party lines, giving Haspel a 54-45 vote.
Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) were the only Republicans to vote against Haspel, while Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) did not show up to vote as he continues to fight cancer.
Democratic Sens. Mark Warner (VA), Joe Manchin (WV), Heidi Heitkamp (ND), Joe Donnelly (IN), Bill Nelson (FL), and Jeanne Shaheen (NH) all crossed over and voted to confirm Haspel.
“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,” Warner said in a statement.
Haspel’s confirmation effectively completes President Trump’s recent shakeup of his national security and foreign policy teams. In recent weeks, John Bolton became the national security adviser, Mike Pompeo became secretary of state, and Haspel now takes over for Pompeo at CIA.
The mainstream press and liberal critics have argued that Haspel’s role in “harsh interrogation programs” should exclude her from the job. It should be noted that ProPublica retracted their report that claimed she ran an enhanced interrogation program.
Haspel, 61, is widely respected in the intelligence community. Since joining the CIA in 1985, just a few years out of college, she has held some 20 separate jobs at the agency, including seven postings abroad.
Haspel was undercover for her first 32 years at the agency, a status lifted just last year when she became deputy director to Pompeo.