March 13, 2018
WASHINGTON
— Following his selection of Mike Pompeo as the new secretary of state,
President Trump today nominated Gina Haspel to succeed Pompeo as
director of the CIA. Both positions require confirmation by the Senate.
Christopher
Anders, deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s
Washington Legislative Office, had the following reaction:
“Gina
Haspel was a central figure in one of the most illegal and shameful
chapters in modern American history. She was up to her eyeballs in
torture, both in running a secret torture prison in Thailand and
carrying out an order to cover up torture crimes by destroying
videotapes. One man held at the secret prison she ran was waterboarded
83 times, slammed against walls, sleep deprived, and locked in a
coffin-like box. After she was promoted to a position back at CIA
headquarters, she worked to destroy evidence of the torture crimes
committed at the prison she ran. The CIA must declassify and release
every aspect of Haspel's torture record before the Senate considers the
nomination.
“An additional concern that the
Senate must address is whether Haspel has the independence needed for a
CIA director, since she has never left the agency. This question is even
more pressing as the House Intelligence Committee has made clear that
it no longer takes its oversight responsibility seriously.”
