GINA HASPEL IS CIA’S FIRST WOMAN CHIEF
WASHINGTON: The US Senate has confirmed former spy Gina Haspel as the CIA director, making her the first woman to hold the post despite divisions over her role in the torture of terror ism suspects.
Haspel was approved in a 54-45 vote on Thursday, with six Democrats voting for her and two Republicans against. “Congratulations to our new CIA Director, Gina Haspel!” President Donald Trump tweeted, possibly relieved that his nominee had survived a bruising confirmation process.
Trump had at one stage given up on her confirmation as opposition had mounted, and told aides he would abide by whatever was decided by Haspel.
Haspel herself had offered to withdraw her nomination as key White House aides worried about her prospects. She was persuaded to stay, and the CIA and the administration launched an unprecedented PR exercise to address concerns raised by senators from both sides of the aisle.
Republican senator John McCain, who had undergone torture as a prisoner of war in the Vietnam War, had been the most forceful, urging colleagues to reject her nomination.
At the heart of Haspel’s problems lay a stint as a supervisory officer of a CIA black site in Thailand, set up as part of an enhanced interrogation programme instituted after the 9/11 attacks. Two suspects were subjected to torture at the site, one from before she took charge. She had later participated in the destruction of over 90 video tapes of the interrogation.