CIA chief nominee vows not to restart torture program
- 6 years ago
President Trump's nominee to head the CIA has vowed the agency will never resume a program of harsh interrogations, often denounced as torture, under her watch.
Gina Haspel told a Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday that the CIA had learned what she called tough lessons.
"…..Having served in that tumultuous time, I can offer you my personal commitment clearly, and without reservation, that under my leadership on my watch CIA will not restart a detention and interrogation program. CIA has learned some tough lessons from that experience. We were asked to tackle a mission that fell outside our expertise…."
Haspel's nomination has faced opposition over her role at a secret CIA prison in Thailand in 2002, where detainees were waterboarded - an interrogation tactic that simulates drowning.
Despite pressure from lawmakers, she provided little detail about those events, but said she would not allow the CIA to undertake activity that she thought was immoral, even if it was technically legal.
Gina Haspel told a Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday that the CIA had learned what she called tough lessons.
"…..Having served in that tumultuous time, I can offer you my personal commitment clearly, and without reservation, that under my leadership on my watch CIA will not restart a detention and interrogation program. CIA has learned some tough lessons from that experience. We were asked to tackle a mission that fell outside our expertise…."
Haspel's nomination has faced opposition over her role at a secret CIA prison in Thailand in 2002, where detainees were waterboarded - an interrogation tactic that simulates drowning.
Despite pressure from lawmakers, she provided little detail about those events, but said she would not allow the CIA to undertake activity that she thought was immoral, even if it was technically legal.