Heading into Wednesday’s confirmation hearing, Gina Haspel knew she’d face probing questions about her involvement in the Central Intelligence Agency post-9/11 torture program. But the nominee to lead the spy service appeared unprepared to answer the most basic question: Was it moral?
Haspel resisted several senators’ attempts to pry loose her personal feelings on the agency’s “enhanced interrogation” program. The nominee, a career CIA officer, explicitly said she would not judge the actions of her colleagues at the time, and even implied the methods were effective.
Under questioning from Mark Warner (D-Va.), the ranking member of the Senate intelligence committee, Haspel noted recent changes in law that more explicitly prohibited techniques like waterboarding, which she oversaw the use of against detainees at CIA black sites.
“We have decided to hold ourselves to a stricter moral standard,” Haspel said. “I support the United States holding itself to that stricter moral standard.”
When pressed further about her personal beliefs on the morality of waterboarding, Haspel claimed her “moral compass is strong.” She also told Sen. Susan Collins (R-N.H.) that her views on the program have evolved. But, again, stopped short of condemning prior use of tactics defined as torture.
“I’m not gonna sit here with the benefit of hindsight and judge the very good people who made hard decisions who were running the agency,” Haspel said.
Senators noted the careful construction of the nominee’s replies.
“You’re giving very legal answers to moral questions,” said Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.).
Exactly what role Haspel played in the torture program is murky. She promised senators more disclosure later Wednesday afternoon, when the panel is scheduled to meet during a closed session. But during the public hearing, committee members blasted selected disclosures by the agency to obscure Haspel’s past.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) noted the unique nature of the situation, in which Haspel currently oversees document classification for information pertinent to her own confirmation hearing.
“I regret to have to say there is no greater indictment of this nomination process than the fact that you are deciding what the country gets to know about you and what it doesn’t,” Wyden said.
“So far the American people have only been given information that is designed to get you confirmed. Everything else is classified,” the senator from Oregon added.
Republicans, meanwhile, hailed the historic nature of Haspel’s nomination. She would be the first woman to lead the agency and the first career professional to be promoted to the top job.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) spoke out against the hypocrisy of Democratic criticism against Haspel over her ties to the interrogation program. He remarked on how the committee favorably reported out the nomination of John Brennan to head the CIA during the Obama administration, with the support of prominent Democrats.
Brennan was the fourth highest ranking officer at the CIA during the roll out of the torture program, while Haspel has claimed she was not involved in its initial implementation at all.
