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 made the remarks on Wednesday during a grueling Senate hearing.
Ro Aram has more.
Gina Haspel told the Senate Intelligence Committee 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.
The method was used to interrogate suspected al-Qaeda detainees following the September 11th attacks, but was widely condemned as torture, leading to its ban.
Despite pressure from lawmakers, she provided little detail about those interrogation tactics, and even defended the CIA's decision to destroy videotapes of the events, saying it was to protect the identities of agents.
But she said she was willing to defy Presidential orders to resume that program if she thought they were immoral.
"Senator, my moral compass is strong. I would not allow the CIA to undertake activity that I thought was immoral, even if it was technically legal. I would absolutely not permit it."
"So you would not follow the order if you felt it was?"
"No I believe that CIA must undertake activities that are consistent with American values. America is looked at all over the world as an example to everyone else in the world and we have to uphold that. And CIA's included in that."
President Trump has previously asserted that torture is an effective interrogation method, but when senators asked Haspel if she agreed with his statement, she said she doesn't believe torture works.
She added that she doesn't think Trump would ask the CIA to restart such programs - a claim that many Democrats disagreed with.
Haspel is expected to win approval from the Republican-controlled committee but she will face a tougher path in the full Senate, where she may need support from several Democrats.
If she is confirmed, she will become the CIA's first female director.
Ro Aram, Arirang News.
Gina Haspel made the remarks on Wednesday during a grueling Senate hearing.
Ro Aram has more.
Gina Haspel told the Senate Intelligence Committee 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.
The method was used to interrogate suspected al-Qaeda detainees following the September 11th attacks, but was widely condemned as torture, leading to its ban.
Despite pressure from lawmakers, she provided little detail about those interrogation tactics, and even defended the CIA's decision to destroy videotapes of the events, saying it was to protect the identities of agents.
But she said she was willing to defy Presidential orders to resume that program if she thought they were immoral.
"Senator, my moral compass is strong. I would not allow the CIA to undertake activity that I thought was immoral, even if it was technically legal. I would absolutely not permit it."
"So you would not follow the order if you felt it was?"
"No I believe that CIA must undertake activities that are consistent with American values. America is looked at all over the world as an example to everyone else in the world and we have to uphold that. And CIA's included in that."
President Trump has previously asserted that torture is an effective interrogation method, but when senators asked Haspel if she agreed with his statement, she said she doesn't believe torture works.
She added that she doesn't think Trump would ask the CIA to restart such programs - a claim that many Democrats disagreed with.
Haspel is expected to win approval from the Republican-controlled committee but she will face a tougher path in the full Senate, where she may need support from several Democrats.
If she is confirmed, she will become the CIA's first female director.
Ro Aram, Arirang News.