CIA nominee toughens interrogation stance, picks up support
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s CIA nominee appeared to be on a path toward confirmation as she picked up support from key Democrats Tuesday and toughened her public stance against harsh interrogation.
“With the benefit of hindsight and my experience as a senior agency leader, the enhanced interrogation program is not one the CIA should have undertaken,” Gina Haspel said in written answers to more than 60 questions released by the Senate intelligence committee.
Haspel, who was involved in supervising a secret CIA detention site in Thailand, wrote that she had learned “hard lessons since 9-11.” In comments aimed at clarifying her position on now-banned torture techniques, Haspel said that she would “refuse to undertake any proposed activity that is contrary to my moral and ethical values.”
“I do not support use of enhanced interrogation techniques for any purpose,” Haspel wrote.