what is gina haspel's? being ca.nated for >> if one of your operatives work capture, subjected to waterboarding, enhanced interrogation techniques which i believe you supervised, would you consider that to be moral since perhaps the other entity did not have legal restrictions and good tradecraft, as you -- ared to do when >> senator, i do not believe the terrorists follow any guidelines or civilized norms or the law. cia follows the law. thatu seem to be sayi you were not following civilized norms in the law or anything else when you're conducting those activities will step if that is the analogy you are going to draw. >> i'm sorry, can you -- >> it is very simple. you're an operations officer captured. he is being waterboarded. i have asked recently, would you determine that to be immoral and something that should never be done, condoned in any way shape or form? your response seems to be that civilized nations don't do it, but uncivilized nations do it. or uncivilized groups do it. a civilized nation was

haspel and here is why. as we now know from the public reports between october and december 2002, ms. haspel oversaw a cia prison in thailand. under her leadership, at least one detainee was water boarded and subjected to other torture methods good as far as we know, ms. haspel raised no objections. according to news reports, in 2005, ms. haspel recommended the cia destroy 92 videotapes of interrogation of detainees. cia officials remember at the time, ms. haspel was one of the staunchest advocates inside the building for destroying the tapes. the staunchest advocates inside the building for destroying the tapes. she went so far as to draft the order for her boss, the director of the national clandestine service to sign urging them to use quote - and industrial-strength shredder. just to make sure they were completely destroyed. ms. haspel destroy these tapes despite federal court orders requiring the preservation of the cia's records. despite the objections of members of congress and against the order of th

haspel is. in order to get confirmed, she has made all kinds of promises about standing up for what's right and rejecting inappropriate orders, but what did she do when she knew an order had been sent to destroy evidence over the objections of the lawyers? and everybody else? there is no record of her doing anything to stop it. so i offer this small window into her background because i think we all ought to be asking how might she react when confronted with illegal, immoral, or inappropriate directions. now, i mentioned what the president said earlier in the campaign, that he would bring back a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding. he praised ms. haspel. she is tough on terror. you don't have to be picasso to connect the dots about what the dangers are here. other than a few belated promises that were made to get confirmed. what evidence is there actually to suggest that ms. haspel would really push back? so i close simply with this -- i have an enormous amount of respect for the good work bei

haspel about. again, again what i got back, was plenty of words but nothing that provided any insurance that the cia has any system at all for guarding against reverse targeting of americans under the foreign intelligence surveillance act. also the agency collect a lot er of intelligence under an executive order. i wanted to know if the agency was conducting backdoor searches on americans through that day. the current director of the national security agency told me that when the nsa conduct searches of americans, the searches have to be approved on a case-by-case basis. with probable cause by the attorney general. the nsa doesn't actually have to go to court which is a concern. but those requirements create meaningful hurdles to abuse. i thought it was important to ask about the cia. when can the cia conduct backdoor searches of americans? the response i got from ms. haspel, is that the searches are authorized if they are designed to get information related to the cia activities. that means, there

haspel. secretary pompeo left the agency in good shape. few people have contributed to the c.i.a.'s most recent successes as ms. haspel. she has 33 years of experience working for the agency, serving first on the front lines of the cold war and later on the front lines of the war on terror. if confirmed, she would also be the first woman to lead the agency. and given her many accomplishments, her diligence and dedication and her fierce love of country, i'm astonished and disappointed at the controversy over the nomination of this great american. after all, ms. haspel is a career professional whose record of achievement speaks for itself. she joined the agency in 1985, working as a case officer for several years in both africa and europe. over time she rose up the ranks serving first as chief of staff and then as a deputy director of the directorate of operations. she served as chief of station, the officer responsible for overseeing all of the c.i.a.'s work in a foreign country, four differen

haspel's role in the c.i.a. is disturbing. to begin with -- and i've listened to senators on both sides -- i don't question ms. haspel's commitment to our country or to our national security. that, i think she's established. but what i question is her judgment and her fidelity to the core value of our nation. all -- that all people have is certain inalienable rights. and underlying these inalienable rights is our belief in the dignity of human beings, a dignity that's incompatible with the inhumane practices like torture. torture should never be part of the america -- of america's way of leading the world. during the height of the c.i.a.'s torture program ms. haspel ran one of the agency's most notorious black sites in thailand. brutal techniques were employed. it included waterboarding detainees, slamming them against walls and confining them in boxes for an extended time. there was a name for this treatment. it was called enhanced interrogation techniques, but we know better. this wasn't enhanced interrogation techniques, it

haspel at the helm. those who can and will who will speak truth to power and if asked to do something illegal or immoral she will refuse. i believe not just because she has told me so or even because she said it and friend of the committee under oath because i have heard from people who have worked with her over years you know and trust are jim clapper, and any many others everyone of them have trusted her to push back on actions that may be inappropriate coming from this president furthermore i believe someone will push back strongly against any attempts by this president to undercut or denigrate the professional men women of the cia and that responsibility first and foremost to speak truth tote power with those implications. for these reasons i am supporting ms. haspel nomination to director of the cia i respect my colleagues to make a different decision i have spent weeks working through this but the cia as we know this afternoon i believe she should be confirmed out of full disclosure i look forward

haspel leadership. when the senator asked about her destruction of the tapes she could come up with no credible explanation. how can we trust her to be forthright with congress in the future if she cannot acknowledge the past? she has numerous opportunities to question the directive she was given during this era and according to the senate intelligence committee report other cia officers called into question the effectiveness and safety of the techniques being used. but not director curda mom -- ms. haspel happening right before her eyes she did nothing to stop it while her colleagues question the legitimacy of the protocol, ms. haspel vigorously defended them and according to the same reports the white house reviewed message laws that made it clear just how accepting she had been of interrogation techniques and the fact is as far as the record indicates the only action ms. haspel has taken with regard to u.s. torture practices as is doing her best to cover it up making the choices that were made after

haspel's c.i.a. information that doesn't need to be classified to protect national security is being covered up for political purposes. now, speaking of orwel, the classification rules themselves are going to be classified. i have been concerned about this tendency for years, and i want to emphasize i have made it clear to political leaders of both political parties, and i continue to believe that if the c.i.a. and ms. haspel can get away with all this, the worst is yet to come. as i've been saying since she was nominated, i have a host of concerns about all of these issues. i hope that senators will exercise independent judgment here and there is a classified intelligence committee minority memo about ms. haspel, and i hope every senator will go read it and ask themselves publicly if the american people actually knew about all this, how would i vote? what i can say is her classified comments about her background have been as troubling as her public testimony, and what i can say is when i did get unc

haspel? caller: i support ms. haspel. i think she has said all the right things, and i think that she has answered very well everything that she was asked. i think some of the -- you think, i think she really sounds like she is a good person and follows the rules. and i think sometimes people have done things that maybe later on they thought they wouldn't have, but at the time, when everything all worked up and so forth and so forth, like that was then after 9/11, and she followed president bush. secondly, i think the democrats have been horrible, especially that miss harris or whatever her name is. talking to her like she's like a first grader. >> you're talking about senator harris of california? caller: yes, the way she was treating her, asking her that question. i think anybody with a first fwrade education would have known what she's saying. and the way some of the democrats have handled themselves has done more than burnt me up. and i just hate to think this is what our country has come to and what the democrat part

haspel would be the first woman to head the cia and tonight sources tell nbc news the president and haspel spoke this weekend and mr. trump is not looking to replace her. but democrats are gearing up for a fight. our report from kelly o'donnell at the white house. >> reporter: after decades of dangerous work in her life as a spy, the peril gina haspel faces now is washington politics. >> republicans and democrats should come together and confirm gina haspel as the director of the cia. >> reporter: finding enough votes turned into a difficult mission, so much so officials tell me haspel was prepared to step aside concerned a bruising confirmation battle would do damage to the agency, her reputation and the men and women she leads as acting director. urgently hoping to save the nomination, friday white house officials went to cia headquarters to reassure haspel the president wants her to stay. today, officials say haspel is committed to becoming cia director. former director michael hayden today. >> with a president who does not always attach his decisions to the real world, to data, to evid

and code that is john kerry occam who knew gina haspel. patricia montes, if you can --john prados, if you can elaborate. >> it is an important point to make because all of this malarkey about putting a woman at the top of the cia disguised as one of the main problems here which is what we're talking about is the head of an agency faced outward to the entire world. if the person is an acknowledged torturer, then it is that america is not your friend america is not someone you want to cooperate with. and the problem with us all question of the secrecy of the documents and all of this is the no one outside rarefied, classified levels of the secret society, if you want to call it that, knows what story -- the real story is with gina haspel. the consequence of that is essentially thatat the senate is being asked, the american people are being asked to accept a pig in a poke amy: which is why the civil liberties rights group has asked for documents to get the senate to confirm gina haspel a cia director. the cia is seen as being "more robust tha

haspel.my intelligence contact said before the hearing that any kind of progress on this issue could only help haspel at today's confirmation hearing. julie. >> julie: thank you very much. >> bill: you are about to see an impressive woman. she has been with the agency for 33 years, entered in 1985 and will stay in part of her opening remarks this has been my life and we're about to see that. >> julie: interesting to note she never asked for this job. she has worked mostly as a spy undercover. many people haven't heard of her until the last week or so. >> bill: the women who will be inspired by her appointment and if she leads this agency what an accomplishment it will be for her. that's coming up in 20 minutes. more on the top story. mike pompeo is headed back to the u.s. and with him are three american prisoners out of north korea after pompeo met for a second time with kim jong-un. is this a promising sign of things to come? senator john barrasso, the republican out of wyoming. foreign rela

haspel. congratulations on your nomination. goal is to enable the committee to begin consideration of ms. haspel's qualifications. and allow for thoughtful deliberation by all members. she has already provided substantive written responses to more than 100 questions presented by the committee and its members. werers today, will be it to ask additional questions and hear from her in open and closed session. jinnah, you have been asked to lead what i believe is one of our most treasured assets in this nation, during a period of her found change. the central intelligence agency -- a period of profound change. the central intelligence agency is one of the principal members of the u.s. intelligence community. and is tasked with collecting foreign intelligence through human resources and appropriate other means. the cia operates in the shadows. its officers are undercover and sometimes work in hostile and austere environments. shadows. its officers are often undercover and sometimes work in hostile

haspel in open and closed session.'ve been asked to lead what i believe is one of our most treasured assets in this nation during a period of profound change. the central intelligence agency is one of the principled members of the united states intelligence community and its tasked with collecting foreign intelligence through human sources and by appropriate other means. the cia operates in the shadows. it's officers are often undercover and sometimes work in hostile and aus tear environments. it's not simply a job for many but it's a lifestyle. one that you have lived hon raably for more than 30 years. the nature of the agency's work, however, is both its greatest capability and its most challenging liability. as its activities are outside the public view. we address that liability by calling upon the president to nominate individuals with unwavering integrity and the senate approves only those who we are assured will lead this organization lawful, ethically and morally. gina haspel was born in kentucky, the oldest of

haspel testified the c.i.a. will never go there again. >> i support the higher moral standard that this country has decided to hold itself to. i would never ever take c.i.a. back to an interrogation program. i would not put c.i.a. officers at risk by asking them to undertake risky controversial activity again. >> haspel testified her supervisor jose rodriguez who made the call to destroy the videotapes that found the interrogation of one al-qaeda suspect. this was done, she said, because they were concerned that the c.i.a. officers were visible on these tapes and they could ultimately be released. jose rodriguez has stood by that decision and he had the authority to make that decision to this day. haspel corrected one of the senior senators on the panel today, senator dianne feinstein, by confirming that there were 92 videotapes of the interrogation of one detainee. this detainee is the mastermind behind the uss cole attack in the gulf of aiden that is considered the seminole attack before 9/11. but on this issu

haspel. congratulations on your nominations. our goal in conducting this hearing is to allow for thoughtful deliberation by all members. she's already provided written responses to more than 100 questions presented by the committee and its members. today of course members will be able to ask additional questions and to hear from ms. haspel in open and closed session. gina, you've been asked to lead what i believe is one of our most treasured assets in this nation during a period of profound change. the central intelligence agency is one of the principal members of the united states intelligence community and is tasked with collecting foreign intelligence through human sources and by appropriate other means. the cia operates in the shadows. its officers are often undercover and sometimes work in hostile and austere environments. it's not simply a job for many but it's a life-style, one that you have lived honorably for more than 30 years. the clandestine nature of the agency's work however is

back to gina haspel. her confirmation hearing is on wednesday. it is an open hearing before the senate intelligence committee. are there any questions that are off-limits from the white house's point of view as relates to her career at the cia? >> we think that acting director haspel is a highly qualified, uniquely positioned individual to lead the cia. and we're very confident in her ability to answer the questions that we know are going to come. and if you don't believe me, listen to some of the quotes from a lot of other people that have been very outspoken in their support for her. former director leon panetta said i i'm glad it's gina because, frankly, she is someone who really knows the cia inside and out. former director michael hayden says haspel is the absolute best choice to be director. michael morrell says she is capable, she has integrity and cares deeply about the mission of the agency and she cares deeply about the men and women of the agency. and lastly, former acting director and deputy director john mclaughlin said if you were p

it is clear to most members if not all members that gina haspel is the most qualified individual that i have seen in the 24 years that i have served in congress. she brings a component of the operations of the cia over 30 years. she has served in numerous capacities. she has received many recognitions and awards as a cia officer. the one thing that she brings to the table though issue brings a tremendous trust by the employees of the cia. she brings a great leadership skill that is displayed today as the deputy director. i know that some have requested documents that deal with covert action being made public and declassified. that has never happened in the history of the cia and it's not going to happen with gina haspel's nomination but we have declassified an unprecedented amount of information for members-only. they will have an opportunity to review that but we will process her in as timely a fashion as we can once we complete the hearing tomorrow. we look forward to putting her in as a permanent director of the central intelligence agency. >> let me just add to chairman burr's lea

by then, the numbers were in haspel's favor. knows if the senators were even when read it if you put it on their desk. the people who did read it said mnings extra ordinarily danin account for tenure. if you win it and decided, was hard to believe haspel would be confirmed. juan: it was bad enough her participation in terms of the torture and enhanced interrogation, but the whole issue of her being involved in the destruction of the tapes. could you talk about that? >> exactly. of was a central driver bureaucratic league -- to destroy they states. sometimes her role was cast, well, she was asked to do it by her boss. it was approved by lawyers, so why are we even putting this on her. theact, this was one of things she was most concerned about at the time. the bush administration white house, let that sink in, and porter goss, head of the cia at the time, were all opposed to the destruction of these tapes. the senior lawyers who were involved said, do not destroy these tapes. what haspel appears to have done is figure it out bure

officials say haspel is committed to becoming cia director. former director michael hayden. >> with a president who does not always attach his decisions to the real world, to data, to evidence, gina haspel is the one woman i want in that room. >> reporter: political opposition to haspel centers on her time after 9/11 running a secret cia prison in thailand where a terror suspect was water boarded. and later she passed on the order to destroy videotapes of enhanced interrogation sessions that a senate report labelled torture. 9 >> it's very concerning because those of us that worked on the torture report know some things that are classified, and this is an important part of this woman's career. >> reporter: much of haspel's career history is classified, and that also includes achievements the white house would like to highlight. former cia colleagues praise haspel's skills and 33 years of service. >> i can talk to you about how she did her job as a senior cia official, with the utmost intellectual honesty and integrity. >> reporter: withheld fr

gina haspel would be the first woman c.i.a. director.the first operator, the first clandestine officer in more than 50 years. does that matter? >> well on, the first point it's certainly-- it's certainly a good thing th it a womans finally appointed c.i.a.di ctor. i don't think that, frankly, affects her qualifications aboul whether she e confirmed or not. but it is quite important, in my view, to hava career intelligence offer, especially operations officer, to head the c.i.a. i wked under 11 ci.a. directors. none had the kind of experience that miss haspel has, and i'm telling you, on the inside, it is much easier and more efficient for the agency and fo the country to have a c.i.a. director in the chair who doesn't have to have on-the-job training. >> schrifrin: john rizzo, stephen xenakis, ank you both for coming in. >> thank you. >> brangham: now, back to the ongoing fallout to president trump's decision to break the u.s. commitment to the iran nuclear deal, and withdraw from the pact. worlide reaction continued today, including str

gina haspel is an excellent choice. she will bring direct experience to the c.i.a. director. ms. haspel is eminently qualified, widely esteemed and absolutely the right person at the right moment for this position. first, her ample qualifications, raised in a military family, she had her sights on intending west point until she found out women were not yet allowed to tend. it was the army's loss but my alma marter -- alma mater was happy to have her. after that she joined the c.i.a. in 1985. as a talented operations officer, gina haspel took on a variety of challenging assignments and earned the george h.w. bush award for excellence in counterterrorism and was assigned to the counterterrorism center. her first day in that role was september 11, 2011. after this 33-year career, ms. haspel won't have to wonder about what life is like for the men and women she will be leading from overseas to headquarters at langley, she lived it herself. it is not surprising that she has received so much praise from across the political spectrum, chiewfg from those who led the agency before her. pr

gina haspel is an example of that. i think the fact that she, according to the reports, gave thoughts of stepping back from the process is reflective of her humility and her desire to ensure that the c.i.a. is not a political football. to ensure that the c.i.a. can have an effective leader. so i think it's a shame we are going through the process and it's shameful she is having to endure the process. i'm hopeful enough sensors will come to the senses to recognize -- enough senators will come to senses to recognize an asset she will be. your clip showed the director of the c.i.a. and the n.s.a., she is a person all about the facts and data. that is the advice we want the president to get. >> harris: the president says that she is tough on terror and that it is disingenuous -- i'm paraphrasing now -- for the democrats to push against that. does gina haspel get confirmed on wednesday? >> i think she ultimately does. i am confident she gets the confirmation but it's a shame she has to go through the process to get there wh

this is something that should be between the white house and gina haspel.g said that, i think she's been very clear on her position that if she had to do it over again and if we were in a future situation in the war on terror, that she would not support the waterboarding measures that she initially supported in her career. and i think that has satisfied a lot of people who had some questions about her confirmation, democrats and republicans alike. so i think she satisfied these concerns. i'm not sure why this discussion keeps lingering here. but i am most concerned about the leak coming out of the white house and who is doing that. >> it appears at least based on the reporting that it is gina haspel herself having these conversations, having the sort of second-guessing because she doesn't want to go through, according to report being, the grueling process. >> she also very much cares about the agency and doesn't want to dredge up a very difficult period of time. whether it was legal or not or moral or not, like you said, she regrets it and wouldn't do it ag

we heard gina haspel defend herself today.aid, look, this was a prodt of the tim the justice department approved these enhanced interrogation techniques. >> she said a couple of other things. when you're on the front lines, you're expected to make tough decisions. and she and the others were in the position, and ay responsible leader-- visa general or visa senior of c.i.a.-- is expected to make the tough decisions under tough decisions. they don't panic. they walk through in a systemic, methodic way. profession.eir they know the work. and they know what's right. and i think this was a lapse in laip on her part. there was a lapse in knowing what was right. there was a lapse in knowing what was effective. and even though she had some legal cover-- and you can get legal covr almost-- in ious ways-- it still didn't make it right or effective. and so i think they failed-- she failed, particularly-- in not exercising good leadership and good judgment. >judgment. >> schriin: john rizzo, was it neither right or effective? >> well, it

first on gina haspel. it true the president and yourself and others had to sort of convince her not to withdraw her name from consideration? and if show, what was that like? has the circumstance happened before since you have been at your position at the white house? a follow about don blankenship. why does the president believe he can't win an election in the state of west virginia? >> let me answer the question first. in regard to acting director haspel, her commitment to the agency is one of the reasons she is the right person to lead it. she wants to do everything she can to make sure the integrity of the c.i.a. remains in intact, isn't unnecessarily attacked. and if she felt that her nomination would have been a problem for that and for the agency, then she wanted to do everything she could to protect the agency. at the same time she wants to do everything to protect the safety and the security of americans, which is why she is 100% committed to going through this confirmation process. and being confi

what do you think is going to be the root for gina haspel?o you think she can survive this kind of questioning right now? >> she shouldn't. as we know senator mccain last night came out against this nomination. i think when the senators reflect on that position and the moral authority that senator mccain brings to this question, i think any of them who might be tempted to vote for her might reconsider that position. >> so let's us just read what he actually did say. i believe that gina haspel is a patriot who loves our country and has devoted her professional life to its service and defense. however, her role in overseeing the use of torture is disturbing and her refusal to acknowledge torture's immorality is disqualifying. of course referring to that clip that we just played. but i want to ask you this. does it strike you in her favor that according to all the testimony by the cia and all the officials who have been rolled out now to promote her and speak about her, they say that it was even worse at this particular site before she got there

and can i follow up on geena haspel? reporter: mike pompeo, secretary of state, a and john bolton, have been among the most prominent critics of the iran deal is there any reason to think the president won't kill the deal? ms. sanders: the president will announce that very soon. >> on the e.p.a., andrew wheeler is confirmed as second in command at the e.p.a. does the president think he'd be able to continue the deregulatory agenda that pruitt has been in charge of working to remove mr. pruitt and given the cascade of ethical problems, how close is -- what's the status of the rejew you -- review yo guys have been doing and is the president closer to removing mr. putin if office? ms. sanders: i don't have any personnel announcements on that front. we have confidence in the number two or the president wouldn't have asked him to serve at such a senior level position at the e.p.a. i don't have anything further on that front. reporter: i want to catch back up about china after the delegation came back. the president had some s

this selection of gina haspel. there is a great deal of pushback on capitol hill. a lot of democrats are concerned about her role in water boarding and other enhanced interrogation methods and that is why they are in opposition of her nomination. this will all play out interestingly this week. >> bill: certainly will. rudy giuliani was talking over the weekend. what's the emerging legal strategy? >> i want to be delicate. i don't want to overstate the strategy. rudy giuliani has been doing a bit of cleanup, if you will, bill, after the roll-out where he came out and fumbled on his first carry to use the foot ball expression and so now what the administration is doing is following his lead. get it all out there. whatever happened admit to what happened, make sure that the public and indeed the special counsel understands it was nothing nefarious about payments to people like stormy daniels and others. he had this to say over the weekend whether or not the president might reject a chance to speak before the special c

hi, gina haspel, who solemnly swear/ gina: i, gina haspel, do solemnly swear, that i will support andend the constitution of the united states against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that i will bear true faith and allegiance to the state, that i take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation, or purpose of evasion, and i will compel and faithfully discharge, the duties of the office on which i am about to enter, so help me god. [cheers and applause] gina: good morning, everyone. and thank you, mr. vice president, for administering the oath. let me begin by thanking president trump for joining us and offering those kind words. mr. president, it means a great deal to me and the agency that you made time to come out to langley for this ceremony. [applause] gina: you have placed enormous trust in the cia throughout your presidency and the men and women of the cia do not take that for granted. thank you, mr. president, for your confidence in me and your steadfast support of our mission and people. i am truly honored to have this opportunity to lead the best workforce in go

president trump spoke at the swearing-in of gina haspel. she is the first female cia director and won senate confirmation by a vote of 54. other officials include secretary of state mike pompeo, and vice president mike pence, who administered the oath of office. >> ladies and gentlemen, please trump, mikeld pence, secretary of state mike ginao and gina haspel -- haspel and the head of the chief intelligence agency. [applause] >> good morning, please be seated. mr. president, mr. vice president, distinguished and honored guests, welcome to the headquarters of the central intelligence agency. thank you to the many guests here today here to join a historic swearing-in ceremony. to begin the ceremony, please stand with me as we sing the national anthem and please remain standing. ♪ o say can you see by the dawn's early light what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight o'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming and the rockets red glare the bombs bursting

it was only after legislative affairs rushed to langley to meet with haspel for several hours that haspel relented and decided to go forward with her wednesday confirmation hearings. why so much concern about these hearings? the issue of torture expected to be front and center. in 2002 haspel oversaw a so-called black site, a secret cia detention facility in thailand. at least one suspect was water boarded after haspel arrived and while she wasn't involved in the notorious torture of she did draft the video tapes of what happened to him. let's bring in our panel. great to have all of you guys with me. malcolm, let me begin with you. what do you make of this apparent reluctance of haspel to go through with the nomination? is it going to be tough to get someone through if they're not committed to the process? >> well, it's going to be tough getting her through if she doesn't believe in it and i think that her reluctance was most likely because she was thinking of the agency. she has a lot of respect inside the agency by career professionals, set aside the part about her working the black si

haspel, and here is why. as we now know from the public reports, between october and december of 2002, ms. haspel oversaw a c.i.a. prison in thailand. under her leadership, at least one detainee was waterboarded and subjected to other torture methods. as far as we know, ms. haspel raised no objections. according to news reports, in 2005, ms. haspel recommended that the c.i.a. destroy 92 videotapes of interrogations of detainees. c.i.a. officials remember at the time ms. haspel was one of the staunchest advocates inside the building for destroying the tapes. the staunchest advocates inside the building for destroying the tapes. she went so far as to draft the order for her boss, the director of the national clandestine service, to sign, urging them to use, quote, an industrial-strength shreder just to make sure that they were completely destroyed. ms. haspel destroyed these tapes despite federal court orders requiring the preservation of the c.i.a.'s records, despite the objections of members of congress, and

haspel. you have been asked to lead one of our most treasured assets in a time ofn during profound change. the central intelligence agency is one of the principal members of the u.s. intelligence community. and is tasked with collecting foreign intelligence through resources and appropriate other means. the cia operates in the shadows. its officers are undercover and sometimes work in hostile and austere environments. it is not simply a job for many. but it is a lifestyle. one that you have lived honorably for more than 30 years. the clandestine nature of the agency's work, however, is its greatest capability and its most challenging liability. its activities are outside the public view. we address that liability by calling on the president to nominate individuals with unwavering integrity and the senate approves though -- those who we are sure will lead ethically, lawfully, and morally. was born in kentucky the oldest of five children. servedd her father who in the u.s. air force that she wa

president, yesterday the intelligence committee took an important step toward confirming gina haspel to become the next director of the c.i.a. a bipartisan majority voted to report her nomination favorably to the senate. i look forward to promptly moving to a confirmation vote. the committee's confidence is indicative of the strength of miss haspel's testimony and her 30-plus years record of c.i.a. service. throughout the process, she demonstrated candor, integrity, and a forthright approach to the committee's questions. she displayed the talent and expertise that make her uniquely qualified to face america's biggest national security challenges, whether in the area of counterterrorism or renewed international competition among great powers. out of the spotlight, whether at langley or deployed abroad, miss haspel has quietly earned the respect and admiration of those who matter most. that's the men and women of the c.i.a. and distinguished current and former intelligence community leaders. the safety and security of the american people depend on capable intelligence, leadership. gina

the aclu has been opposed to gina haspel's nomination.rmance today assuage any of your objections? >> no. we learned nothing about her through this nomination hearing. we knew exactly two things about her heading into today's nomination hearing. thing one, if you will, was that she participated and supervised torture and participated in that criminal conduct. in one case, overseeing detention site green, a black site in thailand in which a detainee was slammed against the wall, waterboarded, stripped naked and blocked in a coffin-sized box. that was thing one. thing two we knew about her is she destroyed everyday about torture many years later. on both of those account, we have gotten no transparency and no further information from this nominee. she has been evasive and stonewalled on that. and i think it's an embarrassment for the senate to consider voting on a nominee when you don't have this basic level and knowledge of information about only two things we know about her. >> i will say jon tester, who is a democratic senator who is in

during her senate confirmation hearing, gina haspel made this pledge. ms. haspel: i would never take cia back to an interrogation program. first of all, cia follows the law. we followed the oww then, we fohe law today. i support the law. i wouldn't support a change in the law. but i will tell you thispu- i would nocia officers at risk by asking them to undertake risky, controversial activity again. laura: for more on gina spel's hearing, i spoke earlier with evan mcmullin, a former ciafi r who ran as an independent in the 2016 presidential election. evan mcmullin, gina haspel has promised she would never resume the post-9/11 harsh interrogation progra as a former cia officer, what is your reaction to that? evan: i'm glad that is what she said. i think that was the right thing to say. i think she means it. i don'know gina personally, but i know others who do, and i expected her to make heartfelt statements about the program during the hearing, and i think she did. i think most of the cia workforce is aligned with that, too. it is a tough time in our history.

to gina haspel. would go with ms. haspel. >> paul: thank you all. still ahead, tuesday's primaries in ohio, indiana and west virginia seen as a boost to the republican as they battle to maintain control of the senate this november. what the gop learned from this week's contest when we come back. liberty mutual stood with me when this guy got a flat tire in the middle of the night, so he got home safe. yeah, my dad says our insurance doesn't have that. what?! you can leave worry behind when liberty stands with you™. liberty mutual insurance. with dell small businessout your technology advisors you get the one-on-one partnership you need to grow your business. the dell vostro 15 laptop. contact a dell advisor today. oh hi sweetie, i just want to show you something. xfinity mobile: find my phone. [ phone rings ] look at you. this tech stuff is easy. [ whirring sound ] you want a cookie? it's a drone! i know. find your phone easily with the xfinity voice remote. one more way comcast is working to fit int

as the senator just said, gina haspel has been with the cia since 1985. she has served under six presidents and senator cotton argues in many democrats as well she is eminently qualified. she would be the first woman to run the central intelligence agency, a post held by 24 men including george h.w. bush, john foster dulles and bob gates. so take a look at some of the questioning today. >> the cia selectively declassified only small pieces of information to bolster your nomination. while keeping damaging information under wraps. >> what i believe sitting here today is that i support the higher moral standard we have decided to hold ourselves to. >> would you please answer the question? >> i think i've answer the question. >> know you have not. >> martha: that in the same week as we heard this from former first lady michelle obama. >> if we as women are still suspicious of one another -- if we still have this crazy, crazy bar for each other that we don't have four men, if we are still doing that today, if we are more comfortable -- if we are not comfortabl

haspel. now, democrat senator joe manchin is becoming the first to say he will vote for haspel to lead the cia. >> this lady is the real deal. i'm telling you, we hit her with everything we thought, she answered, didn't flinch at all. she has 33 years of experience. nobody else that comes to this job prepared like she's prepared. >> harris: congressial could or respondent mike emanuel is on cap toil hill. >> clearing that up, harris, very strongly with neil cavuto late yesterday. now it's about counting the votes in the united states senate. south carolina republican lindsay graham says he intends to support gina haspel's nomination to be the next cia director saying she's risen through the ranks of the organization, receiving high marks from all who have interacted with her. she has the support of six former cia directors serving under both republican and democratic administrations. graham's best friend in the senate, john mccain of arizona, came out strong against haspel, saying her refusal