Gina Haspel just became the first woman Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Senators votedShane Harris and Karoun Demirjian at the Washington Post said the confirmation of Haspel came about because of last minute arm-twisting of Democrats by former CIA directors John Brennan and Leon Panetta. The report says:
"... Haspel has not had as close of a relationship with Trump as the CIA’s previous director, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is one of the president’s closest advisers, according to people with knowledge of Haspel and Trump’s interactions ... But she has been successful, to a degree, influencing the president’s stance toward Russia, whose aggressive and adversarial posture toward the West has become a top national security priority for the administration..."[CIA photo: White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, CIA Deputy Director Gina Haspel, and CIA Chief Operating Officer Brian Bulatao enter CIA Original Headquarters Building]
The Post story offers background on Haspel, and includes the slant that she was involved in torturing War on Terror prisoners with Enhanced Interrogation Techniques, even though there is no evidence that she was directly involved in the actual interrogations.
Her bio at the CIA tells it this way:
“... Gina is an exemplary intelligence officer and a devoted patriot who brings more than 30 years of Agency experience to the job. She is also a proven leader with an uncanny ability to get things done and to inspire those around her,' said [former] Director Pompeo. 'We are fortunate that someone of her intellect, skill, and experience will be our Deputy Director. I know she will do an outstanding job, and I look forward to working with her closely in the years ahead.' ... Ms. Haspel is a career intelligence officer, having joined the CIA in 1985. She has extensive overseas experience and served as Chief of Station in several of her assignments ... In Washington, she has held numerous senior leadership positions at CIA, including as Deputy Director of the National Clandestine Service, Deputy Director of the National Clandestine Service for Foreign Intelligence and Covert Action, Chief of Staff for the Director of the National Clandestine Service, and in the Counterterrorist Center ... Ms. Haspel is the recipient of numerous awards including the George H. W. Bush Award for excellence in counterterrorism; the Donovan Award; the Intelligence Medal of Merit; and the Presidential Rank Award, the most prestigious award in the federal civil service..."
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