Haspel Won't Say CIA 'Tortured' and Refuses to Say If Torture Is 'Immoral'
After presenting herself as “a typical middle-class American” who was brought up with a strong “moral compass” in her opening remarks before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, Gina Haspel—President Donald Trump’s pick to head the CIA—would not admit that the agency has ever tortured nor would she say that she believes torture is immoral.
Asked repeatedly by Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) to provide a “yes or no” answer to whether the CIA’s torture techniques used in the aftermath of 9/11 were immoral, Haspel repeatedly dodged and at one point strongly endorsed the tactics she reportedly oversaw as an a CIA official, saying the agency “did extraordinary work to prevent another attack on this country.”
Haspel went on to say that while she doesn’t believe “torture works” as Trump has suggested, she does think the CIA’s “program” elicited “valuable information” from detainees.
Watch:
SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT