Trump names former "black site" prison operator CIA deputy chief

By Mark Hosenball

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A veteran CIA clandestine service officer who ran one of the agency's "black site" prisons set up after the 9/11 attacks was named deputy director of the U.S. spy agency on Thursday by U.S. President Donald Trump.

 

Gina Haspel, who will serve under new Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo, was the first woman spy to reach the CIA's second-highest position, and her selection won applause inside the agency's Virginia headquarters and from many longtime U.S.

intelligence professionals.However, Haspel once ran a secret CIA prison in Thailand where two suspected al-Qaeda members were waterboarded, intelligence and congressional officials said on condition of anonymity. She helped carry out an order to destroy videotapes of the waterboarding, which simulates drowning and is considered a form of torture, these people said.

 

Her promotion, combined with the possibility Trump could seek to reopen black site prisons and has endorsed waterboarding, may be controversial, despite the fact Pompeo and defence secretary James Mattis have rejected so called "enhanced interrogation techniques.

 

"A draft executive order requesting a review of whether the U.S. should reopen CIA prisons in other countries and revisit other interrogation methods not considered torture has been circulating within the White House, but it is not clear if it will be issued, and if it is, whether any nations would agree to host such facilities again, the officials said.

 

"I appreciate Ms. Haspel's many years of service at the CIA, yet I want some reassurance from her that she intends to comply with both the spirit and the letter of the law, like Director Pompeo testified that he would during his confirmation process," said Democrat Mark Warner, vice chairman of the Senate intelligence committee.Christopher Anders, the deputy director of the Washington office of the American Civil Liberties Union, said he was "gravely concerned" about Haspel's appointment.

 

Haspel has served in a number of overseas posts, including as chief of a majorCIA station, and although she was briefly acting head of the National Clandestine Service in 2013, Senator Dianne Feinstein, ranking minority member of the intelligence committee, opposed her permanent promotion to that job.

 

Other veteran officials, though, praised Pompeo for choosing her.

 

"It speaks well of him for picking a seasoned veteran of the agency who is widely and deeply respected by the workforce as well as those outside the agency," said former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who resigned on January 20 after 50 years of military and intelligence service.

 

(Reporting by Mark Hosenball, additional reporting Dustin Volz; Writing by John Walcott; Editing by Andrew Hay)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-02-03

 

just in line with all of his other appointments

He should have a good idea of harsh interrogation techniques.

At last we have a man that realizes torture does work.

Secret torture prison here in LoS? Was that a tourist initiative?

You recon now he can find all those "anonymous sources" in the White House, with their own agendas or greed, who leak questionable information to the press?

I wonder if these detainees had to do visa runs or 90 day reports.  

40 minutes ago, Ulic said:

I wonder if these detainees had to do visa runs or 90 day reports.  

 

Only if they were waterboarded for than 80 times in 30 days.

 

I would confess to anything, including the Lindbergh Kidnapping if waterboarded for more than 5 seconds.

 

Amazingly, no one from the Thai military knew about this "Detention Site Green".  wink, wink.

 

I just can't imagine why she would have the videotapes destroyed - wouldn't they show that "torture works"?

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/national/cia-interrogation-report/document/

 

 

Edited February 4, 20179 yr by mtls2005

Just as a quick reminder from an American, nearly anyone with a job and 10K in their pocket likes Trump. The millionaires and richer go left for I'm not sure what reason exactly. The poor, and there are quite a few fall for the dog and pony show of the left. The producers like me voted for Trump. Heck, is it not enough that he is not a lawyer? That alone should endear him to most. Anyway, don't fall for the Soros funded $ 400 an hour lawyer generated fake news. Way more than 50% of Americans are for Trump. We hope CA secedes because then another lefty would never get in office. And by the way for all you out of towners (out of the US), Obamacare ACA is not health care. Unless you have $ 600 - $ 900 a month and also $ 6300 a year each for deductible.  I don't know why I never see these facts in print. They are facts, I applied for it.