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Haspel Continues (Reluctantly) With Endangered Nomination Despite Opposition Over Her Prior Record Of Torture

440px-Gina_Haspel_official_CIA_portraitCIA nominee Gina Haspel reportedly sought to withdraw her nomination last Friday but was convinced to continue by the White House.  I have previously written extensively on my views the torture program implemented under the Bush Administration and why it was a clear violation of international laws and treaties.  As I wrote recently, CIA nominee Gina Haspel has featured greatly in that torture program.  Nevertheless, various Democrats continues to express a willingness to consider making her the head of the Central Intelligence Agency. In the meantime, Sarah Sanders has echoed the talking point that Senators will be hypocrites if they do not vote for the first woman to be nominated for this post.  The problem is that she is also the first person nominated with an admitted history of torture, even though she continues to mislabel the programs as “enhanced interrogation.”

Many democratic voters are angered by the continued consideration of a nominee associated with the torture program.  Senators like Diane Feinstein have been criticized for not doing enough during the Bush Administration despite her knowledge of the program.  She is now saying that she will wait to see how Haspel currently views torture.  It is her past however that is the basis for most opposing confirmation.  If waterboarding is torture (which it has been since the Spanish Inquisition), prior use of torture was viewed as a categorical exclusion from employment, let alone promotion, in government service.

Haspel’s confirmation would continue to erode the credibility of the United States in opposing human rights violations in other countries.  Her confirmation however could also lead to serious questions among Democratic voters as to the continued disconnect with their Senators, particularly when Republicans like John McCain and Rand Paul opposing the nomination on principle.

95 thoughts on “Haspel Continues (Reluctantly) With Endangered Nomination Despite Opposition Over Her Prior Record Of Torture”

  4. Don Trump,

    What are you personally getting out of obeying the “leaders” of Israel and Saudi Arabia? Most of us, not all obviously, don’t share your love for murder, mass anihilation and torture. We would like people to live. We value other nations choosing their own leaders. We do not want to see the US turned into a shithole of torture, cruelty and evil. WE DON’T WANT THIS.

    A real man doesn’t follow orders of rich people who promise him money and power in exchange for murder and torture. It sure doesn’t take much to make you serve. I think it only took about 2 silver coins for you to betray what is best about our nation. You come real cheap.

    Give back the coins and go and do good in the world.

  5. Waterboarding should only be used under exceptional circumstances. Among the excellent candidates for waterboarding treatment are the following:

    John Kerry
    Robert Mueller
    Rod Rosenstein
    James Comey

    During the waterboarding process, I don’t think it would be necessary to ask specific questions, but rather to ask open-ended questions, such as “Is there anything that you want to tell me?” I think their responses would be most illuminating.

  6. Haspel should withdraw.

    “Col. Morris Davis
    @ColMorrisDavis

    “My discussion with @camanpour on @CNN about the @CIA torture program that CIA Director nominee Gina Haspel participated in. Torture is a war crime with no statute of limitations and universal jurisdiction for arrest and prosecution. @Morning_Joe cnn.com/videos/world/2…
    3:01 AM – 7 May 2018”

    “CIA torture methods ‘are war crimes’

    “Former Guantanamo chief prosecutor Colonel Morris Davis tells Christiane Amanpour abuses committed in the CIA “are war crimes.” Source: CNN”

    https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2014/12/09/intv-amanpour-colonel-morris-davis-senate-report-cia-torture.cnn

  7. It does not surprise me a bit that the very people that support Trump also support torture as a national policy. Anybody that worked with and carried out the Bush-Cheney program of “Enhanced interrogation” should have been tried as a war criminal. The fact we as a nation did not come to terms with torture and the Bush-Cheney regime is why we have such incompetence now.

  8. I also love Trump calling Congress hypocritcal for not supporting a woman. They are hypocrites but no so more than Trump pretending he is a feminist! Jeesh! Like there is only one woman who could do this job! There are plenty of women who could do this job. Choose another woman, one who is actually qualified.

    Trump is starting to sound a lot like liberals with this stupid statement.

  9. Think people, think!

    https://youtu.be/DkHJXaGv2b4

    If you want to maintain our Constitution instead of Saudi Arabia’s then you will in no way support this nominee. Just because you are scared of terrorism doesn’t mean you give up on our Constitution. When did the people of this nation become such cowards?

  10. Her confirmation however could also lead to serious questions among Democratic voters as to the continued disconnect with their Senators, particularly when Republicans like John McCain and Rand Paul opposing the nomination on principle.

    What principles exist in the opposition of torture and the support of abortion?

    2. What principles exist in the opposition of torture and the support of abortion?

      The principle of maintaining your social standing in a professional-managerial set. You don’t think the overwhelming majority of the GW faculty don’t maintain both these positions?

      1. You don’t think the overwhelming majority of the GW faculty don’t maintain both these positions?

        I don’t know what the GW faculty believe. I do know from this blog those most opposed to torture routinely advocate for abortion. The moral relativism of this lot is pervasive in their politics.

        1. It isn’t moral relativism. It’s fashion-driven moral rank-ordering which is transparently unserious.

          1. It isn’t moral relativism. It’s fashion-driven moral rank-ordering which is transparently unserious.

            And the difference between the two is what?

            1. Moral relativism would say that there is no common standard to judge the validity of value scales. That’s not the view of the contemporary academic, who is very insistent on his tribe’s to the exclusion of anyone else’s.

              Did you catch Prof. Turley’s complaints about above-ground pool marketing in Saudi Arabia? A particularly thorough but petty example of moral non-relativism.

    3. Well, just off the top of my head, one’s a war crime–which is illegal, and one’s a form of birth control–which is entirely legal. So, there’s that.

      this is to “false equivalence” olly

      1. Nope. Not false at all. Both are examples of positive law either supporting or rejecting natural rights. Using your top of my head logic, a majority could legalize some or all forms of torture and make all forms of abortion illegal. So, there’s that.

        1. Sorry, you’re about one century too late. Women are no longer chattel belonging to their nearest male relative. They control their own bodies now, including their reproductive system. I know your ilk thinks it was better in the “good ole days” when a man could own his women-folk, but be honest about those desires rather than hiding behind the make-believe bodies of imaginary “children,” which isn’t going to deligitimize birth control.

          this is to “the kinda girls I can git are preferably barefoot, stupid and pregnant” olly

          1. They control their own bodies now, including their reproductive system.

            We have a posing lawyer whose engagement with the subject consists of reciting slogans. My sympathies go out to your ‘clients’.

  11. Turley wrote, “Nevertheless, various Democrats continues to express a willingness to consider making her the head of the Central Intelligence Agency.”

    Did any of these various Democrats nominate Gina Haspel to be Director of The CIA???

    Is Turley throwing in the towel on getting Trump to withdraw the Haspel nomination???

    Does anyone remember exactly to which major political party Trump belongs???

  12. The democrats obstruction of Gina Haskell’s nomination is nothing but politics. She is a woman who has worked hard in a difficult job and thrived. She is actually what democrats hate. It has been a constant stream of personal smears on all Trump nominees with the Democrats desire to intimidate, shut up and threaten anyone associated with the President and to disparage all of the 63million people who voted for him and the overwhelming number of states who voted for him via the electoral college. The Democrats are the Smear machine fascists, using identity politics, the preferred tool of the Nazi’s and the Maoists.

  13. The purpose of “security” agencies has expired. The ability of google, facebook, etc to gather up, archive, and search all electronic communications anywhere in the world is far more efficient than “security” agencies ever were at stopping international crime. Their existence today, then, suggests they plan to engage in international crimes rather than stopping anything.

    1. Chris Bacon – what was the last terrorist event stopped in advance by any three-letter agency? Try googling it.

    1. rbrowntest – having a vagina was reason enough to vote for Hillary.

  15. The problem is Gina’s pocket book hand bag. Gina always has it. During the confirmation hearings, Gina should just dump the contents on the table.

  17. Still calling water boarding torture? I guess for wimps it might seem that way.It’s fast, efficient leaves no marks, and is 95% psychological. We had that as part of the regime of tricks in the first SERE Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape schools. Of course we knew what was coming but it still worked. That experience is exactly what IS needed for sure the only worse is something like forced to listen to Poke A Haunt Us or Waters or Pelosillyni’s speeches. Time to leave the grown up world to the grown ups and tell the draft dodgers to sit this one out. See how big and bad and threatening victimizer Cory Booker would be maybe 20 seconds?

    1. People like you scare me. And you call yourself an American and a human being! Shame on you. This country is better than that!

      1. Savage – people like him should scare you, they defended our nation. Did you?

        I didn’t get a chance to, medically unfit. Still, I won a t-shirt as best shot at laser tag at Disneyland shooting moving human targets.

        1. I enlisted in 1951 and retired from the service in 1979. I think I’ve earned that comment. Would you care to describe your service? I,be seen many people like him. Talk is cheap.

          1. Savage – just curious, what was your rank on retirement?

        2. Ethically unfit, too. Keyboard warrior, all talk and nothing else.

          1. YNOT – I got an A in my Ethics class, what did you get?

      2. Savage-
        Those who favor torture and violence are a variation of the human species. Unfortunately they often proliferate as a result of violent rape, which is why it is so important to have easy access to birth control and termination of adverse pregnancies.

        1. Chris Bacon – you support the death of innocents, but are queasy at a little torture? Typical.

    3. Awesome; another keyboard warrior.

      this is to “tuffy” mikey

  18. I support her nomination. I think it will rattle some cages knowing she is in charge of the CIA. What is considered torture is amorphous. We train our forces to be waterboarded. Do we torture our own troops? Hell, no!!!

    1. What is considered torture is amorphous.

      Oh, but discussion of it provides endless opportunities for pretentious scolds.

      Prof. Turley’s experience with military life, police work, and intelligence collection is nil. He doesn’t admit to any practical experience with the penal courts. Does this or does this not vitiate the value of his opinions to some extent?

  19. It is not just her apparent participation in the torture program that is problematic. It is also her apparent involvement in the destruction of the videotapes of the torture sessions.

    Feinstein’s ambivalence will be grating to many in California. Haspel does not deserve a “pass” because she is a woman.

    I’ve read some rumblings expressing concern about who Trump might nominate if she is not confirmed. I don’t see that concern outweighing concerns about her apparent willingness to disregard both the law and a court order.

    1. Big Effing; Deal any old excuse from the wimps of the left. That comment was pathetic and proves we should stop letting the left start so mamy wars until they are willing to take part. Think no? Let’s examine nation builder Clinton the First. with imperialist RINO Bush split the 1990s usually is thought of as only Kuwait.

      ” 119 instances in 7 regions plus 44 countries where tAmerica felt a need to exert military power in foreign lands:

      Adriatic Sea 5; Africa 1; Albania 2; Bangladesh 1; Bolivia 3; Bosnia 1; Bosnia-Herzegovina 9; Bosnian Serbs 1; Cambodia 1; Central African Republic 1; Central America 2; Central/South America 2; Columbia 1; Congo (Zaire) 2; DR Congo 1; Eritrea (Asmara) 1; Former Soviet Union 5; Guinea-Bissau 1; Haiti 2; Honduras1; Hungary (Taszar) 1; Iraq 10; Israel 1; Kenya 1; Korea 1; Kosovo 9; Kosovo/Albania 1; Kurdistan 3; Kuwait 4; Liberia 3; Mexico 1; Mozambique 1, S Africa 1; North Korea 1; Peru/Ecuador 1; Philippines 2; Rwanda 2; Serbia-Macedonia 1; Saudi Arabia 2; Sierra Leone 4; Somalia 5; South America 4; Sudan/Afghanistan 1; SW Asia 8; SW Asia/Iraq 1; Taiwan Straights 1; Timor 1; Turkey 1; Venezuela 1; Zaire/Rwanda/Uganda 2.

      Ledbetter, Mark David”.

      Clinton was far in the lead. From 1990 to present the death toll is over 800,000 in actions started with Progressive in the Oval Office less than 8,000 for a Repo in the White House. that’s 99% and the wimps cry about a little board time.

      KMRWBA

    2. Apparent is like alleged, reportedly and purportedly it means no proof provided. and yhet you used apparent three times…. to excuse your lack of objective cites, sources, etc etc etc. And we should believe you?

  20. The heads of the various agencies should not be graduates of a lifelong indoctrination by the Fourth Branch. It’s like inbreeding – if new genes are not continually inserted into the pool, defective and broken progeny are the result.

    The agencies need to be run from the top by outsiders – otherwise what was considered unorthodox, troubling, and downright wrong eventually worms its way into the SOPs.

    It’s bad enough most of the Fourth Branch knows it doesn’t really need to execute the strategy of the Commander-in-Chief as it knows they’ll be another one along in 4-8 years with a different plan. Having the inmates lead the asylum will result in complete ignorance of the boss.

    1. Would you apply the same policy, exactly as written to the DNC etc etc etc? I just have to name Pelosi. to put a big hole in your balloon.

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