President Trump鈥檚 nominee for CIA Director, Gina Haspel, questions from the Senate Intelligence Committee today.
Democrat Sherrod Brown said he wants to see how Haspel will defend decisions and comments she鈥檚 made about her involvement with a post-9-11 interrogation program where the CIA waterboarded prisoners.
鈥淚鈥檓 sure there are plenty of qualified candidates out there who have a less controversial record on torture 鈥 I鈥檓 not sure why the President has nominated her,鈥 said Brown.
Republican Senator Rob Portman wants Congress to give Haspel a fair shot at a job he says should be filled before big events, including the President鈥檚 upcoming meeting with North Korea.
鈥淢y hope is that people will look at her qualifications, and decide on that basis,鈥 said Portman. 鈥淏y the way, she鈥檚 not a Republican, she鈥檚 not a Democrat, she鈥檚 a career CIA person who was undercover a lot. This shouldn鈥檛 be a partisan issue.鈥
Haspel, who has worked for the agency for three decades, said during her committee hearing that she would not restore an interrogation program at the CIA.
Haspel is currently acting director for the agency, replacing Mike Pompeo who is now Secretary of State. If confirmed, she will be the first woman in this role.
Copyright 2021 90.3 WCPN ideastream. To see more, visit .