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27Apr18

Trump pick to lead CIA says she won't let agency restart interrogation program

President Trump's pick to lead the CIA has been assuring senators in private that she will not allow the agency to restart a controversial detention and interrogation program, according to a congressional aide.

The nominee, Gina Haspel, is expected to make that pledge public in her opening remarks when she goes before the Senate Intelligence Committee for her confirmation hearing next month.

Haspel's confirmation hearing is scheduled for May 9. She is a veteran of the CIA who has done multiple tours overseas and has strong support among the agency's employees.

But her nomination has already drawn opposition from some lawmakers, who have voiced concerns about her ties to the CIA's now-discontinued use of cruel interrogation measures on terror suspects at so-called black site prisons.

Such interrogation and detention measures were implemented in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

In 2002, Haspel was responsible for overseeing a secret detention facility in Thailand, where detainees were allegedly exposed to brutal interrogation techniques, such as waterboarding and sleep deprivation.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who was tortured as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, has asked Haspel to explain her role in the enhanced interrogation program.

Haspel has also reportedly been telling senators in private conversations that all government agencies who play roles in the interrogation of prisoners should adhere to the guidelines put forth in the Army field manual, according to Reuters.

[Source: By Max Greenwood, The Hill, Washington, 27Apr18]
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