Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn said Thursday the Senate will confirm Gina Haspel as director of the Central Intelligence Agency despite controversy surrounding her involvement with enhanced interrogation techniques.
“Gina Haspel is a patriot, and she did exactly what she was told to do,” Mr. Cornyn, Texas Republican, said on Fox News.
He added that Ms. Haspel should not be held responsible for an entire program used in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He said she was following the orders given to her.
“This idea of making her the fall person for this program that I know is controversial, I think is just a shame. She will be first woman director of the CIA and the first operations officer as opposed to a political appointee or an analyst in the past 40 years,” Mr. Cornyn said.
The CIA has released a handful of memos about her work, but much of it is classified. Her confirmation hearing is slated for next month.
• Sally Persons can be reached at spersons@washingtontimes.com.
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