WASHINGTON In a contentious confirmation hearing that reopened the painful debate over CIA abuse of terrorism suspects, Gina Haspel pledged Wednesday she would not revive the use of secret prisons and harsh interrogations if she is confirmed to lead the nations premier intelligence agency.
The Senate Intelligence Committee hearing served as an uncomfortable public debut for Haspel, a veteran but controversial CIA officer who spent nearly all of her 33-year career recruiting and managing spies as an undercover operative in Africa, Europe and Central Asia as well as at CIA headquarters in Langley, Va.
She came under fire from Democrats and some Republicans clearly nervous about whether endorsing Haspel would amount to whitewashing what the CIA called enhanced interrogation tactics, and what critics called torture, after the Sept. 11 attacks. The practices are now banned.
In 2002, Haspel briefly ran the CIAs then-secret black site prison in Thailand, where detainees were waterboarded and subjected to sleep deprivation, body slamming and other abuses. Her role there is still mostly classified, and protesters interrupted the hearing by chanting Bloody Gina and Dont reward torture.
I want to be clear, Haspel told the committee. Having served in that tumultuous time, I can offer you my personal commitment, clearly and without reservation, that under my leadership CIA will not restart such a detention and interrogation program.
Her testimony helped tipped one crucial Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, to offer support, a sign that her confirmation in the full Senate appears more likely.
Haspel tried to assure skeptical senators that she wants to leave the discredited program in the past even as she defended her career in the shadows and sought to protect other intelligence professionals who might face legal jeopardy after participating in authorized operations.
The balancing act meant her answers sometimes grew tangled under pointed questioning. She pledged to follow her moral compass in the future, but declined to say whether she believed previous CIA practices were immoral. She said she supports laws that outlaw torture, but said the harsh interrogations were permitted under legal guidance at the time.
Im not going to sit here, with the benefit of hindsight, and judge the very good people who made hard decisions in extraordinary circumstances, she said.
She also pushed back at times, calling it a tragedy that the interrogation controversy had cast a shadow on the CIAs efforts to prevent another mass casualty terrorist event while the nation was still reeling from the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Haspel has drawn unusual support from current and former members of the intelligence community dozens have publicly endorsed her as she seeks confirmation in the full Senate.
After the hearing, Manchin said he would vote for Haspel, saying he has the utmost respect for the sacrifices she has made for our country.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has said he will oppose her confirmation, and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is being treated for brain cancer in Arizona, potentially eliminating Republicans slim 51-49 majority. Manchins vote could be enough to win approval in the narrowly divided chamber.
Questions about CIA interrogations dominated the hearing almost to the exclusion of other major concerns.
Haspel was not asked how the CIA should respond to Trumps decision Tuesday to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, for example. Nor was she asked about Trumps efforts to stage a nuclear summit with North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un, even though she has played a role in planning.
