McCain: Senate Should Reject Gina Haspel Over Torture Involvement

[RandySF]

Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain wants the Senate to reject the nomination of Gina Haspel to lead the Central Intelligence Agency.

The Arizona Republican, who has been home in Arizona battling brain cancer and related ailments, said in a statement he was not satisfied by Haspel’s responses regarding her involvement in the agency “enhanced interrogation” effort during the George W. Bush administration.

“I believe Gina Haspel is a patriot who loves our country and has devoted her professional life to its service and defense. However, Ms. Haspel’s role in overseeing the use of torture by Americans is disturbing. Her refusal to acknowledge torture’s immorality is disqualifying,” McCain said Wednesday night. “I believe the Senate should exercise its duty of advice and consent and reject this nomination.”

The statement came hours after Haspel testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee in both open and closed settings.

McCain, who faced torture during his time as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, said the current acting director who has been nominated by President Donald Trump to run the agency did not sufficiently confront “the mistakes the country made in torturing detainees held in U.S. custody” after the terrorist attacks of 9/11.


http://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/mccain-reject-gina-haspel

[BootinUp]

1. Not it will help but K&R for

The right message.

[TomSlick]

2. I'm conflicted.

Gina Haspel ought to have been prosecuted for engaging in torture and destruction of evidence. There is no way that she should head the CIA. That being said, I am confident that if she is rejected Trump will nominate someone worse - like Tom Cotton who is both unqualified and morally bankrupt. The depths to which Tom Cotton would go are unfathomable.

I don't know the answer.

[RandomAccess]

3. Well said

[BigmanPigman]

5. That is what the guest on Lawrence just said too.

It is a choice of the lesser of two evils.

[Snotcicles]

8. There are times when you just have to deal with the monster you are staring at. nt

[Victor_c3]

4. .... that's the sort of thing a guy who has experienced it would say

Given McCain’s history, I’m kind of surprised by his often hawkish positions, but the again he didn’t really experience combat the same way a grunt does. No stuffing body bags or dealing with wounded people and the chaos that goes with that. So, maybe I’m not surprised. He flew jets and dropped bombs and never saw what they actually did to people.

However, his position on torture makes perfect sense to me.

If you haven’t been in combat you shouldn’t ever be in the position to send people to combat. I know this is unrealistic, but the people who decide to send young people to war should deal first hand with stuffing a body bag with someone they murdered. If you can do that, deal with the guilt, and still believe it’s a just cause, then maybe it really is a just cause.

[Gothmog]

6. From my twitter feed

Link to tweet

[Snotcicles]

7. And Joe Manchin said he will vote to approve. nt

[jalan48]

9. If we are unable to draw the line at torture where will we draw it?