NPR

Gina Haspel Confirmation Hearing: CIA Nominee Faces Senators' Questions

"I absolutely was an advocate" for destroying CIA interrogation tapes, nominee Gina Haspel said, if the act was found to be "conforming to U.S. law."
CIA nominee Gina Haspel is seen waiting for the Senate subway during a day of meetings with senators ahead of her confirmation hearing.

Updated at 12:34 p.m. ET

"I would not allow CIA to undertake activity that I thought was immoral – even if it was technically legal," CIA nominee Gina Haspel said on Wednesday, replying to pointed questions about what her values and priorities would be as leader of America's intelligence agency.

Haspel is being questioned by both her critics and her backers, testifying under oath at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on her nomination to lead the Central Intelligence Agency.

Several senators pressed Haspel for details about her role in destroying tapes of CIA interrogations of a detainee — and whether she had been in favor of that step.

"I absolutely was an advocate" for destroying the tapes, Haspel said, if the act was found to be "conforming to U.S. law."

The nominee also said she had not played a role in creating the CIA's detention and interrogation program, and didn't know of its existence until about a year after it had been started.

Haspel, the first woman nominated as the director of the CIA, hopes to succeed Mike Pompeo, who left to lead the State Department. But she's also facing scrutiny over her role in the

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR2 min read
A Baltimore Bridge Collapse Timeline; Disney And DeSantis Settle Legal Battle
Two bodies were recovered from the Baltimore bridge collapse and investigators released a timeline of events. The Walt Disney Company and Gov. Ron DeSantis have settled their lawsuits.
NPR3 min readPopular Culture & Media Studies
The Baltimore Bridge Collapse Gave Conspiracy Theorists A Chance To Boost Themselves
One researcher says it has become "standard" for any unexpected event "to be run through a filter of conspiracy theories based on the personal brand of the person spreading the theory."
NPR3 min read
Kickoffs Will Look Radically Different In The NFL Next Year. Here's How And Why
For years, the NFL has tweaked kickoff rules to reduce injuries, resulting in kickoffs that were safer but more boring. The changes aim to re-introduce excitement while keeping injuries low.

Related Books & Audiobooks