Veteran spy Gina Haspel will become the first female director of the CIA after six Democrats joined Republicans in a Senate confirmation vote that overrode concerns about her role in the spy agency's harsh interrogation program after 9/11.
Thursday's 54-45 vote split both parties, and the margin was the closest for a CIA nominee in the nearly seven decades that a nod from the Senate has been required. Haspel, who has spent nearly all of her 33-year CIA career in undercover positions, is the first career operations officer to be confirmed since William Colby in 1973.
Haspel, 61, is a native of Kentucky but grew up around the world as the daughter of an Air Force serviceman. She worked in Africa, Europe and classified locations around the globe and was tapped as deputy director of the CIA last year.
Source: Fox News
Also at the New York Times, CNN[warning: autoplay video], and Vox among others.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 19 2018, @09:38PM (1 child)
Mostly? He was a typical warmongering, authoritarian neo-liberal controlled by corporations. I won't even give him credit for the ACA, since even though it might the situation a bit better, the democrats had a supermajority at one point and didn't even seriously attempt to get singlepayer or even a public option. Even when he got something right, it was only a baby step in the right direction (Dodd-Frank). And to me, anyone who is okay with conducting mass surveillance (which is unconstitutional in the US) on the populace is automatically subhuman garbage.
The absolute best that can be said about Obama is that he was somewhat less evil than his Republican challengers and Clinton.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 21 2018, @04:40AM
Not wrong, but 43% of the population vote for the "other" team who openly advocate more war, more torture and solutions involving nuclear war. But them Dems, huh? Weak and no moral guidance.