“Think of that, in these very dangerous times, we have the most qualified person, a woman, who Democrats want OUT because she is too tough on terror. Win Gina!” President Donald Trump tweeted. | Alex Brandon/AP Photo Trump defends CIA pick Haspel: 'Democrats want out because she is too tough on terror'

President Donald Trump issued an online vote of confidence Monday for Gina Haspel, his pick to be the next director of the CIA, and chided Democrats who have been critical of her for her role in waterboarding terrorism suspects at a secret agency prison.

“My highly respected nominee for CIA Director, Gina Haspel, has come under fire because she was too tough on Terrorists,” the president wrote on Twitter. “Think of that, in these very dangerous times, we have the most qualified person, a woman, who Democrats want OUT because she is too tough on terror. Win Gina!”


Haspel is expected to be on Capitol Hill on Monday, meeting with senators ahead of confirmation hearings later this week. Whether she will be confirmed to lead the CIA remains an open question amid concern about her role running a CIA “black site” prison in Thailand where terrorism suspects were subjected to so-called “enhanced interrogation” techniques like waterboarding.

Haspel’s past involvement with practices labeled by many as torture has already cost her the support of Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), meaning she will require the support of at least one Democrat in order to be confirmed.

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According to a Washington Post report published over the weekend, Haspel offered late last week to withdraw herself from consideration to lead the CIA over concerns that confirmation hearings scheduled for Wednesday could prove damaging to agency’s reputation and to her own. She reportedly expressed a desire to avoid being “the next Ronny Jackson,” a reference to the White House’s former pick to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs whose candidacy was scuttled by allegations of misconduct.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who the Post reported was among the administration officials who met with Haspel last Friday at CIA headquarters in Virginia after she offered to withdraw, praised Haspel over the weekend as eminently qualified to lead the agency. That she would be the first woman to do so, Sanders wrote, should garner her further support, especially from Democrats.

“There is no one more qualified to be the first woman to lead the CIA than 30+ year CIA veteran Gina Haspel,” the press secretary wrote on Twitter on Saturday. “Any Democrat who claims to support women’s empowerment and our national security but opposes her nomination is a total hypocrite.”