By Andrew Lepore | United States

In March, with Mike Pompeo‘s promotion to Secretary of State, President Trump appointed Gina Haspel, a lifelong covert agent, to CIA director. With the news came both praise and condemnation.

Many saw Haspel As the perfect choice for the new CIA director, Due to her determination, set of skills, and career of achievements. She joined the CIA in 1985 and was deployed in dozens of countries across the globe. Many also thought it would be good for Trump’s imagine to nominate the first female CIA director.

Her career, yet impressive, was rife with controversy. In 2002, She ran a CIA enhanced interrogation black site in Thailand. There have also been reports that Haspel herself took a lead role in the torture. The common methods of CIA “enhanced interrogation” include waterboarding (simulated drowning), sleep deprivation, and beatings, stress positions (like being shackled to the ceiling or intervals of up to 5 months) and most disturbingly rectal feeding.

Even more disturbingly, in 2005, Haspel was involved in a collusion to destroy tapes of the torture sessions she was involved in. Now just in time for her nomination hearing, as if in a scene from House of Cards, the CIA declassified information clearing Haspel of any wrong fling, claiming she “acted appropriately” in the destruction of the tapes.

Also, Haspel has pledged that if elected, she would not reinstate the CIA torture program. But should we trust her? The Agency has been caught lying to the Congress and falsifying information many times. I don’t see any reason why a possible director grasping for power would have any qualms about lying

In 2001, 15 days after the 9/11, former CIA director George Tenet made a brazen claim that was determined to be false information. He testified to Congress that Iraq was providing funding and weapons of mass destruction to Al Qaeda.

In 2007, former director Michael Hayden lied to a Sense committee about virtually every aspect of the torture program itself, Providing “Extensively inaccurate information”.

And in 2009, The CIA completely fabricated The results of its torture program in the sit down with former President Obama’s national security team.

I don’t see any reason why a possible director grasping for power would have any qualms about lying especially now. Only time will tell how this will play out. Though considering Trump encouraged the use of torture during the campaign trail, it is a real possibility the program could be reinstated. Only time will tell.

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