“Gina Haspel, my highly respected nominee to lead the CIA, is being praised for the fact that she has been, and alway [sic] will be, TOUGH ON TERROR!” President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter. | Jose Luis Magana/AFP/Getty Images Trump again defends Haspel as hearing approaches

President Donald Trump on Tuesday once again defended his pick to lead the CIA as being “tough on terror” ahead of her scheduled confirmation hearings later this week.

“Gina Haspel, my highly respected nominee to lead the CIA, is being praised for the fact that she has been, and alway [sic] will be, TOUGH ON TERROR!” Trump wrote on Twitter. “This is a woman who has been a leader wherever she has gone. The CIA wants her to lead them into America’s bright and glorious future!”


Haspel, whom Trump nominated last month to replace Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as CIA director, will sit on Wednesday for what is expected to be a contentious Senate confirmation hearing. She has been criticized for a past role overseeing a CIA “black site” prison in Thailand where terrorism suspects were subjected to so-called “enhanced interrogation” techniques, including waterboarding.

With Republicans in possession of a razor-thin majority in the Senate, whether Haspel will be confirmed remains an open question. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has already announced his opposition to Haspel’s confirmation, meaning she will require the support of at least one Democrat in order to clear the Senate. She is scheduled to meet Tuesday with Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.).