23 March 2018

Wall Street Journal: CIA Fills in Some Blanks on Gina Haspel’s Secret Life

(Nancy Youssef, CIA Fills In Some Blanks on Gina Haspel’s Secret Life , Wall Street Journal, 3/22/2018)

“The CIA said she is a native of Ashland, Ky., the oldest of five children, and the daughter of an airman who raised her all around the world as he served at various bases. She graduated from high school in the U.K., the agency said, without naming which city.

Ms. Haspel wanted to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, but her father told her girls weren’t welcome at the time, according to the agency. Instead, she graduated with honors from the University of Louisville with a degree in languages and journalism, according to the agency biography.

. . .

The CIA said her first posting was in Africa, but it wouldn’t specify which county. She participated in humanitarian work during the Gulf War and has served as chief of station in the capital of a ‘major U.S. ally.’ The agency wouldn’t say anything further about the assignment.

Ms. Haspel earned the agency’s George H.W. Bush award after she pulled together a capture operation involving two terrorists with suspected connections to an embassy bombing. Which one? The agency won’t say, but at that point in her career there were only two such bombings, in Tanzania and Kenya.”

Visit WallStreetJournal.com to read the full story.

CNN: CIA Paints a Fuller Picture of Director Nominee Gina Haspel’s Biography

(Jeremy Herb, CIA paints a fuller picture of director nominee Gina Haspel's biography , CNN, 3/22/2018)

“After she graduated from the University of Louisville -- while remaining a fan of the rival Wildcats -- she worked as a contractor with the 10th Special Forces Group at Fort Devens in Massachusetts.

She then applied to join the CIA, with a love of foreign languages and a desire ‘to be part of something bigger than just me,’ the bio quotes her as saying. Her first job was as a case officer in Africa, an experience she is quoted as describing as ‘right out of a spy novel.’

. . .

The end of the bio mentions her affinity for Johnny Cash, noting her office has a number of overseas mementos, along with a 5-foot-tall poster of the country music legend ‘as a symbol of American individualism.’"

Visit CNN.com to read the full story.

Associated Press: CIA offers peek into life of Trump’s Nominee to Lead Agency

(Deb Riechmann, CIA offers peek into life of Trump’s nominee to lead agency , AP, 3/22/2018)

“As the fight against al-Qaida gathered momentum, Haspel requested a transfer to the CIA’s Counter Terrorism Center. She started that job on Sept. 11, 2001, the day terrorists struck the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon, killing nearly 3,000 people.

‘She walked in amid the commotion, sat down at a computer and got to work,’ the CIA said. ‘She didn’t let up for three years, often working seven days a week.’

Before she was named deputy CIA director last year, Haspel held a series of senior jobs: chief of staff to the deputy director for operations, chief of station in the capital of a major U.S. ally and deputy director of the former National Clandestine Service, which is now called the Directorate of Operations.”

Visit APNews.com to read the full story.

Click here to read the full story of Deputy Director Gina Haspel’s life as a career CIA officer.

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