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Senator Durbin Questions CIA Openly Lobbying For Gina Haspel Nomination


Gina Haspel
Gina Haspel, nominated by President Donald Trump to be the next CIA director, is perhaps best known for running a “black site” prison in Thailand, where she oversaw state-sponsored torture at the start of a program designed at the behest of the CIA and approved at the highest levels of the George W. Bush administration. (Photo: CNN/Screenshot)

In new letter to Intel Director Coats, Durbin raises alarm on use of CIA resources to influence Congress

WASHINGTON—(ENEWSPF)—May 8, 2018
By: Rosemary Piser

Today, Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), vice chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee questioned the role of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in openly and actively using Agency resources to promote the nomination of Gina Haspel to serve as its next director.

Senator Durbin said, “These efforts to promote a national security nomination appear to be without precedent in recent history. Congress is being lobbied aggressively, and we must consider whether our intelligence agencies should conduct public affairs campaigns aimed at a co-equal branch of government. I urge you to consider whether the CIA’s efforts to promote this nomination are in keeping with the best interests of the intelligence community, and whether additional steps are warranted to review the public affairs postures of each component of the intelligence community.”

Full text of Durbin’s letter to Intelligence Director Dan Coats is available HERE

Source: www.durbin.senate.gov

Related Article:

Deploying ‘Tough on Terrorists’ Euphemism, Trump Backs Haspel With Open Embrace of CIA Torture


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