Haspel in Letter to Dem Sen.: ‘The Enhanced Interrogation Program Is Not One the CIA Should Have Undertaken’

CIA Director Nominee Gina Haspel has been hit with a wave of backlash for her involvement in the agency’s “enhanced interrogation” program, a choice for which she emphasized regret in a letter to Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) Monday.

In the letter obtained by CNN, Haspel vows to “refuse to undertake any proposed activity that is contrary to my moral and ethical values,” and that the agency’s work must be in line with its standards, as well as its “mission, expertise, and the law.” Further making her point, Haspel adds that she “would not hesitate to reject a proposal that fails to meet this threshold.”

She acknowledged that certain of the CIA’s past controversial activities, which include the use of interrogation tactics widely regarded as torture, “did damage to our officers and our standing in the world” despite resulting in the gathering of valuable intelligence.

Haspel also noted that “the enhanced interrogation program is not one the CIA should have undertaken,” crediting hindsight and leadership experience as the source of her change of heart.

The remarks are similar to the answers she delivered during her confirmation hearing last Wednesday when she was grilled by Warner on moral standards. In that hearing, she promised she “will not restart a detention and interrogation program.”

Read the full letter here.

[Image via screengrab]

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