“Haspel is not the first government official with involvement in torture, or other types of war crimes. This is a government with no accountability. But her hands are particularly dirty, having both run a secret CIA torture prison, and then covering up its felonies. Her nomination is a moral depravity.”

Jeffrey Kaye —  Retired psychologist and an independent journalist 

Ray McGovern

May 8, 2018 — Last month, Ray McGovern was interviewed about CIA Director Nominee Gina Haspel.  The former CIA analyst finds it rather bizarre to discuss the exploits of the current CIA Acting Director, who in 2002 ran the secret prison where terrorist suspect was tortured. Gina Haspel faces a tough Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday (May 9 2018). Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today

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The history of the CIA Black Sites was documented by a Senate Intelligence Committee investigation. At the end of a four year-long effort, the report — which was  based on original CIA cables  and other documents — concluded that the programme produced no useful information. A redacted Executive Summary was released in December 2014.

“It revealed a number of heinous torture techniques used on kidnapped “detainees” and — equally important — gave the lie to claims by top CIA officials that useful intelligence was acquired by the torture.

As soon as Sen. Richard Burr (R, NC) became chair of the committee in Jan. 2015, he ordered all copies of the Senate investigation report returned to the committee.

Ms. Haspel, who has demonstrated a penchant for destroying evidence, can be counted on to deep-six whatever copies may linger at the CIA, unless someone tucks one under his/her shirt and absconds with it.

Haspel played a role in ordering the destruction of videotapes of the waterboarding and other torture she supervised at her secret little “dark-side” facility in Thailand, despite being specifically told by the White House Counsel to preserve them.

“The First Woman Picked to Lead CIA, But Not the First War Criminal”

REFERENCES

Trump’s pick for new CIA chief dogged by secret prisons — Reuters

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Former CIA Ray McGovern : “The First Woman Picked to Lead CIA, But Not the First War Criminal”