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Rand Paul says that he will not vote for Gina Haspel at the head of the CIA because he's not convinced that she thinks the torture is immoral. May 11, 2018
Sam Upshaw Jr./Louisville Courier Journal

CIA nominee Gina Haspel testifies at a confirmation hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington.(Photo: Alex Brandon, Associated Press)

CIA Director Gina Haspel did not mention her involvement in the forced interrogation of suspected terrorists during her speech Monday at the University of Louisville, but she could not escape her past.

While Haspel was answering questions about what your favorite book is and what type of bourbon you like, nearly a dozen students stood in front of Miller's information technology center with placards calling it "War criminal".

Haspel spent decades working for the CIA and, in 2002, he oversaw a secret prison of "black sites" in Thailand during the hard interrogation – described as a torture by critics – of Abd al-Rahim al -Nashiri, accused of bombing the USS Cole. . According to former CIA agents, she has also pleaded for the destruction of more than 100 video cassettes containing interrogation information. A special prosecutor decided not to lay charges.

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Jennifer Bencomo, a junior from the University of Louisville, said it was "shameful" to have Haspel on campus.

"That's what we are known for," said Bencomo. "The McConnell Center continually invites people to trouble – it was the icing on the cake, she's a war criminal and they support this as a family event."

Senator Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky, strongly opposed Haspel's confirmation of allegations that she was a strong advocate of torture.

"I think people after the fact – when they have a hard time trying to get an appointment – will say a lot," Paul said earlier this year. "However, it was hard to tell if (the torture) was immoral."

She was nominated by 54 votes against 45 in May 2018, and Paul was one of the few Republicans not to vote.

Haspel was introduced by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and interviewed by CNN Columnist and Journalist columnist Scott Jennings. Neither Haspel nor Jennings discussed his involvement in the CIA interrogation programs which, according to the Senate Intelligence Committee, were deeply flawed.

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But lighter details like the fact that she keeps a cardboard cut out of her office with Johnny Cash or that if she had "a bourbon to drink for the rest of her life," Woodford Reserve could make the cut.

Haspel was born in Ashland, Kentucky, and graduated from the University of Louisville in 1978. She became Assistant Director of the CIA in 2017 and assumed her role as Director of the CIA – the first woman to occupy this function in May 2018.

"The CIA was a predominantly male agency," Haspel said in his interview. "But I had bosses ready to take a chance on me."

Haspel said that the United States faces "much more complex" threats than when it joined the agency for the first time and that the Soviet Union was the main concern.

While she has discussed topics such as increased cybersecurity threats from conflicting regimes like North Korea, she believes that 2018 "is certainly better placed" because of President Donald Trump's ongoing dialogue. with North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.

Trump overwhelmingly supported Haspel through the confirmation hearings.

"My highly respected CIA leadership candidate, Gina Haspel, has been criticized for being too harsh on terrorists," Trump said in May. "Think about it, in these very dangerous times, we have the most qualified person, a woman, whom Democrats want to go out because it is too harsh on terrorism."

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