New CIA Deputy Director's Past Intertwined With CIA's History Of Waterboarding 
 
 Enlarge this image toggle caption Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images 
 
 Here's one side of the resume of the CIA's new second-in-command, Gina Haspel: she's a decorated officer, serving more than three decades undercover, including multiple tours as a station chief. 
 
 And here's another side: Haspel's fingerprints are all over the CIA's detention and interrogation programs. Haspel was, for a time, the chief of base at the black site prison in Thailand where some al-Qaida suspects were interrogated after the Sept. 11 attacks. Those sessions were videotaped but the tapes were destroyed in 2005, two years after a member of Congress called on the CIA to preserve such tapes. 
 
 Who wrote the cable ordering their destruction? Gina Haspel. 
 
 This history led Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, both Democrats and both members of the Intelligence Committee, to write the president on Feb. 2 — the day Haspel's new role was announced — and argue "her background makes her unsuitable for the position." 
 
 "The senators who are asking questions have every right to ask them," says former Rep. Jane Harman, who was briefed on the tapes back in 2002, as the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. "After that briefing, when I could sort of stop gasping and close my mouth, I wrote a classifed letter." 
 
 That letter, dated February 10, 2003, was addressed to the CIA's then-general counsel, Scott Muller. It has since been declassified. It calls on the CIA to preserve the videotapes of interrogations. 
 
 "As a lawyer, as a trained lawyer, I know... it's not okay to destroy the evidence. And this was evidence. And it was deliberately destroyed," says Harman, now director of the Wilson Center, a nonpartisan Washington think tank. 
 
 CIA officers — past and present — maintain it was Haspel's boss who made the decision to destroy them. Among them, a former chief of the CIA's clandestine service who has never given an on-the-record interview before. 
 
 "This [the destruction of the videotapes] was not done on Gina Haspel's authority. And I know that because I was there," says John Bennett. 
 
 Bennett led the clandestine service from 2010 to 2013. At the time the tapes were destroyed, he was serving as deputy to then-clandestine service chief Jose Rodriguez. Gina Haspel was Rodriguez's chief of staff. Bennett argues that attempts to block Haspel's career today for actions taken in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks are "really very unfair." 
 
 "I don't know anybody who joined the CIA to run an interrogation program," he continued, "But in the aftermath of 9/11, Gina Haspel and other colleagues stepped up to what is frankly a dirty job – because they were repeatedly assured that it was not only legal but necessary for the safety of the country. And they did it – Gina did it – because they felt it was their duty." 
 
 The deputy director job at CIA is not subject to Senate confirmation. And Haspel, through a spokesperson, declined NPR's interview request. So her personal views on the CIA's — and her — actions after 9/11 remain unclear. 
 
 Bob Eatinger, a CIA attorney for 24 years, says he worked closely with Haspel. He remembers meeting her when he reported to the agency's counterterrorism center in 2004. 
 
 "She would come into my office," he recalls. "We were in the same vault. And [she would] want my views — either she got a cable, she got a memorandum, she got an internal email that didn't sound right to her. So she would come talk to me and say, how does this sound?" 
 
 Eatinger says officers in the clandestine service, like Haspel — by definition tend to be risk-takers, comfortable with operating at the edge of what's legal. But he says Haspel is no lawbreaker. 
 
 "When she asked me a legal question, I gave her a legal answer, she always followed it. She was always trying to do the right thing." 
 
 After President Trump named Mike Pompeo as his CIA director, it was widely expected that the deputy-director post would go to a career CIA officer. Pompeo, a former Republican congressman from Kansas, has no direct intelligence experience, aside from serving on the House Intelligence Committee. Pompeo and Haspel take the reins at Trump's CIA, as he builds a foreign policy and national security infrastructure intent on battling terrorism driven by Islamic fundamentalism. 
 
 Both on the campaign trail and since assuming the presidency, Trump has repeated his view that, "torture works." But he's also said he would defer to his defense secretary, retired Gen. Jim Mattis, who has stated he does not believe waterboarding is effective and has reiterated that it is illegal. 
 
 So will the CIA, under its new leaders, stay out of the detention and interrogation business? We asked John Bennett if he believes that chapter of the CIA's history is definitively closed. 
 
 "I certainly hope that it's definitively closed," he replied. "I hope the agency and policymakers and Congress have learned lessons from this." 
 
 Bennett added that leaving future interrogations to other government agencies would have the advantage of allowing the CIA to focus on its core strength: espionage. That's a mission that he says Gina Haspel is uniquely qualified to help lead. 

 FILE - This April 13, 2016 file photo shows the seal of the Central Intelligence Agency at CIA headquarters in Langley, Va. President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday that he was nominating the CIA's deputy... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - This April 13, 2016 file photo shows the seal of the Central Intelligence Agency at CIA headquarters in Langley, Va. President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday that he was nominating the CIA's deputy... (Associated Press) 
 
 WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's choice to be the first female director of the CIA is a career spymaster who once ran an agency prison in Thailand where terror suspects were subjected to a harsh interrogation technique that the president has supported. 
 
 Trump tweeted Tuesday that he would nominate CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace Rex Tillerson as secretary of state and that he has selected Gina Haspel to replace Pompeo. Haspel, the current deputy CIA director, also helped carry out an order that the agency destroy its waterboarding videos. That order prompted a lengthy Justice Department investigation that ended without charges. 
 
 Haspel, who has extensive overseas experience, briefly ran a secret CIA prison where terror suspects Abu Zubayadah and Abd al Rahim al-Nashiri were waterboarded in 2002, according to current and former U.S. intelligence officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. 
 
 More than a decade after waterboarding was last used, the CIA is still haunted by the legacy of a tactic that the U.S. government regarded as torture before President George W. Bush's administration authorized its use against terror suspects. There is no indication that Trump's pick signals a desire to restart the harsh interrogation and detention program. 
 
 Haspel, who joined the CIA in 1985, has been chief of station at CIA outposts abroad. In Washington, she has held several top senior leadership positions, including deputy director of the National Clandestine Service and deputy director of the National Clandestine Service for Foreign Intelligence and Covert Action. 
 
 When she was picked as deputy CIA director, her career was lauded by veteran intelligence officials, including former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who recently retired. But it also upset the American Civil Liberties Union and other rights advocates who found it unsettling that Trump would choose someone who was involved in the harsh interrogation program. 
 
 "No one who had a hand in torturing individuals deserves to ever hold public office again, let alone lead an agency," Human Rights First's Raha Wala said Tuesday. "To allow someone who had a direct hand in this illegal, immoral and counterproductive program is to willingly forget our nation's dark history with torture." 

 Gina Haspel joined the CIA in 1985. During her tenure, she controversially ran a “black site” prison in Thailand at which terrorism suspects reportedly were subjected to harsh interrogation tactics, including the use of waterboarding. | POLITICO screen shot Haspel, poised to become first female CIA chief, ran controversial 'black site' prison 
 
 President Donald Trump announced Tuesday he will nominate Gina Haspel to replace Mike Pompeo as director of the CIA, a move that could resurface concerns about the longtime intelligence official's stance on torture. 
 
 Haspel, if confirmed by the Senate, would become the first woman to lead the CIA, a milestone Trump touted in announcing his plans. 
 
 Story Continued Below 
 
 "Gina, by the way, who I know very well, who I've worked with very closely, will be the first woman director of the CIA," Trump told reporters gathered outside the White House. "She's an outstanding person, who also I have gotten to know very well." 
 
 The remarks followed a tweet in which Trump announced that Haspel would replace Pompeo at the CIA, while the intelligence chief would take over for Rex Tillerson at the State Department. 
 
 Haspel, who served as Pompeo's No. 2 at the CIA, joined the agency in 1985. During her tenure, she controversially ran a “black site” prison in Thailand at which terrorism suspects reportedly were subjected to harsh interrogation tactics, including waterboarding. 
 
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 Trump's selection of Haspel, whose appointment to the position of deputy director of the CIA was met with opposition by some lawmakers, prompted legislators to raise questions over her record on interrogation tactics. 
 
 “The torture of detainees in U.S. custody during the last decade was one of the darkest chapters in American history," Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) said in a statement Tuesday. "Ms. Haspel needs to explain the nature and extent of her involvement in the CIA’s interrogation program during the confirmation process.” 
 
 Former CIA Director John Brennan, who tapped Haspel to serve as deputy director of operations in 2013, responded to news of her selection Tuesday by praising her "wealth of experience." He also acknowledged her role in carrying out controversial intelligence-gathering practices. 
 
 "She was involved in a very, very controversial program, and I know that the Senate confirmation process will look at that very closely, but Gina Haspel has a lot of integrity," Brennan told MSNBC. "She has tried to carry out her duties at the CIA to the best of her ability even when the CIA was asked to do some very difficult things in very challenging times." 
 
 George Little, a former CIA and Pentagon spokesman during the Obama administration, alluded to the brewing confirmation battle while praising Haspel's record of service. 
 
 “She’s a true intelligence professional and widely respected inside the CIA," Little told POLITICO. "Her immediate challenge is to prepare for a series of very tough questions at her confirmation hearing." 
 
 poster="http://v.politico.com/images/1155968404/201803/3423/1155968404_5750484445001_5750472835001-vs.jpg?pubId=1155968404" true 
 
 Robert Litt, former general counsel to the director of national intelligence, said there is "no question" the controversy will come up at her confirmation hearing, but argued Haspel should not be penalized for carrying out programs introduced by senior government officials. 
 
 “I’ve also been long of the view, and I’ve said this publicly before, that to the extent that there’s blame to be laid for what was done in the CIA’s rendition and interrogation program, that blame should lie at the feet of the political level people who ordered the program and not the CIA officers who carried it out," Litt said. 
 
 Pompeo voiced support for Trump's decision to tap Haspel to replace him atop the CIA in a statement released Tuesday. 
 
 "I am proud of the work we have done on behalf of America and know that the Agency will continue to thrive under the leadership of Gina Haspel," Pompeo said. 
 
 Trump voiced support for waterboarding as a means of gathering intelligence last year, telling ABC News that government officials had to "fight fire with fire" to counter terror threats. 
 
 Martin Matishak and Daniel Lippman contributed to this report. 

 President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday morning that he will nominate Gina Haspel to become the new CIA director, replacing Mike Pompeo, who will be nominated as the next Secretary of State. 
 
 If confirmed, Haspel would be the first woman to lead the Central Intelligence Agency. 
 
 In a statement, Gina Haspel said she was “humbled” by the opportunity. 
 
 “After thirty years as an officer of the Central Intelligence Agency, it has been my honor to serve as its Deputy Director alongside Mike Pompeo for the past year,” Haspel said in a statement Tuesday. “I am grateful to President Trump for the opportunity, and humbled by his confidence in me, to be nominated to be the next Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.” 
 
 Here is what you need to know about Gina Haspel. 
 
 Gina Haspel would be the first female CIA director 
 
 It’s rare to promote someone for this post from within the agency, and Haspel will be the first-ever female director of the CIA if confirmed. 
 
 Gina Haspel has a long career at the CIA 
 
 Most recently, Haspel had been deputy director under Pompeo, but she has worked at the CIA since 1985. She has held numerous leadership positions in the CIA and spent much of her career undercover, the New York Times reports, and was deeply involved in the agency’s controversial torture program. 
 
 In 2002, she ran the agency’s black site prison in Thailand, where she oversaw the waterboarding of detainees. The tapes of those encounters were destroyed in 2005, with Haspel’s name linked to the order to get rid of them. 
 
 Gina Haspel has been controversial, but also praised 
 
 Haspel’s role in the interrogation program caused controversy on the Hill in the past, but she is well-regarded within the agency and praised by many of her intelligence colleagues. 
 
 James Clapper, former Director of National Intelligence under President Barack Obama, said in 2017 he was “very pleased” with the pick of Gina Haspel to be deputy and that she is “widely and deeply respected by the workforce.” Former CIA Director Michael Hayden said she was a “wonderful” choice for deputy and complimented her “dignity, professionalism and honor.” 

 CLOSE Gina Haspel is a career CIA official and would be the first woman to head the agency. But her involvement in operating CIA “black sites” during the Bush administration is controversial. Just the FAQs 
 
 CIA Deputy Director Gina Haspel. (Photo: AP) 
 
 Gina Haspel, President Trump’s nominee to become the first woman to lead the Central Intelligence Agency, made her career in covert action, but her involvement in controversial interrogations has already provoked Senate opposition to her confirmation. 
 
 Haspel, who joined the CIA in 1985, earned high-level awards during her career. She was sworn in early last year as deputy director and helps manage intelligence collection, analysis, covert action and counterintelligence. 
 
 Trump announced Tuesday he was removing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and replacing him with CIA Director Mike Pompeo. The Senate must vote on Haspel's confirmation to succeed Pompeo. 
 
 Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., chairman of the Intelligence Committee, said he would move to quickly confirm Haspel. "She has the right skill set, experience and judgment to lead one of our nation’s most critical agencies," he said. 
 
 Haspel's past in the agency drew opposition to a potential promotion. Shortly after she became deputy director, senators raised questions about Haspel drafting a cable that called for the destruction of taped CIA interrogations in 2002 at a secret prison in Thailand. 
 
 Christopher Anders, deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Washington legislative office, called Haspel the “central figure in one of the most illegal and shameful chapters in modern American history.” 
 
 “She was up to her eyeballs in torture, both in running a secret torture prison in Thailand and carrying out an order to cover up torture crimes by destroying videotapes,” Anders said. “One man held at the secret prison she ran was waterboarded 83 times, slammed against walls, sleep-deprived and locked in a coffin-like box. After she was promoted to a position back at CIA headquarters, she worked to destroy evidence of the torture crimes committed at the prison she ran.” 
 
 More on Trump administration personnel changes: 
 
 Secretary of State Rex Tillerson ousted in favor of CIA chief, Trump announces 
 
 White House departures: Who's been fired and who resigned 
 
 Trump said in a statement that Haspel’s appointment would be “a historic milestone.” Haspel and Pompeo “have worked together for more than a year and have developed a great mutual respect," he said. 
 
 Haspel said that after 30 years at the CIA, she was honored to serve with Pompeo during the past year. “If confirmed, I look forward to providing President Trump the outstanding intelligence support he has grown to expect,” she said. 
 
 Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., called Haspel “an excellent choice” and a “true professional.” 
 
 John Brennan, a former CIA director, told MSNBC the "very controversial" interrogation program Haspel was connected with was approved by President George W. Bush and deemed lawful by the Justice Department. 
 
 “Gina Haspel has a lot of integrity,” Brennan said. “She has tried to carry out her duties at CIA to the best of her ability, even when the CIA was asked to do some very difficult things in very challenging times.” 
 
 Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who was tortured as a prisoner during the Vietnam War, said the Senate would need the same commitment from Haspel as Pompeo gave to comply with the Army Field Manual’s rules for interrogation. He called the decision to waterboard prisoners after the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, “dangerously misguided” and said the techniques are clearly banned now. 
 
 “The torture of detainees in U.S. custody during the last decade was one of the darkest chapters in American history,” McCain said. “Ms. Haspel needs to explain the nature and extent of her involvement in the CIA’s interrogation program during the confirmation process.” 
 
 Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said he opposes Haspel to head the CIA. “Ms. Haspel's background makes her unsuitable to serve as CIA director,” he said. “If Ms. Haspel seeks to serve at the highest levels of U.S. intelligence, the government can no longer cover up disturbing facts from her past.” 
 
 Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., voted against Pompeo’s nomination and said, “Haspel has done much worse.” 
 
 “Not only did she directly supervise the torture of detainees, but she also participated in covering it up by helping to destroy the video evidence,” said Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran and Purple Heart recipient. “Her reprehensible actions should disqualify her from having the privilege of serving the American people in government ever again.” 
 
 The month Haspel became deputy director, Wyden and Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., raised questions about Haspel drafting the cable that called for destruction of taped CIA interrogations. They're still waiting for answers. "Her nomination must include total transparency about this background, which I called for more than a year ago when she was appointed deputy director," Wyden said. 
 
 The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights filed a legal intervention with German prosecutors last year, calling for an arrest warrant for Haspel. 
 
 “Those who commit, order or allow torture should be brought before a court — this is especially true for senior officials from powerful nations,” Wolfgang Kaleck, the group’s general secretary, said in filing the documents in June 2017. “The prosecutor must, under the principle of universal jurisdiction, open investigations, secure evidence and seek an arrest warrant. If the deputy director travels to Germany or Europe, she must be arrested.” 
 
 Before rising to deputy director, Haspel served overseas as chief of station in several assignments for the agency. In Washington, she became deputy director of foreign intelligence and covert action and chief of staff for the clandestine service’s director. 
 
 She received the George H.W. Bush Award for excellence in counterterrorism, the Donovan Award, the Intelligence Medal of Merit and the Presidential Rank Award, the most prestigious award in the civil service. 
 
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– With his decision to move CIA chief Mike Pompeo into the post of secretary of state, President Trump made a little history. He also nominated Gina Haspel to replace Pompeo, thus setting her up to be the first woman to run the spy agency. The nomination must be confirmed by the Senate, and it's a safe bet that critics will raise the issue of Haspel's links to the CIA's controversial waterboarding program. Haspel, as was reported last year during her confirmation process to become deputy CIA chief, once ran a secret CIA prison in Thailand where terror suspects such as Abu Zubaydah and Abd al Rahim al-Nashiri were waterboarded in 2002, reports the AP. In fact, Zubaydah was waterboarded 83 times, per NPR, which also notes that Haspel is accused of destroying videotapes of the interrogations after Congress demanded they be preserved. The flip side of her resume is that Haspel joined the CIA in 1985 and made a name for herself in covert operations, reports USA Today. Trump called Haspel an "outstanding person," and Time notes that President Obama's national intelligence director, James Clapper, said last year that he was happy she'd been nominated for the No. 2 post and that Haspel was "widely and deeply respected by the workforce." Still, the waterboarding issue had already surfaced in the first hours after Trump's announcement. "No one who had a hand in torturing individuals deserves to ever hold public office again, let alone lead an agency," said Human Rights First's Raha Wala, per the AP. No word yet on when the Senate confirmation process will begin. (Zubaydah lost his left eye after his capture by the CIA, though how is unclear.)