President Trump swore in Gina Haspel as the first woman to lead the Central Intelligence Agency on Monday, hours after he criticized her predecessor, John Brennan, for carrying out a “political hit job” against him.
“There is no one in this country better qualified for this extraordinary office than you,” Trump said to Haspel during a ceremony at the agency’s headquarters in Langley, Va. “It took courage for her to say yes in the face of a lot of negative politics, but I’ll tell you: when you testified before the [Senate Intelligence] Committee, it was over. There was nothing else they could say. There was nobody more qualified than you.”
The ceremony took place just hours after the president, quoting conservative radio host Dan Bongino, said Brennan had “disgraced himself” and “the entire Intelligence Community.” Trump accused the former CIA director, who served during the Obama administration, of destroying Americans’ faith in the top intelligence agency. He had described Brennan as one of “the biggest liars and leakers” in government.
Trump avoided criticism of Brennan in his remarks on Monday, choosing instead to focus on Haspel’s record and her leadership at the CIA.
“Gina will lead this agency into its next big chapter,” the president said, noting that she is taking the helm “at a crucial moment in our history.
“We are reasserting American strength and American confidence, and by the way, America is respected again,” Trump told the audience at Langley. “Instead of apologizing for our nation, we are standing up for our nation. We will be counting on you to confront a wide array of threats we face and to help usher in a new era of prosperity and peace.”
Haspel has spent more than three decades at the agency, working as a field agent, recruiting assets and running a secret “black site” in Thailand after Sept. 11. She was confirmed by the Senate in a 54-45 vote on Thursday after a tumultuous nomination and hearing during which she faced intense questions about her role in the CIA’s enhanced interrogation program.
