Gina Haspel is one of the most qualified to ever be nominated as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency. With crises brewing around the world, it’s time for the Senate to confirm Haspel so she can get to work to keep the country safe.
Deputy Director Gina Haspel, a career intelligence officer, has proven herself committed to the mission of the CIA over her stellar 33-year career. Haspel joined the CIA in 1985 and was stationed overseas as an officer in the storied Directorate of Operations. With her intellect, hard work, and focus of mission, Haspel excelled in the clandestine service. As the growing threat of terrorism confronted our nation, Haspel requested to transfer to the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center. Her first day on the job was a fateful day that would shape the course of our national security posture for years to come: Sept. 11, 2001.
During her three years with the CTC, she successfully moved up through the ranks, later taking on a series of leadership positions at the National Clandestine Service. Most recently, she was appointed deputy director of the CIA by President Trump, where she helped re-invigorate the DO and restore the agency’s morale under former Director Mike Pompeo’s leadership. Haspel’s exemplary career has earned her not only the respect of her colleagues, but several honors including the George H.W. Bush Award for Excellence in Counterterrorism, the Donovan Award, the Intelligence Medal of Merit, and the Presidential Rank Award. Haspel’s confirmation would also be historic, as she would be the first woman to lead the CIA and the first career CIA officer nominated as director in 52 years.
About Haspel, former CIA director and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said “I’m glad it’s Gina because frankly she is someone who really knows the CIA inside out.” Gen. Michael Hayden, another former CIA director, called Haspel a “great choice” and “highly regarded.” As a nonpartisan, career intelligence professional and someone with bipartisan approval from previous directors, Haspel should be a fairly noncontroversial choice. Unfortunately, in the current political environment in Washington, the currency seems to be in the fight itself, less so about the substance. It’s hard to imagine that if a President Hillary Clinton nominated Gina Haspel that there would much fuss about her confirmation.
Putting the politics aside, it is important to remember that America’s intelligence professionals serve bravely overseas looking for that one clue that might keep a bomb from going off in one of our cities, or finding that one piece of the puzzle that uncovers an illicit proliferation network. They serve away from their families, in the shadows and often with no glory or affirmation. One-hundred-and-twenty-five stars are carved in the Memorial Wall in CIA Headquarters in Langley representing those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. The men and women of the CIA deserve a leader like Gina Haspel who knows the agency best.
With hot wars simmering in Afghanistan and in Syria, high-stakes diplomacy in North Korea and Iran, expansionist Russia and China on the march, unrest in Venezuela and other places, we need the head of the finest intelligence service in the world in the game protecting our country. Senate politics and future White House ambitions should take a back seat at times like this.
Gina Haspel has literally dedicated her life to the mission of the CIA. She is inherently qualified and every action she ever took on behalf of the country was legal and at the policy direction of nationally-elected leaders. The Senate should confirm Gina Haspel quickly to get her to work on behalf of all of us.
Andy Keiser was previously a senior advisor to the House Intelligence Committee and a deputy national security senior advisor to the Trump Transition Team. He is currently a Visiting Fellow at the National Security Institute and a principal at Navigators Global.
