5/1/2018

CIA/CONGRESS/TRUMP PEOPLE: “In a long career with the Central Intelligence Agency, Gina Haspel has held senior positions around the world supervising covert action, managing U.S. spies’ collection of human intelligence and working on counterterrorism efforts, according to biographical summary of her career declassified by the agency on Tuesday [5-1-18]. Ms. Haspel, who is President Donald Trump’s pick to be the next director of the CIA, held key roles in the agency’s post-Soviet European operations and international posts in more than 30 short-term assignments, the CIA said. She started with the agency 33 years ago in Africa as a young case officer. Until recently, much of Ms. Haspel’s life and career were classified by the agency. In March, the CIA revealed some basic biographical details, including her hometown and family background. If confirmed by the Senate, she would be only the second person to become director after spending an entire career in clandestine operations. The CIA has been under pressure from members of Congress to further detail her background in advance of her confirmation hearing next week. She became the agency’s acting director last week after the previous director, Mike Pompeo, was confirmed to be secretary of state.”

-Byron Tau and Nancy A. Youssef, “From Mother Teresa to Counterterrorism: CIA Unveils More on Gina Haspel,” The Wall Street Journal, May 1, 2018, 4:21 pm