SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Gina Haspel, nominee to be director of the CIA, waves as she arrives at a meeting with U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) May 7, 2018 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
CIA Accused of 'A to Z Cover-Up' as Manchin Suggests He's Open to Voting for Haspel
Haspel's meetings with Manchin and other Democrats came as the CIA wheeled a single box of classified information on her record into the basement of the Capitol building
May 07, 2018
As the CIA wheeled a single cardboard box of classified material related to the highly secretive and reportedly torture-filled record of Gina Haspel--President Donald Trump's pick to head the agency--into the basement of the Capitol building on Monday, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) emerged from his meeting with Haspel gushing about their "great" conversation and suggested he's "open" to voting for her confirmation.
"The American people have a right to know about the new propaganda campaign that the CIA is now waging on behalf of Gina Haspel even as it hides her responsibility for torture and role in destruction of torture evidence."
--Dror Ladin, ACLU
Manchin's position raises serious questions about whether Democrats will be able to form a united coalition to block Haspel's confirmation, particularly after six so-called moderate Democrats broke ranks just last month to back Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
In addition to meeting with Manchin, Haspel also sat down with Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) ahead of her Wednesday confirmation hearing, which will come just days after she reportedly considered withdrawing her nomination.
Citing an anonymous Democratic Senate Intelligence Committee source, The Atlantic reported on Monday that Feinstein will "likely" vote yes on Haspel.
Since Trump announced Haspel as his pick to head the CIA, human rights groups have raised concerns that Haspel's full record may not be made available to the Senate as it prepares for her confirmation hearing.
Further complicating matters is the fact that Haspel, as current acting director of the CIA, has control over what is and isn't handed over to senators for review.
Last Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) accused the CIA of using its "personnel and resources" to wage a "propaganda campaign" in support of Haspel and filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request demanding information about the agency's efforts.
"The American people have a right to know about the new propaganda campaign that the CIA is now waging on behalf of Gina Haspel even as it hides her responsibility for torture and role in destruction of torture evidence," ACLU attorney Dror Ladin said in a statement.
In an appearance on MSNBC Monday, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) argued the CIA is carrying out an "A to Z cover-up" of Haspel's record by selectively declassifying documents and spreading "out-and-out misinformation" in support of the acting CIA chief.
Watch:
\u201cThe @CIA is partaking in an A-Z cover-up of nominee Gina Haspel\u2019s record by selectively declassifying information and stonewalling. The American people deserve to know who Haspel and is and her role during her time at the CIA.\u201d— Ron Wyden (@Ron Wyden) 1525721324
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
As the CIA wheeled a single cardboard box of classified material related to the highly secretive and reportedly torture-filled record of Gina Haspel--President Donald Trump's pick to head the agency--into the basement of the Capitol building on Monday, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) emerged from his meeting with Haspel gushing about their "great" conversation and suggested he's "open" to voting for her confirmation.
"The American people have a right to know about the new propaganda campaign that the CIA is now waging on behalf of Gina Haspel even as it hides her responsibility for torture and role in destruction of torture evidence."
--Dror Ladin, ACLU
Manchin's position raises serious questions about whether Democrats will be able to form a united coalition to block Haspel's confirmation, particularly after six so-called moderate Democrats broke ranks just last month to back Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
In addition to meeting with Manchin, Haspel also sat down with Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) ahead of her Wednesday confirmation hearing, which will come just days after she reportedly considered withdrawing her nomination.
Citing an anonymous Democratic Senate Intelligence Committee source, The Atlantic reported on Monday that Feinstein will "likely" vote yes on Haspel.
Since Trump announced Haspel as his pick to head the CIA, human rights groups have raised concerns that Haspel's full record may not be made available to the Senate as it prepares for her confirmation hearing.
Further complicating matters is the fact that Haspel, as current acting director of the CIA, has control over what is and isn't handed over to senators for review.
Last Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) accused the CIA of using its "personnel and resources" to wage a "propaganda campaign" in support of Haspel and filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request demanding information about the agency's efforts.
"The American people have a right to know about the new propaganda campaign that the CIA is now waging on behalf of Gina Haspel even as it hides her responsibility for torture and role in destruction of torture evidence," ACLU attorney Dror Ladin said in a statement.
In an appearance on MSNBC Monday, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) argued the CIA is carrying out an "A to Z cover-up" of Haspel's record by selectively declassifying documents and spreading "out-and-out misinformation" in support of the acting CIA chief.
Watch:
\u201cThe @CIA is partaking in an A-Z cover-up of nominee Gina Haspel\u2019s record by selectively declassifying information and stonewalling. The American people deserve to know who Haspel and is and her role during her time at the CIA.\u201d— Ron Wyden (@Ron Wyden) 1525721324
As the CIA wheeled a single cardboard box of classified material related to the highly secretive and reportedly torture-filled record of Gina Haspel--President Donald Trump's pick to head the agency--into the basement of the Capitol building on Monday, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) emerged from his meeting with Haspel gushing about their "great" conversation and suggested he's "open" to voting for her confirmation.
"The American people have a right to know about the new propaganda campaign that the CIA is now waging on behalf of Gina Haspel even as it hides her responsibility for torture and role in destruction of torture evidence."
--Dror Ladin, ACLU
Manchin's position raises serious questions about whether Democrats will be able to form a united coalition to block Haspel's confirmation, particularly after six so-called moderate Democrats broke ranks just last month to back Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
In addition to meeting with Manchin, Haspel also sat down with Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) ahead of her Wednesday confirmation hearing, which will come just days after she reportedly considered withdrawing her nomination.
Citing an anonymous Democratic Senate Intelligence Committee source, The Atlantic reported on Monday that Feinstein will "likely" vote yes on Haspel.
Since Trump announced Haspel as his pick to head the CIA, human rights groups have raised concerns that Haspel's full record may not be made available to the Senate as it prepares for her confirmation hearing.
Further complicating matters is the fact that Haspel, as current acting director of the CIA, has control over what is and isn't handed over to senators for review.
Last Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) accused the CIA of using its "personnel and resources" to wage a "propaganda campaign" in support of Haspel and filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request demanding information about the agency's efforts.
"The American people have a right to know about the new propaganda campaign that the CIA is now waging on behalf of Gina Haspel even as it hides her responsibility for torture and role in destruction of torture evidence," ACLU attorney Dror Ladin said in a statement.
In an appearance on MSNBC Monday, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) argued the CIA is carrying out an "A to Z cover-up" of Haspel's record by selectively declassifying documents and spreading "out-and-out misinformation" in support of the acting CIA chief.
Watch:
\u201cThe @CIA is partaking in an A-Z cover-up of nominee Gina Haspel\u2019s record by selectively declassifying information and stonewalling. The American people deserve to know who Haspel and is and her role during her time at the CIA.\u201d— Ron Wyden (@Ron Wyden) 1525721324
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.