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Gina Haspel, Trump's pick to run the CIA, passes crucial Senate committee vote Gina Haspel, Trump's pick to run the CIA, passes crucial Senate committee vote
(35 minutes later)
Donald Trump's pick to lead the CIA has passed a crucial Senate committee vote, all but guaranteeing she will be confirmed as the first female director of the agency.Donald Trump's pick to lead the CIA has passed a crucial Senate committee vote, all but guaranteeing she will be confirmed as the first female director of the agency.
Gina Haspel, a 33-year CIA veteran and current acting director of the agency, passed her Senate Intelligence Committee vote easily, with 10 senators in favour and five opposing. Thanks to four Democratic senators who've said they'll support her nomination, she is widely expected to pass a forthcoming full Senate vote and be confirmed. Gina Haspel, a 33-year CIA veteran and current acting director of the agency, passed her Senate Intelligence Committee vote easily, with 10 senators in favour and five opposing. Thanks to five Democratic senators who've said they'll support her nomination, she is widely expected to pass a forthcoming full Senate vote.
Ms Haspel was a contentious choice for CIA director, given her record of involvement in the agency's controversial post-9/11 interrogation programme. In her Senate confirmation hearing, Ms Haspel refused to disavow the techniques previously used by the CIA – such as waterboarding – or to deem them "immoral". Ms Haspel was a controversial choice for CIA director, given involvement in the agency's post-9/11 interrogation programme. In her Senate confirmation hearing, Ms Haspel refused to disavow the techniques previously used by the CIA – such as waterboarding – or to deem them "immoral".
More follows... But in letters to Democratic senators ahead of the committee vote, Ms Haspel said the CIA should never have undertaken the interrogation programme, and would not return to it under her leadership. 
The letter convinced Democratic Senator Mark Warner, the vice chair of the intelligence committee, to pledge his support for the nominee. In a statement following the committee vote, he praised Ms Haspel as an "independent voice" and "strong advocate for the agency's workforce".
“Most importantly, I believe she is someone who can and will stand up to the president if ordered to do something illegal or immoral – like a return to torture," he said.
Four more Democratic Senators – Heidi Heitkamp, Bill Nelson, Joe Manchin, and Joe Donnelly – also pledged their support for Ms Haspel, all but guaranteeing her the Senate majority she needs to be confirmed.
Two Republicans – John McCain and Rand Paul – have said they will oppose her nomination. Mr McCain, a US Navy veteran who was tortured as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, said confirming Ms Haspel would send the wrong message about America's position on torture.
"Ms. Haspel’s role in overseeing the use of torture by Americans is disturbing," he said in a statement. "Her refusal to acknowledge torture’s immorality is disqualifying. I believe the Senate should exercise its duty of advice and consent and reject this nomination.” 
Ms Haspel briefly oversaw an American "black site" prison in Thailand where at least one detainee was waterboarded. In her confirmation hearing, she refused to say whether she had overseen in the waterboarding, or had pushed for the expansion of the "enhanced interrogation programme".
As chief of staff for the clandestine service director in 2005, Ms Haspel also drafted a cable ordering the destruction of nearly 100 videotapes of CIA waterboarding sessions. Ms Haspel and the CIA maintain that her boss at the time, Jose Rodriguez, independently chose to sign and send the cable. A 2011 internal review absolved Ms Haspel of any wrongdoing.
The CIA's interrogation programme has been denounced as "torture" by United Nations officials, and even by former President Barack Obama. A 2014 Senate Intelligence Committee report found the  programme was flawed, and that officials portrayed it as more effective than it was.
In her confirmation hearing, Ms Haspel said she would "never, ever" take the CIA back to an interrogation programme.
“My moral compass is strong, I would not allow CIA to undertake activity that I thought was immoral, even if it was technically legal,” she said.