it should not be gina haspel. amy: so talk about why you and others called her bloody gina. >> we did call her bloody gina. gina was always very quick and very willing to use force. officers ingroup of the cia's counterterrorism center when i was serving there hate to even make the accusation out loud, but i'm going to say it. who enjoy using force. everybody knew that torture did not work. that is not even issue. lots of different things work will stop was it moral and ethical and was it legal? i think the answers are clearly no. but gina and people like gina did it i think because they enjoyed doing it. they tortured just for the sake of torture, not for the sake of gathering information. amy: and can you talk more specifically about gina haspel heading up this secret cia black site in thailand? and for those who are not familiar with even what a black site is, and the fact that she not only headed it up what was directly involved with the torture. >> first, let me preface any comments that i make by saying the

it should not be gina haspel. amy: so talk about why you and others called her bloody gina. >> we did call her bloody gina. gina was always very quick and very willing to use force. officers ingroup of the cia's counterterrorism center when i was serving there hate to even make the accusation out loud, but i'm going to say it. who enjoy using force. everybody knew that torture did not work. that is not even issue. lots of different things work will stop was it moral and ethical and was it legal? i think the answers are clearly no. but gina and people like gina did it i think because they enjoyed doing it. they tortured just for the sake of torture, not for the sake of gathering information. amy: and can you talk more specifically about gina haspel heading up this secret cia black site in thailand? and for those who are not familiar with even what a black site is, and the fact that she not only y headed it up what was directly involved with the torture. >> first, let me preface any comments that i make by saying th

it should not be gina haspel. amy: so talk about why you and others called her bloody gina. >> we did call her bloody gina. gina was always very quick and very willing to use force. officers ingroup of the cia's counterterrorism center when i was serving there hate to even make the accusation out loud, but i'm going to say it. who enjoy using force. everybody knew that torture did not work. that is not even issue. lots of different things work will stop was it moral and ethical and was it legal? i think the answers are clearly no. but gina and people like gina did it i think because they enjoyed doing it. they tortured just for the sa of torture, not for the sake of gathering information. amy: and can you talk more specifically about gina haspel heading up this secret cia black site in thailand? and for those who are not familiar with even what a black site is, and the fact that she not only headed it up what was directly involved with the torture. >> first, let me preface any comments that i make by saying the ci

face after attacks on president trump and his pick to run the cia, gina haspel, who would be the first woman to run the agency. democrats had pounced on claims which now appeared to be be the very definition of fake news that haspel ran a so-called black site in thailand while a top al qaeda terrorist was being water boarded there. reports like that had charges that she was the "torturer in chief" and should be denied a job. one problem, and investigative group is admitting haspel did not oversee the waterboarding of al qaeda terrorist abu zubaydah at that site. other news organizations had made that claim, not just democrats, but some republicans, in the case of paul, he claimed that she showed "lethal enjoyment at the suffering of terror suspects being tortured." intel officials already reacting, challenging those assertions. our garrett tenney is following these. >> critics of gina haspel have been pointing to this this story is evidence that she shouldn't be allowed to run the cia and it has fueled lawmaker concerns about the detention and interrogation of prospective terrorists fo

our garrett tenney is following these. >> critics of gina haspel have been pointing to this this story is evidence that she shouldn't be allowed to run the cia and it has fueled lawmaker concerns about the detention and interrogation of prospective terrorists following 9/11. what has no attracted -- at a cia black site in thailand back in 2002, a story that depicts in great detail haspel taunting and ridiculing a suffering terror to suspected terrorist abu zubaydah while he was tortured over the course of several weeks while former u.s. officials have confirmed that haspel did oversee the black site, today, propublica editor in chief said she was not involved in that particular incident. "it is now clear that haspel did not take charge of the base until after the interrogation of abu zubaydah ended." noting that last year, "the new york times" also erroneously reported that haspel oversaw the interrogation of abu zubaydah. now, those initial reports, which were based in part by a quote from one of the see a contractors who oversaw the interrogations in thailand, called haspel the cheer

. >> we'll get to gina haspel in a moment. but first i want to drill down a little bit on russia. what are the next steps. >> well the prime minister theresa may was very clear in the language. i mean, she said it was highly likely that -- and i don't think she says that just based upon the forensics of the crime scene. i think her intelligence services are giving her strong supportive information. and then she laid down the ultimatum, without of an adequate explanations great britain views this as illegal use of force by the russian state against the united kingdom. now, that doesn't mean the two countries are going to whear. but i do expect sanctions and quite a few fewer russian diplomats serving in the united kingdom. and of course the russians will respond to that. the moves will be made tougher if they are supported and at least matched a bit by the united states of america. but here again, christiane, we're back to in earlier premise that for well over several years the president don't seem to be anxious to take tough moves against the russians. >> well let's move on to som

i think the president also trusts gina haspel. she has been giving him his presidential daily briefings. they have developed a relationship. she is well respected inside the cia. the process here is a disaster and it's not surprising. but the outcome i think is a good outcome. >> bret: is there any doubt this is going to be -- the democrats are going to try to use these hearings for a number of different things. but is there any doubt that both of these folks can get through, pompeo and haspel? >> haspel has the bigger problems because of her involvement in the enhanced interrogation technique stuff has more of an uphill battle. from my conversations with people on the hill today, even she will get through with some democratic votes and maybe lose some republican votes. but that she will get through. >> i agree. i think she is going to be made to respond about black sites and enhanced interrogation techniques from a long time ago at her hearing, they will move on. i don't think she will be opposed. anything could happen. she could

with gina haspel, i think you'll find someone who is much more conventional. someone who knows the relationship between intelligence and policy. has been at the policy table. but knows the clear parameters. and just how far intelligence officers, intelligence analysts and intelligence operatives should go when it comes to informing policy. >> but, ned, haspel has been linked to the cia destruction of interrogation tapes that documented harsh interrogations of at least two al qaeda suspects in cia detention, the destruction ordered by the head of the clandestine service. haspel, his chief of staff at the time. is this something that could perhaps pose a problem for her during confirmation hearing? >> i think we have to remember what this was. this was a covert action authorized by the bush administration. covert actions are not authorized. they are not okayed by the cia director. certainly not by the director of operations. they are approved by the president of the united states. this was a policy directive that not only gina haspel but hundreds, if not thousan

>> martha: gina haspel. >> we will be in great shape. i think it's, again, the country is going in the right direction with those two in those positions. >> martha: before i let you go, you are getting a lot of criticism from adam schiff for saying from the house intel committee that you guys are done with your work and you believe there was no collusion in russia. >> yeah, listen, we had 73 witnesses in. over 300,000 pages of documents were analyzed. and none of that showed any collusion whatsoever. there comes a time whether you have to say enough is enough. and if anything comes up, if anything unexpected arises, that's one thing. as of now, based on everything we have seen from key witnesses and following all the leads and everything else, so far absolutely no evidence of collusion. we are talking about the office of president of the united states here. the longer this hangs out there, somehow indicating that there is something to it when we know there is nothing to it, we are doing the office of the president disservice and office d

you just heard rand paul talking on why he opposes mike pompeo and gina haspel. what's your response? >> i think he's an outlier, senator paul, certainly within the republican party. my response is that mike pompeo is a highly qualified person to be secretary of state. number one in his class at west point, army officer, member of congress, cia director. he's close to the president. he shares the president's world view that north korea is a dangerous threat to the homeland, that we need a better deal with iran, and i think he can do an outstanding job explaining to the world president trump's foreign policy. he's very much in the mainstream as a republican. someone you would expect the republican to pick for this job. and he will get confirmed. 15 democrats voted for him for cia director, and these are dangerous times, jake. we're about to enter into negotiations with the north koreans and this president, like every other president, deserves to have a qualified cabinet, helping them navigate the dangerous times in which we live. so he will be confirmed. >> you ad

mike pompeo for secretary of state and gina haspel for cia director. meeting with north korea's kim jong-un and ongoing rusian meddling allegations in u.s. elections. democratic senator tim kaine he may cause trouble for haspel and pompeo. >> he's going to have a lot of convincing to do based on statements he has on the record. we don't need more fire and fury. we need a diplomat. the combination of her track record with the torture program and her involvement in destroying records and tapes about that program, this sends a bad signal to put somebody like that as head of the cia. >> we can know that in advance. senate foreign relations chairman bob corker saying it's important to move forward. >> iran deal is on the table. president is considering what to do. we got the north korea meeting coming up. numbers of issues with russia and china. hopefully, both sides of the aisle will understand the importance of having a secretary of state in place and i hope it goes very well. >> there are some republican wild cards as well including senators john mccain,

gina haspel, do you know her? how well do you know her? >> i only know her by reputation and it's a strong one. she's a career person who has risen the rank within the organization itself and behind the scene that has earned the confidence of the men and women who work there. it's a big step for the president to name a new cia director. >> bill: where do you think it went wrong with tillerson and the president or was it a case of never being right or connected? >> rex tillerson is immensely qualified and a good representative. he's been successful in every job he's been to and by all accounts -- by most accounts what's happening overseas for the president is a strong thing. but when you don't have the daily interaction with a new president. someone who doesn't come from the history of being in washington, d.c., you have an outside businessman suddenly thrust in the role and getting new information and intelligence and a secretary of state whose job it is to be on the road and communicate with countries around the globe it's not solidified

gina haspel will be new director of the cia and the first woman

but gina haspel has a lot of integrity. she has tried to carry out her duties at cia to the best of her ability, even when cia was asked to do some very things in challenging time. >> john nixon is a former leadership expert with the cia who among other things, interrogated saddam hussein. thank you very much for joining us. this is also your book we're showing on screen. john brennan just said a little while on msnbc that she did some difficult things in some challenging times. she's getting praise from a lot of folks within the intelligence world, publicly. john brennan being one, matt miller, another msnbc contributor, being another. what is your take on haspel? is she a good choice to replace pompeo? >> i think she's not a very good choice at all. i think there are probably others that might have been a better choice. i will say this. her appointment kind of troubles me. and it shows that the trump administration apparently is most interested in the cia in terms of operations. this appointment and a few others that trum

official involved in torture to run the cia, nominating gina haspel for the job. >> gina will be the first woman director of the cia, she's an outstanding person. >> outstanding or not, she's the most direct fbi to cover up torture during the bush administration. >> there will be no peaceful co-existence, no negotiations, the struggle can only end with their complete and permanent destruction. >> make no mistake, the united states will hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly acts. >> we do not intend to stop until we have rooted out terrorist networks, and put them out of business. we also have to work sort of the dark side, if you will, we have got to spend time in the shadows in the intelligence world, and use any means at our disposal to achieve our objective. >> any means. and bush created an international torture system with street government memos directing waterboarding which they claim were only enhanced interrogation tactics. >> this man in baghdad asks where is the human rights america talks about. outraged by the newspapers and television, the media said

the president says gina haspel, the deputy director of the cia will secede him as director. there might be some issues which we'll get into in a moment. cnn's abby phillip at the white house. we understand, abby, the secretary of state was informed of this on friday. >> reporter: that's right, tillerson was informed while he was traveling in africa according to sources. he was told by the president that the president wanted him gone. that coincided around the same time we were learning there were going to be negotiations, potentially a meeting with north korea. senior administration official telling cnn's boris sanchez that the president felt like with the north korea negotiations on the horizon it was a good time for a transition. this tillerson departure is something that we have been waiting for and perhaps expecting for several weeks now. tillerson told people he might be only staying in the administration for about a year, and we were coming well up on that timeline. beyond that we know there were persistent tensions between the president and his secretary of state. the

and first she's praised gina haspel as cia distrirector. now questions about the democrat's left wing when it comes to confirming the president's choices. stay close. you might take something for your heart... or joints. but do you take something for your brain. with an ingredient originally found in jellyfish, prevagen is the number one selling brain-health supplement in drug stores nationwide. prevagen. the name to remember. today, the new new york is sparking innovation. you see it in the southern tier with companies that are developing powerful batteries that make everything from cell phones to rail cars more efficient. which helps improve every aspect of advanced rail technology. all with support from a highly-educated workforce and vocational job training. across new york state, we're building the new new york. to grow your business with us in new york state, visit esd.ny.gov. >> democratic senator dianne feinstein face pressure over the left for picking president trump's cia director. first she was open to supporting haspel after bei

. >> martha: thoughts on his process for confirmation and also gina haspel. it's quite, you know, an interesting development that we could see the first woman as the head of the central intelligence agency. she has had a long and stored career there. and she has a lot of support. >> yeah, she really does. i know there is going to be some criticism of her. i don't know her personally, but everyone i know in the cia and the intelligence community who i really have respect for says nothing but great things about her.

let's talking of gina haspel's nomination. the senator, senator john mccain, who was himself tortured during the vietnam war as a p.o.w., he wrote this on twitter "the torture of detainees in u.s. custody during the last decade was one of the darkest chapters in american history. liz cheney -- the daughter of the former vice president dick cheney -- replied "saved lives, prevented attacks and produced intel that led to osama bin laden, the techniques were the same as those used on our own people." to which meghan mccain, daughter of john mccain replied "my father doesn't need torture explained to him." >> it's tough and personal and one of the most poignant and intense debates, policy debates i've covered was when i was on the hill and cover iing the pushback of his fellow republicans in the white house and the enhanced interrogation techniques dick cheney, liz cha cha cheney's father, was a big proponent of that. having said that, having followed john mccain particularly and knowing some of the details about the way he was to

did you want to talk about gina haspel as well? >> sean: real quick. >> sure. this is the first female ever to be dominated for the cia. if this was another president, we would talk about how the president was championing women, how he's put in a position of power with kellyanne conway as the first campaign manager or sarah sanders as one of the few female press secretaries. we're not seeing that coverage anymore. now we're focusing on torture. i agree with ed henry. >> sean: thanks, joe. we'll look at that race in pennsylvania. very close. 49-49. we'll have an update next. i work overtime when i can get it. i need my blood sugar to stay in control. weekends are my time. i need an insulin that fits my schedule. ♪ tresiba® ready ♪ (announcer) tresiba® is used to control high blood sugar in adults with diabetes. . es of low blood sugar, or if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. don't share needles or insulin pens. don't reuse needles. the most common side effect is low blood sugar, which may cause dizziness, sweating, confusion, and headac.. check y

cia vet gina haspel to lead that agency. the pressures coming from left-wing activists, the people we need to decide who is in charge of national security. i joke. asking a lefty for suggestions on national security is like asking a conservative for tips on vegan restaurants. it's not our wheelhouse. i don't blame them. this is what ideologues do when they are out of power pretty play defense. it's petty to block nominations but when it's all you've got, it's all you've got. republicans have done it too but this is different. this is national security. when republicans blocked, they usually have stronger alternatives to fill those spots, not wimpy or wants. if the right hates your choices for national security, it's because they know national security. so we got asked, what is your alternative? that won't please -- chelsea manning to head the cia? bill errors for secretary of state. i exaggerate because it's fun. whenever a left-winger suggests will be toothless. national security makes him wince. when you believe enhanced i

president trump has nominated gina haspel. if confirmed she'd be the first woman ever con dpifirmed the le the agency. she spent 30 years as an officer with the cia. she serves as deputy director. she was selected for the job last february. she has spent much of her time undercover. later in her career she was involved in the cia controversial torture program. in 2002 she ran a secret cia prison for suspected terrorists in thailand that used harsh tactics the the time says she oversaw the brutal questioning of two detainees. one was tortured so badly at one point he appeared to be dead. he was water boarded 83 times in a single month. in 2005 she took part in an order to destroy video tapes documenting the interrogations. in 2009 former president obama ordered the secret cia detention centers to close down. welcome to both of you. malcolm, let me start with you. haspel along with president trump have supported enhanced interrogation or torture. what does that mean? >> well, it's ir relevant now because there are congressional

gina haspel oversaw part of the cia's torture and rendition program during her time at the cia. senate republicans are already warning the president and the white house that they're overloaded with a backlog of nominations. and they're not reiger to see more members put before the senate for confirmation. there's also talk of shakeup inside the west wing where general john kelly, the white house chief of staff, is rumored to be leaving within the next few months. h.r. mcmaster, the national security adviser, his departure is also expected to be imminent. that has led to low morale inside the west wing. several of the white house officials who i speak with on a daily basis are concerned and feel left in the dark as we see this series of resignations and first in the last few weeks. so there's really a lot of uncertainty there. the white house saying there's no shakeup unless, of course, there is one and then we'll know. >> that clears things up. jeremy diamond in wash. joining me cnn senior political analyst ron brownstein. i feel like the bragging about lying to the canadian pri

gina haspel will become the new director of the cia and the first woman so chosen. congratulations to all. tillerson who returned just today from his trip in africa addressed the moedia with his version of events. >> i received a call today from the president of the united states at a little after noontime from air force one. and i've also spoken to white house chief of staff, kelly, to ensure we have clarity as to the days ahead. who is most important is to ensure an orderly and smooth transition during a time that the country continues to face significant policy and national security challenges. >> well, he's right. the timing is not most important. tor the other stuff is. it is noteworthy, though, that he got a phone call from the president, according to his timeline, three hours after everybody else in the world saw a tweet about it. following the president's trip in san diego and the never-ending revolving door back at the white house is nbc news's hans nichols at the white house for us. hans, it has been a crazy day, to say the least. on one hand, most close o

we met gina haspel in some of our travels. i think she was a great chose for deputy and the universal respect she commands in the cia to include from some of the obama intelligence officials goes to show what good hands the cia will be in. >> dana: she will be the first woman to run the cia, which is quite a remarkable achievement. listen to me. this is something that senator john mccain put out earlier today in regards to her. she said the torture of detainees in the last decade is one of the darkest chapters in american history. miss haspel to explain the details during the confirmation process. it's inevitable that this topic will come up again even though i think that one, she'll have good answers for the questions, legality, i don't think is the question. the program has changed drastically since then. is this something that should hold her up? >> no, you're right. but it will come up. gina has included that she will do it. it's important to know that micha michael morell was in charge of the review board in the cia and c

gina haspel will become the new director of the c.i.a. and the first woman so chosen, congratulations to all." [ scattered cheers ] then a few minutes later, he sent another tweet saying, "when mike pompeo is fired, gina haspel will be the new secretary of state, she will do an even more fantasticker job. [ laughter ] thanks to mike pompeo. don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya. the new c.i.a. director will be don jr. congratulations to all." [ cheers and applause ] and finally, a few minutes after that, trump said, "when gina haspel gets canned, don jr. will be the new secretary of state, he'll do the fantasticliest job. thank you to gina haspel for your service, and reminding me, it's gina, not gyna. the new c.i.a. director will be me, congratulations to all." [ cheers and applause ] at least he's planning ahead. >> steve: that's good, right? >> jimmy: but trump -- trump is keeping busy. today he visited california to look at prototypes for his border wall. take a look at these things. [ laughter ] trump looked at those

what they won't tell you is that gina haspel saved american lives. also tonight, i have a special message. tell your republican congressmen and senators to watch. we have all of that new information in tonight's breaking news monologue. tonight we start with the bombshell development about former deputy fbi director andrew mccabe.e. fox news tonight reporting that the attorney general jeff sessions is reviewing a declaration to give mccabe the ax and sources are telling fox news that firing mccabe before friday would mean he would lose his taxpayer-funded pension. he's set to retire on sunday, something explosive has gone on here. this new development is raising speculation about the doj inspector general's report about the fbi's phony clinton email investigation where the fix was in, that could be released soon. fox news has learned that the inspector general's investigation has discoveredws that mccabe was not forthcoming about his approval for an fbi official to talk to reporters about the bureau's investigation into the clinton foundation and acc

i think his days are numbered. >> julie: okay, let's talk about gina haspel. first woman potentially to head the cia. that is a big deal. but not necessarily all republicans are in favor of this decision. >> i think it's a great decision. i applaud that decision. i'm little bit skeptical about appointing pompeo to replace tillerson. he's coming from the cia. i know that there are lot of trump people are skeptical. just optical of cia person having that position. let's just see how this rolls out. >> julie: what about the cia director makes more qualified to tackle the issue with north korea that was a big deciding factor. rex tillerson was hoping the u.s. will come to talk to north korea. the president first pushed back then later came out and said, yeah, he's willing to sit down under certain conditions with kim jong-un. it seem tillerson and him were on the same page. but then not. how does pompeo do better? >> i think this really is a story about donald trump getting more comfortable in the job. i think he's had year plus of security briefings. he doesn't n

>> what was the white house response, sarah, to criticisms from capitol hill on gina haspel's involvement with the operations in early 2000s? >> look, the president is incredibly proud of his nominee. she's highly qualified, highly recommended, highly respected from both saturdays of the aisle, particularly with the intelligence community and i would point you to people who often sing praises of the president like leon panetta and clapper and others who have shown broad support. >> what is his response to democrats on capitol hill who voted for mike pompeo as cia director for confirmation and now are saying we're rethinking it? >> i think it sounds like democrats are trying to play political games with national security and the diplomatic efforts which would be a sad, sad day and a disgrace to this country, and a question that every reporter should ask democrats what made them change their minds. mara? >> i have two questions, one on daca and one on trade. on daca, is the president open to something attached to the omni bus bill that would extend daca for a period of time in exchange for

her name is gina haspel. if confirmed by the senate, she would become the first woman to lead the cia, to lead that egg a california democrat dianne feinstein, she is now calling for the public release of documents on haspel's involvement in enhanced interrogation and detention of radical islammist terrorists following the attacks and the murder of 3,000 americans on 9/11. now, feinstein is only the latest liberal lawmaker to question whether haspel was too tough on jihadis. and by the way, it's not just lawmakers attacking haspel. joining us with reaction is the host of war stories oliver north. without enhanced interrogation there is no bin laden, true or false mr. ollie north. >> the folks that are currently resident down in gitmo wouldn't be there for what gina haspel and what her brave colleagues did. gina haspel is the person needed to head the cia in this new world disorder. without going through all the litany that you went through at the very beginning of this broadcast, this woman spent 30 years as

. >> let's talk about gina haspel, the president's pick to head the cia as pomp peyo moves on. she was notable because she ran this secret prison in thailand where there were brutal interrogation. it was one of the darkest chapters in american history. the senate must do its job in scrutinizing the record and involvement of gina haspel in this disgraceful program. >> i think she will still make the republican majority. and the elevation of senior members of these life staff, at the cia. george tenet being an example. a lot of times the political appointees don't last long and are bad for morale. she was also was implicated in an attempt to destroy tapes of waterboarding procedures. >> her role and responsibility is going to be vague. phil mudd puts it well. you all know him. you can't hold someone accountable for operating a program that was decided above their head. so that will be awe fair point of analysis as well. gentlemen, thank you. >>> he was widely regarded as the plan the et's preefpl tphepbt scientist. a look back at the remarkable life of stephen hawking next. ♪ f

we haven't heard directly from gina haspel about how she feels about these programs. i want to clear something up about how covert program do or do not get approve. she did not approve the program at the secret jail in tidal. she was implementing the lawful orders of the president. the president approved this program. as a cia staffer, she implemented t you could argue she should are quit because the program was so abhorrent. if democrats like senator wyden think she may support these programs it's a viable question to ask her during a confirmation hearing as director of the cia will she recommend to president trump that he consider any other enhanced interrogation programs? we shouldn't assume she has any personal love of torture because she was following these lawful orders. >> one more quick one, 30 seconds, just on if they're nominated, if they pass through, pompeo leaving the cia to go to state and haspel at cia, how would their working relationship work? how would that affect policy? >> we could see intelligence play more of a role in the policy process. it's a

i want to show you his concern, paul's concerns with gina haspel and get your thoughts. >> in regards to the nomination of gina haspel i'm troubled by her participation in the black ops site in thailand and we asked about the water boarding and he's stuck by the fact he doesn't believe it's torture. that to me is very troubling and one of the reasons i opposed him at the cia. >> sandra: sorry to cut you off, senator, but your thoughts on haspel? >> she would be the first woman director of the central intelligence agency and that's a good thing but she joined in 1985 when ronald reagan was president of the united states. she's had a long and distinguished career working with presidents and administrations on both sides of the aisle. i think she is absolutely the person the president wants to work with. i'm committed to working with her as well. she has good bipartisan friendships within the senate and agency. we'll have the hearing so there'll be a better opportunity and that goes to the intelligence committee, not the foreign relations committee. so senator paul is not part of that. d

then picked pompeo's deputy, gina haspel, to succeed him. we will break all of this down tonight, beginning this evening, starting here tonight with margaret brennan. >> i received a call today from the president of the united epates a little after noon time from air force one. >> reporter: today, a shaken rex tillerson relinquished control of the state department. he had been warned in an early saturday morning phone call from white house chief of staff john kelly that his job was in jeopardy. tillerson, who had been traveling in africa, cut short his trip. hours after landing in washington today, tillerson replaced by c.i.a. director mike pompeo when the president sieeted the news. ws with mike, mike pompeo, we have a very similar thought process. ththink it's going to go very well. >> reporter: president trump, who often says he likes different points of view, said likeired america's top diplomat because they disagreed on foreign policy. >> i actually got along well with rex, but, really, it was a different mindset. it was a different thi

pore th for that the president has put for the name of gina haspel, not without controversy herself. because of her involvement, there are degrees of her involvement people argue in torture at black sites aft after 9/11. i heard a long-time colleague of hers say on television today "let's not judge her for actions in '02 based solely on 2018 standards." by this he meant we were all some form of crazy back then. we were all mourning, we were all shaken and we had kind of given our proxy to a whole lot of people at the top of our government to do what it was required to keep us safe, and a whole lot of democrats and a whole lot of republicans had given the president and his administration a lot of leeway. so having set that up for our audience, your view professionally of gina haspel who is the nominee to take over as head of cia. >> first of alls are gina is an exceptionally well respected individual, and she's very competent. i think she has the experience and breadth and depth dealing with these foreign policy issues, that she'll be able to provide the unvarnished, apolitical intell

it turns out, gina haspel will take that role. but before she was announced there was a lot of speculation it was somebody on capitol hill that was going to take that condition. msnbc's garrett hirks joining us from the hill. is supportive, fully supportive the president's choice to bring on gina haspel. and interesting, he was aware before the tweet this morning about this shake-up. that's interesting stuff given that for example, john cornyn, according to your reporting had no idea. >> yeah, that's right. tom was the first republican out of the gate with any kind of statement on this, praising pompeo and haspel, almost probably within the half hour of the news break. his name was floated for a long time of being a good fit. he has military background, a very close ally of the president on issues up here. he may have had a confirmation problem up here, not because of his positions necessarily but because of the math. most of please people are going to have to get 50 votes. runs have a 51 majority vote right now and john mccain ha

you will see gina haspel, the first woman to be nominated to run the cia. a33 year vet. more than qualified to run the place with deep knowledge of our worst enemies and how to handle them. which means she must be stopped. on the other hand, there's controversy in her past. she was involved with the torture program after september 11th. and then involved with destroying videotapes of the matter. that might be something that could be problematic. >> i oppose her because she believes waterboarding should be something we use, and i think america shouldn't be known for torture. >> gina haspel does not belong as head of the cia. she belongs in front of a judge answering to what she was doing running a torture operation at a black site in thailand. >> greg: digging pretty deep for that one. gina made decisions few people ever have to make. the world she operated in the villains she faced, she didn't have the luxury of talking about what to do. she had to do. the call she answered demanded it. was it torture? it wasn't back then. just because you don't like a tactic that doesn'

trying to take down the cia her name is gina haspel. a career intelligence officer who has been praised by colleagues for her very important work after 9/11 and she would be the first woman to serve as the cia director if confirmed. the mainstream media, liberal democrats they seem only interested in smearing the long serving intelligence official pro-public can a was recently forced to issue a correction of is accusing gina haspel being waterboarding abu zab zubaydah. multiple stories echoed on multiple outlets including fake news cnn. some are denigrating haspel's achievement as a woman. calling her selection quote as not a feminist choice. "new york times" published mode gina haspel's rise is no victory for feminism. wow, here with reaction, fox news national security strategist former deputy assistant to the president sebastian gorka and former white house press secretary sean spicer. i can't believe dhawf to be a liberal woman, dr. gorka. is that what it is? in order to advance women's rights, you have to believe in certain fundame

director, gina haspel. what do we know about her? wat do we >> gina haspel is a career c.i.a. operations officer. she's been in some iportant and sensitivity positions, one that's going to draw a lot ofro corsy is her roleniun a black site for detention interrogation in thailand. r itlly important and worth noting that she will be, if confirmed, the first woman director of the c.i.a. that's a big position. it's a significant glass ceiling that's been broken. she'll have i think strong support and probably support from the people in the obama administration who know her and worked with her. >> woodruff: nick burns, 20 secogs? >> a very nificant appointment. what the president needs is a tight national security team. he has a star in jim mattis. if mattis, pompeo,ca haskelln work together, the president ought to listen to them. because the president has not been effective in his presidency so far with threst of the world. >> woodruff: well, this was a day when eyes were rivetted on this president and thanges he is capable of making. nick burns, david ignatius, david shedd, gentl

. >> brennan: gina haspel will speak her peace. thank you, we turn now to maine independent senatoring a go gus king who sits on the senate intelligence committee he joins us from his home state this morning. good morning, sir, i want to give you a chance as well to respond to the firing of fbi deputy andrew mccabe, came just hours before his retirement when we have been allow to receive full benefit. what is your reaction? >> i think the first reaction is much as rand paul said i think we got to see that inspector general's report. i don't want to go on press reports with pieces of it. a long time ago i learned there are two sides to every story, i want to see what the inspector general says. i want to see what andrew mccabe has in the way of response. but even if you assume for a moment that the report said he did this -- he had violations of the code of the fbi, if you will, my problem is the timing and the way it all worked. just seems mean spirited to come down on a guy within 48 hours of his scheduled retirement, he had 1 yea

he also nominated cia veteran gina haspel to head up the agency if pompeo is confirmed. but some lawmakers are raising concerns about both nominees. andrea mitchell has the latest. andrea, good morning. >> good morning, frances. it was an earthquake here at the state department. the sudden firing of rex tillerson, replaced by cia director mike pompeo, if he is confirmed. an emotional rex tillerson thanked everyone but the president, especially his state department aides. they have been extraordinarily dedicated to our mission, which includes promoting values that i view as being very important, which means treating each other with honesty and integrity and respect for one another. >> reporter: unlike tillerson, cia director mike pompeo, a former kansas congressman, graduate of west point and harvard law gets along famously with the president, having more facetime than almost anyone, delivering the daily intelligence briefing in person. if confirmed, pompeo would give the state department a fresh start. but would he be willing to challenge the volatile commander in chief,

gina haspel. it's not that she's come under fire for her role in the torchering of two al qaeda suspects when she ran a black site in thailand. it's not that republicans and democrats senator have been lining up before and against her confirmation. what we may have missed it's the first woman ever chosen to run the cia. the quintessential boy's club. frankly it is worth noting that a president who has struggled with women voters and been accused of harassing behavior became the first president to place a woman at the top of our intelligence community at the cia and whatever one thinks of haspel, it's nice to see that glass ceiling shattered in this year that we're seeing a lot of glass ceilings shattered. we'll be right back. >>> now for the lid. panel is back. i have to make a correction. john kasich grew up in rocks, pennsylvania. which is 20 miles from mck mckeesport. so tonight's special election for a district that won't exist in nine months, which is to me is so this era. what are at stakes

in his place, the cia gets it's first ever female director, gina haspel. also on the programme: the poisoning in salisbury "sounds like the russians" says

there's very few authorized images of gina haspel. but when she came to the pentagon, she greeted the saudi crown prince. she sat two seat downs from secretary mattis. if confirmed, she will be the first woman to head the cia. she joined the cia in 1985, she's 61 years old. over saw covert actions. she ran black site prison in thailand where top al-quaida leaders were water boarded. she wrote a cable ordering the destruction of water boarding tapes in 2005. she did so as the chief of staff to former national clandestined service chief jose rodriguez. she oversaw the black side called cat's eye where there was water boarding in 2002 along with the u.s.s. cole bomber. she's likely to face harsh interrogation from the senate intelligence committee from democrats like dianne feinstein that took haspel and others to task for destroying the water boarding tapes as they investigated torture allegations. rights groups have responded with dismay. saying gina haspel was a central figure and one of the most illegal and shameful chapters in moder

. >> pompeo will be receded -- succeeded by gina haspel. his deputy during the time at cia. if confirmed, she would be the first woman to hold that job. >> i'm at a point where we will be close to having the cabinet and other things that i want. >> reporter: this is the latest in a string of high-profile departures from the administration. remember, trump's chief economic advisor announced his resignation just one week ago, and hope hicks stepped down as communications director last month. frank, back to you. >> caroline shively in washington, thank you. >>> more background on gina haspel. she joined the cia in 1985, and has also come under criticism for ties to harsh cia interrogation techniques. intelligence officials say between 2003 and 2005, she oversaw a secret cia prison in thailand where two terror suspects were repeatedly water boarded. she also helped carry out an order to destroy cia waterboarding videos. she will have to be confirmed by the senate. >> joining us now onset is ktvu political analyst brian sobel. so, what could this change mean around the world? >>

i want to bring in barbara starr from the pentagon. >> gina haspel is a career cia officer. the cia pointing out she would be the first woman to head the agency. but the key question, is she qualified? she joined the cia back in the 1980s. she has been by all accounts in the operations side of the agency for many, many years. part of the national clandestine service. this is the, you know, the most secret part of the cia. that's pretty obvious. she knows operations around the world. as the deputy to mike pompeo, she has taken on a lot of responsibility in the last year, in that job, for operations and making sure that everything is being carried out that the cia deemz deems a priority. she's said to have been involved in the so-called enhanced interrogation program in the years after the 9/11 attacks. there are stories out there alleging she was directly involved, for example, in the interrogation of abu subayeda. this is some of the -- of the questioning that she is very likely to get at her confirmation hearing, especially from democrats who have been very much involved ov