[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 75 (Wednesday, May 9, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2557-S2558]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RELEASE OF AMERICAN PRISONERS IN NORTH KOREA AND NOMINATION OF GINA 
                                 HASPEL

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, this morning the world has learned that 
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is on his way back from North Korea with 
three American prisoners after securing their release. Two were 
detained last year. One had been in captivity since 2015. Following 
successful discussions, all three are on their way back to the United 
States with our Secretary of State.
  I am hopeful that by approaching our ongoing negotiations with clear 
eyes, we can build on this progress and pursue a verifiable agreement 
to dismantle North Korea's nuclear arms. The United States faces a 
number of threats around the world--from the ambitions of dissatisfied 
powers such as Iran, China, and Russia to terrorism, cyber attacks, and 
the proliferation of missiles. In every instance, we need valuable 
foreign intelligence to inform policymakers and help us protect the 
American people.
  As we speak, our colleagues on the Intelligence Committee are hearing 
from one of President Trump's nominees to help us confront these 
challenges. Gina Haspel is a tremendous choice to lead the Central 
Intelligence Agency. She will bring more direct, hard-earned experience 
to the role of CIA Director than any leader in the Agency's history. 
Ms. Haspel is eminently qualified. She is widely esteemed. She is 
absolutely the right person at the right moment for this position.
  First, there are her ample qualifications. Raised in a military 
family, Ms. Haspel had her sights set on attending West Point until she 
found out that women were not yet allowed to attend. It was the Army's 
loss, but my own alma mater, the University of Louisville, was happy to 
have her. With a knack for foreign languages and a drive ``to be part 
of something bigger than just me,'' she joined the CIA in 1985.
  As a talented clandestine operations officer, Gina Haspel took on a 
variety of challenging assignments and rose through the ranks. She 
earned the George H.W. Bush Award for Excellence in Counterterrorism 
and eventually transferred to the CIA's Counterterrorism Center. Her 
first day in that role was September 11, 2001.
  After this 33-year career, Ms. Haspel will not have to wonder what 
life is like for the men and women she will be leading. From 
clandestine missions overseas to the headquarters at Langley, she has 
lived it herself. It is not surprising that Ms. Haspel has received so 
much praise from across the political spectrum, including from those 
who have led the Agency before her. President Obama's former Director, 
John Brennan, calls her ``an exceptionally well-respected 
professional.''
  President Bush's former Director, General Michael Hayden, said this: 
``Her only goal is to live out the agency's mission. . . . [S]he is a 
wonderful choice.''
  In a letter to our colleagues on the Intelligence Committee, a 
bipartisan group of 53 former national security leaders said her 
qualifications ``match or exceed those of most candidates put forward 
in the Agency's 70-year history.''
  So Ms. Haspel's skill set is impressive, and it is an ideal match for 
the very strategic challenges that currently face our country. As 
Secretary Mattis made clear in his new National Defense Strategy, our 
Nation must be prepared for a new era of competition between powerful 
nations. ``We'll continue to prosecute the campaign against 
terrorists,'' he explained a few months ago, ``but great-power 
competition . . . is now the primary focus of U.S. national security.''
  Ms. Haspel is the perfect candidate to lead the Central Intelligence 
Agency through both these challenges. Her lengthy and distinguished CIA 
service spans both the Cold War and the Global War on Terror. As a 
result, she has firsthand experience gathering foreign intelligence in 
an era of great-power competition and hard-won expertise in 
counterterrorism operations and analysis.
  In short, her resume could hardly be better tailored for the specific 
challenges that our Nation faces at this

[[Page S2558]]

very moment. As CIA Director, Gina Haspel would help defend the 
homeland from terrorists and help secure America's position on the 
world stage.
  This excellent nominee possesses the resume, the reputation, and the 
unique skill set to lead the CIA at this critical juncture. I am glad 
that my colleagues on the Senate Intelligence Committee have the 
opportunity to meet with her and thoroughly examine her credentials. I 
look forward to voting to confirm her soon here on the Senate floor.

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