Press Release - Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats: "At CIA, Gina Haspel Will Make Sure 'We Never Have to Relearn Lessons of the Past'"

"Gina Haspel is precisely the person we need to lead the Central Intelligence Agency at this critical time."

At CIA, Gina Haspel will make sure 'we never have to relearn lessons of the past'

By Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats

USA Today

May 15, 2018

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Given this global landscape, we need to ensure that we have in place the most capable, experienced and measured intelligence leaders to address these serious challenges and provide our policymakers with critical information to make informed decisions. Gina Haspel embodies these qualities.

Over the past year as DNI, I have had the opportunity to get to know Gina and have developed a close and trusting working relationship with her. She enjoys the hard-earned respect of her intelligence community colleagues and the White House. Gina has often joined me and other senior national security leaders for intelligence briefings to President Trump; and he, along with the rest of the team, benefits from the unique perspective she brings to these briefings.

Gina has clearly demonstrated that she is a person of high integrity with valuable frontline and executive experience as a career intelligence officer, one who is willing to speak truth to power when required on behalf of our nation.

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I ask my former colleagues in the Senate to do the right thing for our country by confirming Gina. She represents the best we have to offer as a country. Gina is a trailblazer who has earned this opportunity by serving this country in challenging assignments at home and abroad. I, along with the CIA and the entire Intelligence Community, am eager to have her at the helm of the CIA.

Read the full op-ed here.