Trump's Nominee To Be CIA Director Can Not Answer A Simple Question

Like Trump's decision not to release his tax returns, a simple decision by political standards, his appointee to be CIA director Gena Haspel could not answer a simple question before the U.S. Senate hearing for her confirmation.  The question she was asked before the senate hearing:  "Do you believe torture is immoral?  Haspel would not answer and danced around the subject.  It was truly a simple question and Haspel was and is very familiar with torture.

Haspel's lack of an answer to a simple but important question led Senator John McCain, a victim of torture himself during the Viet Nam war to say he could not support or vote for her confirmation.  Our adversaries would take Haspel's non answer to mean she would not take their torture of Americans as immoral.  And of course, President Trump's position is he would not rule out torture  Just another reason to put Americans a risk.

Trump's 15 months in office reflects actions that continue to disrespect our institutions and those things that have made America great.  The Bush administration took a step backwards when torture was allowed during the war on terror and Haspel was involved with that program.  And John Bolton, President Trump' new national security adviser was one of Bush's neocon supporters of the war and occupation of Iraq over WMD that did not exist.

Everything is coming full circle with Trump's appointee John Bolton and his nomination of Haspel for Director of CIA.  President Obama's policies changed our country's course in Iraq, kept America safe, brought Bin Laden to justice, defeated ISIS and did not appoint people with extreme ideologies and still did his job without damaging our institutions.  President Obama knew the awesome responsibility of the Presidency and what the office and America stood for.  But now, America has Trump, a malignant President whose ditto heads are willing to allow themselves to be pushed as low as the President stoops.

Fifty four percent of the voting public who voted against Donald Trump in the 2016 election understood Trump was the least qualified to lead America.  They also knew from the campaign, Trump was a perpetual  liar and his corrupted attitude would infect America's political process.  The 54% also understood who was the real crooked candidate.


This  commentary written by Joe Lorio