White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders called out Democratic lawmakers for opposing the administration’s nominee to be the next CIA director in a Saturday tweet.
There is no one more qualified to be the first woman to lead the CIA than 30+ year CIA veteran Gina Haspel. Any Democrat who claims to support women’s empowerment and our national security but opposes her nomination is a total hypocrite
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) May 5, 2018
The press secretary’s tweet is a shot across the bow of Democratic lawmakers before an expected contentious debate. Haspel is slated to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee next week where she is likely to face increasing questions over her role in the CIA’s enhanced interrogation program in the mid-2000s. She joined the CIA in 1985 and has served in a variety of different postings across the globe.
White House legislative affairs director Marc Short lamented to a roundtable the attacks in recent weeks on Admiral Dr. Ronny Jackson, who was briefly nominated to be the secretary of veterans affairs. “We would expect some more antics with Gina in the coming days,” Short told the assembled group. “We’re trying to get her story out before members come back.”
“She may be incredibly well qualified, but we live in a very politically charged environment right now,” Short continued, noting, “We recognize the environment we face.”