MSNBC "The Rachel Maddow Show" - Transcript: Gina Haspel

Interview

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MADDOW: Senator Ron Wyden is on the Intelligence Committee. At today`s confirmation hearing for Gina Haspel to be director of the CIA, Senator Wyden tried to get Gina Haspel to answer whether she had once advocated expanding the CIA`s torture program, a program in which she played a key role. Gina Haspel would not answer Senator Wyden when he asked her about that.

After the hearing today, Senator Wyden announced he will vote no on her confirmation.

Senator Ron Wyden, great to have you with us tonight. Sir, thank you for being here.

SEN. RON WYDEN (D-OR), RANKING MEMBER, FINANCE COMMITTEE: Thank you for having me.

MADDOW: What was Gina Haspel`s role in the CIA torture program? Is that clear to you now?

WYDEN: Well, what I can tell you is that this was a virtuoso performance in self-serving abuse of power. The fact is with respect to the key information she gets to decide what is classified and what isn`t, that is a sweeping conflict of interest.

Now, with respect to the entire story, I think one of the most interesting new developments today is Jose Rodriguez in an interview with a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Tm Golden basically contradicted Gina Haspel`s story with respect to the handling of the videotapes of torture. So, somebody isn`t telling the truth here, and I`m going to stay at getting the fact (ph) out to the public.

MADDOW: What you`ve been able to discern, what you`ve been able to ask Gina Haspel and what you`ve been told by the CIA and others, what do you think her role was in the destruction of those tapes?

WYDEN: I am particularly troubled by the fact that year after year that she really drafted that cable believing that it was going to be approved by the CIA director, Porter Goss, now we`ve got Jose Rodriguez saying that that wasn`t the case. So, this is a key question about her character and you couple that with what you touched on earlier when I asked her, hey, during those years when it seemed that these torture proceedings were dwindling down, what was she doing? Was she in favor of continuing it or expanding it?

She basically said she had no objection to continuing with something that John McCain said today was simply immoral.

MADDOW: Senator Ron Wyden, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I know this is not yet cooked, but this is a remarkable hearing today, sir. Thank you very much for being with us tonight. Much appreciate it.

WYDEN: Thank you for having me.

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