Civic Register
| 3.19.18

Sen. Rand Paul Vows to Filibuster Pompeo, Haspel

Join us and tell your reps how you feel!

What’s the story?

Last week, President Donald Trump tweeted:

Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said on CNN’s "State of the Union" Sunday that he’ll “do whatever it takes, and that includes filibuster” to oppose Pompeo and Haspel.

Why does Paul oppose Pompeo?

  • Paul said the current-CIA director is too hawkish, and doesn’t believe he’d be a "good fit" for the nation’s top diplomatic post.

  • "I don’t think you really want people who are eager for war to be running the State Department. You want a diplomat," Paul said, adding:

"I frankly think that Pompeo’s positions are too much of an advocate for regime change, really everywhere. I don’t think our policy ought to be for regime change, so I think Pompeo really isn’t a good fit to be a diplomat."

What’s Paul’s issue with Haspel?

  • Haspel reportedly oversaw torture at a CIA "black site" in Thailand. “Some details may be disputed,” Paul wrote in an op-ed in Politico, “but it remains true that Haspel ran a secret center in Thailand where prisoners were tortured.”

  • There are also multiple accounts discussing Haspel’s involvement in destroying video evidence of the torture program. "Think about that for a moment," Paul wrote. “She helped destroy the very evidence of this program, and people tell us we have no reason for concern?”

  • "What America stands for is not torture," Paul told CNN. “Torture is the hallmark of totalitarianism."

What do you think?

Do you want your reps to join with Sen. Paul in opposing Pompeo and Haspel? Hit Take Action and let them know how to vote. Then share your thoughts below.

—Josh Herman

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(Photo Credit: Ruskpp / iStaock)