Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I just had a very productive and informative meeting with the nominee to be the next CIA Director, Ms. Gina Haspel. I wanted to come down to the floor and say a few words. I was very impressed. I am going to certainly support her when she is voted on, I believe as early as tomorrow. There has been a lot of discussion about her background. She is the first woman to lead the CIA, first career member of the CIA. That is all important, but I think what is most important is that the American people and this body know that she is very well qualified. She is a very impressive person. First of all, she has been very highly decorated in her 30-plus year career at the Central Intelligence Agency. Her honors include the Intelligence Medal of Merit, a Presidential Rank Award, the Donovan Award, which is one of the highest awards in the CIA, and the George H.W. Bush Award for Excellence in Counterterrorism. She is thoughtful. She is honest. In many ways, she has overcome numerous obstacles. Let me talk a little bit about her bio. She is one of five children. Her father served in the Air Force, having joined at the age of 17. She grew up on military bases, like tens of thousands of Americans. Her original goal in life was to be a soldier. She told her dad she wanted to go to West Point. At the time, her father had to break the news to her that West Point was not admitting women. I think West Point lost out on that one.…”