Veteran Group Seeks Support for McCain in Rejection of Haspel

VoteVets, a progressive organization that advocates for veterans issues, launched an ad urging legislators to reject the nomination of Gina Haspel to lead the Central Intelligence Agency, tying that rejection to criticism of Haspel by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

"What kind of country are we? Stand with John McCain against torture. Block Haspel," the ad says.

McCain, who was captured and tortured during the Vietnam War, criticized Haspel on May 9.

"Ms. Haspel’s role in overseeing the use of torture by Americans is disturbing," McCain said in a May 9 statement.

Haspel, a CIA veteran, ran a CIA black site that conducted "enhanced interrogation" techniques that are now widely considered to be torture, The Hill noted.

The 30-second ad will run in Washington, D.C. during MSNBC’s "Morning Joe," CNN’s "New Day," and Fox News’ "Fox & Friiends," on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, The Hill reported.

VoteVets describes its mission as focusing "on matters including, but not limited to, foreign policy, energy security, veterans’ unemployment, and opening military service to life-long Americans born to undocumented immigrants, as well as continued investment in care for veterans."

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