"I have concluded that she acted appropriately in her role as Mr Rodriguez' chief of staff,'' wrote Mr Morell, who later became acting CIA director. "Ms Haspel did not destroy the tapes, she did not oversee the destruction of the tapes and she did not order the destruction of the tapes,'' Mr Morell said in a separate statement issued Friday. Mr Rodriguez said he wanted the tapes destroyed to protect the identities of CIA personnel whose faces could be seen on the tapes. In the run-up to her May 9 confirmation hearing, lawmakers are pressing the CIA to declassify even more about Ms Haspel, who currently is deputy CIA director. However, many human rights advocates and groups are urging a "no'' vote for Ms Haspel.

Source: Bangkok Post April 21, 2018 05:48 UTC