White House 1600 Daily: Senate Intelligence Committee backs Gina Haspel

The Day Ahead

• President Donald J. Trump hosts a roundtable with mayors and others affected by California’s dangerous sanctuary city policies. • President Trump welcomes Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, to the White House.

Senate Intelligence Committee backs Gina Haspel

Acting CIA Director Gina Haspel got another boost this morning, with the Senate Intelligence Committee voting to recommend her confirmation as CIA Director to the full Senate. Two Democrats joined with Republicans in backing Haspel, including Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA)—the top Democrat on the committee. “Gina is committed to making sure we never have to relearn lessons of the past,” Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats writes in an op-ed for USA Today. “Instability and uncertainty create devastating consequences in war zones . . . We need to ensure that we have in place the most capable, experienced and measured intelligence leaders to address these serious challenges.” Gina Haspel fits the bill. The Chicago Tribune’s editorial board explained last week that President Trump’s CIA nominee “gets rave reviews from former national security officials from Democratic and Republican administrations, and is said to be strongly supported by agency employees.” If confirmed, she will be the CIA’s first female Director. Gina Haspel’s confirmation is central to our national security. Learn more: Why Haspel is one of the most accomplished CIA officers “of her generation”

President Trump on sanctuary cities: ‘We’ve had it’

President Trump addressed the families of fallen police officers yesterday. “We stand with our police and we stand with you 100 percent,” the President said. “Their immortal legacy lives on in each and every one of you.” The story of one slain officer sends our country a message. “Agent Martinez took immense pride and joy in serving his country as a Border Patrol agent,” President Trump said. “He bravely confronted the cartels, the smugglers, the human traffickers, the gangs that threaten our communities. One night, last November, Agent Martinez died in the line of duty. It was horrific.” “The first duty of government is to protect our citizens,” the President said as he called on Congress to fix America’s broken immigration system. “Stop sanctuary cities, and shut down policies that release violent criminals back into our communities. We don’t want it any longer. We’ve had it.” President Trump will host a group of mayors and others directly affected by California’s dangerous sanctuary city laws at the White House today. See highlights from President Trump’s speech on fallen law enforcement officers. More: How sanctuary cities endanger law enforcement—and our communities