White House 1600 Daily: ‘Congratulations to our new CIA Director’

The Day Ahead

• President Donald J. Trump will address a summit on prison reform at the White House this morning. Watch his remarks live at 11:30 a.m. ET. • The President will meet with Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres in the Oval Office this afternoon.

‘Congratulations to our new CIA Director’

The Senate confirmed President Trump’s pick to lead the Central Intelligence Agency, Gina Haspel, in a bipartisan vote yesterday. Director Haspel drew extensive support from the CIA workforce, as well as former intelligence leaders from both Republican and Democratic administrations. She replaces Mike Pompeo, who was confirmed as America’s 70th Secretary of State last month. “The safety and security of the American people depend on capable intelligence leadership. Gina Haspel is the right woman at the right time,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said. President Trump tweeted his congratulations shortly after the Senate’s vote. Director Haspel’s biography made her an easy choice. A 33-year veteran of the CIA, she’s earned multiple high-level honors, including the George H. W. Bush Award for Excellence in Counterterrorism. Years later, with the fight against al Qaeda heating up, she requested a transfer to the CIA’s Counter Terrorism Center. Her first day on the job was September 11, 2001. Meet Gina Hapsel, the new face of America’s intelligence community.

Think again: ‘Sanctuary’ laws aren’t pro-immigrant

America’s immigration challenge doesn’t end at our border. Because of “sanctuary city” jurisdictions—many recently emboldened by new state laws in California—law enforcement officers face dangerous obstacles to protecting our communities from the effects of a broken immigration system. Under the guise of being pro-immigrant, these jurisdictions privilege a small group of often-violent criminals at the expense of the safety and well-being of American citizens, law enforcement, and law-abiding immigrants alike. In effect, these jurisdictions assert a special exemption from Federal law. The consequences of their decisions, of course, do not remain in their own backyards. “They’re releasing these criminals, not by their houses. . . . They’re releasing them by our houses,” San Jacinto Mayor Crystal Ruiz said at a White House forum with community leaders this week. “Every day we’re getting more and more reports from the police department about how they can’t arrest these people.” California’s ‘sanctuaries’ aren’t pro-immigrant—and local leaders are pushing back. More: What you need to know about the stand against sanctuary state laws