The United States had a rough week on the world stage, comedian Samantha Bee said during Wednesday’s episode of “Full Frontal.” Whether it was reneging on the Iran Deal or the confirmation hearing of Gina Haspel, President Donald Trump’s nominee for CIA director, it was all terrible optics.
Bee made the poignant observation that the president is attempting to negotiate a nuclear disarmament deal with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, while simultaneously pulling out of a nuclear disarmament deal with Iran. Bee isn’t sure how it’ll turn out, but she noted that it was remarkably similar to trying to pull a dine-and-dash. An astute analogy given a Trump confidant revealed he only nixed the deal to watch pundits freak out on CNN.
“I can tell you another promise Trump didn’t keep: the one we literally made when America agreed to the Iran deal. To be clear, we’re not withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, we are violating the Iran nuclear deal,” Bee explained. “It’s kind of like when you go to a nice restaurant, if you then flip the table over and run out without paying you are not withdrawing from the Shoney’s. You’re just being an assh*le who broke the law. And by pulling out of the Iran deal, we are those assh*les.”
“So one question I have not heard you answer is, ‘do you believe that the previous interrogation techniques were immoral?’” Harris asked. “It’s a ‘yes or no’ answer.”
Haspel said a lot of things but never answered the question. Harris pressed further but Haspel refused to say that she considered torture to be “immoral.”
“Man, getting answers out of her is torture,” Bee quipped. “I’m sorry. Getting answers out of her is enhanced interrogation techniques.”
The TBS host noted, however, that Haspel promised in her hearing that the CIA would no longer torture anyone.
“Really, cross your heart, no backsis,” Bee said before playing a clip of the answer Haspel really gave to the question.
“I would not start, under any circumstances an interrogation program at the CIA,” she said.
“Which would be a great answer on torture at a parole hearing but not at a government confirmation hearing,” she explained. “So, this week, we basically told the world we don’t keep our promises and we aren’t going to torture people anymore, we promise. Happy Wednesday!”
She went on to say that the whole drubbing failure will ultimately make it increasingly difficult for other countries to trust the United States in the future. “Let alone now when we have to believe the honesty with a man — of a man with raccoon eyes. I can’t believe we did this in the midst of a deal with North Korea.”
It would be like attaching a Sharpie to a hoagie, handing it to Kim Jong Un and asking him to sign, she said. “If he doesn’t like the hoagie, it’s a gamble.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. senate spent the day hammering the president’s nominee oversee the CIA. Calling her the “torture mom,” Bee played the grilling of Haspel by Sen. Kamala Harris, in which the California Democrat repeatedly demanded answers.
“So one question I have not heard you answer is, ‘do you believe that the previous interrogation techniques were immoral?’” Harris asked. “It’s a ‘yes or no’ answer.”
Haspel said a lot of things but never answered the question. Harris pressed further but Haspel refused to say that she considered torture to be “immoral.”
“Man, getting answers out of her is torture,” Bee quipped. “I’m sorry. Getting answers out of her is enhanced interrogation techniques.”
The TBS host noted, however, that Haspel promised in her hearing that the CIA would no longer torture anyone.
“Really, cross your heart , no backsis,” Bee said before playing a clip of the answer Haspel really gave to the question.
“I would not start, under any circumstances an interrogation program at the CIA,” she said.
“Which would be a great answer on torture at a parole hearing but not at a government confirmation hearing,” she explained. “So, this week, we basically told the world we don’t keep our promises and we aren’t going to torture people anymore, we promise. Happy Wednesday!”
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