PETE HEGSETH (CO-HOST): You were there, you were a part of the interrogation of KSM [Khalid Sheikh Mohammed]. He now says he wants to testify to the Senate about Gina Haspel and her credibility as the CIA director. What do you make of this?

JAMES MITCHELL: I can't imagine that there's a better recommendation for picking her up. The guy who killed thousands of Americans, the guy who hacked Daniel Pearl to death thinks that she's too mean to terrorists? Ask yourself why does he object to her being there? He objects to her being there because he knows, under her leadership, the CIA will be tough on terrorists. And those terrorists, who are still at large, still plotting to kill Americans, still trying to destroy our way of life will be in greater danger because of her skill and expertise at the helm of the CIA than if they appoint some political hack. 

PETE HEGSETH (CO-HOST): Well, of course. So, Dr. Mitchell, “torture” is a loaded term. After 9/11 we gave the opportunity for enhance the interrogation to people to prevent another 9/11. But, ultimately, what terrorists would do to you or to me, if they got their hands on us, of course, would chop our heads off like you mentioned with Daniel Pearl. Is this an aspect of Democrats forgetting how vicious our enemy is or certain people forgetting and wanting to say, well, we just went too far, we can't confirm her to be CIA director?

MITCHELL: Well, they would like you to believe that the problem with her nomination is that she was involved in one way or another with that program. But, in fact, unless they're hypocrites, they need to vote for her. And the reason for that is [former CIA Director] John Brennan, who they overwhelmingly approved of as the chief of the CIA -- as the director of the CIA when Barack Obama nominated him, was up to his eyebrows in that program, and it didn't stop them from approving his nomination. So I believe that it's got to be petty, partisan politics, or maybe just a dusting of gender bias. They talk a big talk about wanting women who are qualified to be in positions of power, and now they have a chance to do that. They need to put their petty partisan politics aside for the safety of Americans. America will be safer with her as the CIA director, and it's an opportunity to appoint a woman to a position that no woman has ever been appointed to before.

Related:

NY Times: 9/11 Planner, Tortured by C.I.A., Asks to Tell Senators About Gina Haspel

Previously:

Fox & Friends hosts defend Gina Haspel's torture record as following “a directive”

Architect of CIA's waterboarding program and Fox & Friends host mislead about torture

Fox News panel says torture while Gina Haspel was in the CIA was no big deal