Unmindful of the sharp criticism from both Democrats and some influential Republican lawmakers, President Donald Trump has strongly reiterated his belief that torture “absolutely” works while dealing with terrorists, but made it clear that he would go by the advice of his CIA and Pentagon chiefs on this score.
“As far as I’m concerned, we have to fight fire with fire,” he said in an interview to ABC News, when asked if he would reinstate an enhanced interrogation technique like waterboarding that was prohibited by law.
“I will rely on (CIA chief Mark) Pompeo and (Defence Secretary General James) Mattis and my group. And if they don’t want to do, that’s fine. If they do wanna do, then I will work toward that end. I want to do everything within the bounds of what you’re allowed to do legally,” Trump said, adding: “But do I feel it worksIJ Absolutely, I feel it works.”
Pointing out that US forces were not playing on an even field when it comes to dealing with the likes of ISIS, Trump said: “When they’re chopping off the heads of people because they happen to be a Christian in the Middle East, when ISIS is doing things that nobody has ever heard of since medieval times, would I feel strongly about waterboardingIJ As far as I’m concerned, we have to fight fire with fire.”
On the question whether torture works, Trump said: “I have spoken as recently as 24 hours ago with people at the highest level of intelligence, and I asked them the question ‘Does it workIJ Does torture workIJ’ And the answer was ‘Yes, absolutely’.”
In contrast to Trump’s position, CIA chief Pompeo, during his recent Senate confirmation hearing, ruled out supporting reinstatement of enhanced interrogation techniques like waterboarding that fall outside the Army Field Manual.
“Absolutely not. Moreover, I can’t imagine I would be asked that by the president-elect (to support reinstatement of waterboarding),” Pompeo had told the Senate hearing, adding: “There is no doubt in my mind about the limitations placed not only on the DOD (Department of Defence) but on the intelligence agency, and I’ll always comply with the law.”
Trump’s own comments on the interrogation techniques were being seen against the backdrop of a document indicating that he was considering a review of terrorism interrogations and the potential reopening of CIA black site prisons outside the US.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, however, told reporters on Wednesday that the White House had nothing to do with the purported document reported by major newspapers. It’s “not a White House document”, he said emphatically but declined to say how it views the contents.
While the Democrats’ denunciation of enhanced interrogation techniques is well-known, some top Republican lawmakers are no less opposed to it. As Senator John McCain, who heads the Senate Armed Services Committee, put it: “The President can sign whatever executive orders he likes. But the law is the law. We are not bringing back torture in the US. Army Field Manual does not include waterboarding or other forms of enhanced interrogation.”
In what was his first media interview since his inauguration last Friday, Trump also disclosed his plan for a major investigation on possible voter fraud which, he continues to believe, cost him the popular vote in the presidential race.
“We’re gonna launch an investigation to find out….when you look at the people that are registered: dead, illegal and two states and some cases maybe three states -- we have a lot to look into,” said Trump, who claimed earlier this week that he lost the popular vote to Democratic rival Hillary Clinton because of some 3 to 5 million illegal votes.