US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he believes torture works as his administration readied a sweeping review of how the US conducts the war on terror.
It includes possible resumption of banned interrogation methods and reopening CIA-run “black site” prisons outside the US.
In an interview with ABC News, Trump said he would wage war against Islamic State militants with the singular goal of keeping the US safe.
Asked about the simulated drowning technique known as waterboarding, Trump cited the extremist group’s atrocities against Christians and others, and said: “We have to fight fire with fire.”
Trump said he would consult with US Secretary of Defense James Mattis and CIA Director Mike Pompeo before authorizing any new policy.
However, he said he had asked top intelligence officials in the past day: “Does torture work?”
“And the answer was yes, absolutely,” Trump said.
He added that he wants to do “everything within the bounds of what you’re allowed to do legally.”
A clip of Trump’s interview was released after the Associated Press (AP) and other news outlets obtained copies of a draft executive order being circulated within his administration.
Beyond reviewing interrogation techniques and facilities, the draft order would instruct the Pentagon to send newly captured “enemy combatants” to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, instead of closing the detention facility as former US president Barack Obama had wanted.
Altogether, the possible changes could mark a dramatic return to how the administration of former US president George W. Bush waged its campaign against al-Qaeda and other extremist groups.
When questioned about the draft order, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said it was “not a White House document,” but would not comment further.
US House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan told MSNBC that the draft order was not written by the Trump administration.
“My understanding is this was written by somebody who worked on the transition before... This is not something the Trump administration is planning on, working on,” Ryan said.
The draft says US laws should be obeyed at all times and explicitly rejects “torture.”
However, its reconsideration of the harsh techniques banned by Obama and US Congress raises questions about the definition of the word and is sure to inflame passions in the US and abroad.
After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Bush authorized a covert program that led to dozens of detainees being held in secret locations overseas and to interrogation tactics that included sleep deprivation, slapping and slamming against walls, confinement in small boxes, prolonged isolation and even death threats.
Three detainees faced waterboarding. Many developed psychological problems.
While some former government leaders insist the program was effective in obtaining critical intelligence, many others say the abuses weakened the US’ moral standing in the world, hurt morale among intelligence officers and proved ineffective before Obama shut it down.
The AP obtained the draft order from a US official, who said it had been distributed by the White House for consultations before Trump signs it.
The official was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter and demanded anonymity.
The Pentagon did not immediately comment and Spicer said: “I have no idea where it came from.”
However, reports of the upcoming order quickly sparked alarm among Republicans and Democrats.
“The president can sign whatever executive orders he likes, but the law is the law,” said Republican Senator John McCain, who was tortured as a prisoner during the Vietnam War. “We are not bringing back torture in the United States of America.”
On the campaign trail, Trump spoke emphatically about toughening the US approach to fighting the Islamic State group.
He said he would authorize waterboarding and a “hell of a lot worse.”
However, after winning the election he appeared to backtrack, citing Mattis’ advice that torture is ineffective.
Pompeo said in his confirmation hearing that he would abide by all laws.
However, he also said he would consult with CIA and other government experts on whether current restrictions were an “impediment to gathering vital intelligence to protect the country or whether any rewrite of the [US] Army Field Manual is needed.”
Specifically, Trump’s draft order calls for reinstating an executive order — “to the extent permitted” by law — that Bush signed in 2007 and Obama later revoked.
Trump’s draft would reverse two other executive orders of Obama’s. One called for closing Guantanamo Bay.
The other ordered the CIA to shut any detention facility it operated and prohibited the US from using any interrogation technique not listed in the US Army Field Manual, demanding treatment in compliance with the Geneva Conventions, including timely access for the International Red Cross to all detainees.
Among the interrogation techniques banned by the manual were forced nakedness, hooding, beatings, sexual humiliation, threatening with dogs, mock executions, electric shocks, burning and waterboarding.
Any changes would face steep legal and legislative hurdles.
McCain, who is the Senate Armed Services Committee’s chairman, might be the most formidable opponent in US Congress, but he is not the only one.
“It is wrong and I hope he will rethink it,” US House of Representatives Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said.
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