UPDATE:
Please scroll down for CODA and an Update
Original Post
Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain who himself faced years of torture while a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam during that War (an experience that Trump has ridiculed), today came out in opposition to Gina Haspel’s nomination to be CIA director.
McCain, who has been home in Arizona battling brain cancer, urged his fellow Senators to vote against Haspel stating that “her refusal to acknowledge torture’s immorality is disqualifying.”
These are parts of his statement, according to The Hill:
Like many Americans, I understand the urgency that drove the decision to resort to so-called enhanced interrogation methods after our country was attacked. I know that those who used enhanced interrogation methods and those who approved them wanted to protect Americans from harm. I appreciate their dilemma and the strain of their duty. But as I have argued many times, the methods we employ to keep our nation safe must be as right and just as the values we aspire to live up to and promote in the world.
I believe Gina Haspel is a patriot who loves our country and has devoted her professional life to its service and defense. However, Ms. Haspel’s role in overseeing the use of torture by Americans is disturbing. Her refusal to acknowledge torture’s immorality is disqualifying…I believe the Senate should exercise its duty of advice and consent and reject this nomination.
Read the Senator’s full statement here
CODA:
While Trump lies “prodigiously,” he tenaciously tries to keep most of his campaign promises – something he is very proud of.
Therefore, and regardless of whatever promises the nominee for CIA director, Gina Haspel, makes, we should not forget candidate Trump’s promises on harsh interrogation techniques, i.e. torture.
During his campaign for the presidency Trump repeatedly asserted that “torture works,” and repeatedly called “for the use of waterboarding and other unidentified techniques that are even more severe.”
According to the Washington Post, in late November 2015, Trump said at a rally in Columbus, Ohio, that he would approve the use of waterboarding “in a heartbeat” because “only a stupid person would say it doesn’t work.”
“If it doesn’t work,” Trump said, “they deserve it anyway, for what they’re doing.”
Here are some of his other remarks:
“Don’t tell me it doesn’t work — torture works…Half these guys [say]: ‘Torture doesn’t work.’ Believe me, it works.”
During the Feb. 6, 2016 Republican debate in New Hampshire Trump pledged to “bring back a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding.”
The morning after the debate, on “This Week,” Trump responded to a question by George Stephanopoulos on whether he “would authorize torture,” as follows, “I would absolutely authorize something beyond waterboarding.”
Later, when asked by South Carolina state Rep. Bill Herbkersman (R) whether Trump would allow U.S. interrogators to waterboard terrorist prisoners to extract information, Trump answered, “Absolutely.”
The Post:
“Some people say it’s not actually torture — let’s assume it is,” Trump said. “But they asked me the question: ‘What are you going to do on waterboarding?’ Absolutely fine, but we should go much stronger than waterboarding. That’s the way I feel.”
I believe there are others about whom we need to worry much more than just Gina Haspel.
UPDATE:
Guess who else would like to restart the torture programs.
You guessed it: Mr. “I had other priorities in the sixties than military service.”
Former Vice President Dick Cheney, after the issue of torture became a hot topic during Gina Haspel’s confirmation hearing, according to Politico:
“If it were my call, I would not discontinue those programs…I’d have them active and ready to go, and I’d go back and study them and learn.”
“I think the techniques we used were not torture. A lot of people try to call it that, but it wasn’t deemed torture at the time…People want to go back and try to rewrite history, but if it were my call, I’d do it again.”
