Sen. Jeff Sessions pledged as attorney general to enforce laws barring waterboarding by U.S. intelligence officers or military servicemen and women, despite President-elect Trump’s campaign promise to take harsher actions against terrorism suspects.
The Alabama Republican testified Tuesday during his confirmation hearing that the law is “absolutely” clear that waterboarding cannot be used against terrorism suspects, and he would abide by it.
Sessions at first noted that there was some dispute as to the law when intelligence officers waterboarded terrorism suspects after the Sept. 11 attacks.
“There was dispute about that” in the years immediately following the attacks, he said. “But Congress has taken action that absolutely makes it improper and illegal to use waterboarding.”
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He went on to clarify and “defend the military” against public perceptions that they had anything to do with the waterboarding intelligence officers conducted against suspects.
“They didn’t” use the technique, Sessions said, referring to the military. “I used to teach the Geneva conventions … and the military did not do that.”
At a GOP primary debate early in the primary, Trump drew criticism for vowing to “bring back a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding.”
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a victim of torture during the Vietnam War and the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, recoiled against the Trump statement. After Trump’s election, McCain said: “I don’t give a damn what the president of the United States wants to do. We will not waterboard.”
