Defense Secretary James Mattis, who once told President Trump he found beer and cigarettes more useful in interrogation than waterboarding, has not changed his views on torture, the Pentagon said Thursday.

Mattis’ position on the use of torture is significant because in an interview with ABC news Wednesday, Trump said he would defer to Mattis and CIA Director Mike Pompeo on the question of whether to bring back “enhanced interrogation” techniques, such as waterboarding, for captured terror suspects.