If Rep. Peter King (R-NY) ever had any credibility at all, he’s completely lost all of it. He has said that ?the 525-page Senate report on the CIA’s interrogation and detention techniques doesn’t detail torture at all. It’s just a list of procedures that created “tremendous discomfort.”
From BuzzFeed’s Andrew Kaczynski:
Speaking with both local radio and NewsMaxTV’s America’s Forum Wednesday, the New York Republican added it would be a crime if we didn’t take these actions and that those who support the release of the Senate’s scathing report have an attitude of ?hate America first,? ?self-loathing,? and ?self-hatred.?
Here are some of the highlights of King’s?bizarre interview:
?We’re not talking about anyone being burned or stabbed or cut or anything like that. We’re talking about people being made to stand in awkward in positions, have water put into their nose and into their mouth. Nobody suffered any lasting injuries from this.?
?I don’t believe these are torture at all. For instance, waterboarding, there were medical personnel present during the whole time. It creates tremendous discomfort ? there’s no doubt about it. It creates tremendous fear, but the fact is there was no lasting damage to these people and we got information from them, which is very helpful,? King Told W-CBS in New York.
?We’re not talking about anyone being burned or stabbed or cut or anything like that. We’re talking about people being made to stand in awkward in positions, have water put into their nose and into their mouth. Nobody suffered any lasting injuries from this.?
Listen below.
Hmmm….discomfort? Awkward positions? The report details 9/11 masterminds Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Abu Zubaydah almost?drowning during waterboarding sessions. Zubaydah?lost his left eye while in custody and one detainee, ?Gul Rahman, actually died in CIA custody.
But it would have been? a crime if the horrendous torture methods had not been carried out, King said. He thinks they could have prevented the 9/11 attacks.
?Listen, you know ? you were down here on Sept. 11. You know what it was like, afterwards. The fear, and the legitimate fear that we were going to be attacked again. And the CIA was being criticized for not having gotten enough intelligence beforehand,? King said.
?And, I, you know ? not to oversimplify it, but to put it in the starkest terms: If we had captured Mohamed Atta on Sept. 9 or Sept. 10, 2001, and we knew that somewhere, within the next day or two, 3,000 Americans were going to be killed in a terrorist attack. And they would?t have to jump out windows, they wouldn’t have to be burned to death, if we could find out where that attack was gonna be. Are you saying that we would not have held Mohamed Atta’s head under water until he told us where that was gonna be because that would be a crime against humanity, that would be a war crime? To me, the crime would be if we didn’t do it.?
You can read the entire transcript at Newsmax. Watch the video below.
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Tiffany Willis is a fifth-generation Texan and the founder and editor-in-chief of Liberal America. An unapologetic member of the Christian Left, she has spent most of her career actively working with ?the least of these? and disadvantaged and oppressed populations. She’s passionate about their struggles. To stay on top of topics she discusses,?like her?Facebook page,?follow her on Twitter, or?connect with her via LinkedIn. She also has?a?grossly neglected personal blog?and a?literary quotes blog that is a labor of love. Find her somewhere and join the discussion.
