In long list of controversial comments, President Donald Trump has added another to the list, this time praising the use of torture.
Trump’s administration has conducted a review into America’s actions during the war on terror and the documents allegedly include a movement to restore banned interrogation methods and a bid to reopen the CIA-run “black site” prisons outside the US.
After the media obtained the draft of the executive order within Trump’s administration, the President was interview by ABC News, where he confirmed he’ll continue to wage war against Islamic State militants in order to keep his country safe. Addressing specifically the use of ‘waterboarding’ (a simulated drowning technique) in interrogations Trump relayed the extremist group’s crimes against Christians and others saying: “We have to fight fire with fire.”
Before authorising any new policies, Trump has said he’ll be consulting with new Defense Secretary James Mattis and CIA Director Mike Pompeo. However Trump did broach the subject of torture again, saying he’d enquired into the benefits of it with top intelligence officials, asking: “Does torture work?”
“And the answer was yes, absolutely,” Trump said.
Trump then added he wants to do “everything within the bounds of what you’re allowed to do legally.”
Besides authorising torture, the draft order also instructs the Pentagon to send captured “enemy combatants” to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. This is in direct contradiction to President Barack Obama’s directive to close the detention facility.
These changes could see a return to the Bush administration days.
