ONE QUESTION THAT SHOULD BE VERY EASY TO ANSWER IS AS TORTURING
PEOPLE OR MORAL?
SEN.
KAMALA HARRIS TRY TO GET GINA HASPEL TO
GO ON THAT TOPIC AND FOUND HOSPITAL TO BE A SLIPPERY TARGET
INDEED.
ONE QUESTION I HAVE NOT HEARD YOU ANSWER IS DO YOU BELIEVE
THAT THE PREVIOUS INTERROGATION TECHNIQUES WERE IMMORAL?
SEN., I BELIEVE THAT CIA OFFICERS TO WHOM YOU REFER ñ
IT'S A YES OR NO ANSWER.
DO YOU BELIEVE THE PREVIOUS INTERROGATION TECHNIQUES WERE
IMMORAL?
I'M NOT ASKING IF YOU BELIEVE THEY WERE LEGAL, I'M
ASKING DO YOU BELIEVE THEY WERE IMMORAL?
SEN.
I BELIEVE THAT CIA DOES EXTRAORDINARY WORK TO PREVENT
ANOTHER ATTACK ON THIS COUNTRY EVEN THE LEGAL TOOLS THAT WE
WERE AUTHORIZED.
PLEASE ANSWER YES OR NO, IN HINDSIGHT DO YOU BELIEVE
THAT THOSE TECHNIQUES WERE IMMORAL?
SEN.
WHAT I BELIEVE SITTING HERE TODAY IS THAT I SUPPORT THE
HIGHER MORAL STANDARD WE DECIDED TO HOLD OURSELVES.
CAN YOU PLEASE ANSWER THE QUESTION?
SEN., I THINK OF ANSWER THE QUESTION.
NO YOU HAVE NOT.
DO YOU BELIEVE THE PREVIOUS TECHNIQUES WERE IMMORAL?
YES OR NO?
SEN., I BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD HOLD OURSELVES TO THE MORAL
STANDARD OUTLINED IN THE ARMY FIELD.
THE PRESIDENT HAS ASSERTED THAT TORTURE WORKS, DO YOU AGREE
WITH THAT STATEMENT?
SEN., I DO BELIEVE THAT TORTURE WORKS, I BELIEVE THAT IN
THE CIA'S PROGRAM, AND I'M NOT ATTRIBUTING THIS TO ENHANCE
INTERROGATION TECHNIQUES THAT I BELIEVE AS MANY PEOPLE THAT HAVE
SIGNED BEFORE ME THAT VALUABLE INFORMATION WAS
OBTAINED FROM SENIOR AL QAEDA OPERATIVES THAT ALLOWED US TO
DEFEND THIS COUNTRY AND PREVENT ANOTHER ATTACK.
IS THAT A YES?
NO, IT IS NOT A YES.
WE GOT VALUABLE INFORMATION FROM DEBRIEFING OF AL QAEDA DETAINEES
AND I DON'T THINK IT IS KNOWABLE WHETHER INTERROGATION TECHNIQUES
PLAYED A ROLE IN THAT.
I LOVE THAT.
SO SHE WOULD SAY THAT TORTURE IS IMMORAL AND SHE
DOESN'T THINK THAT IT WORKS, BUT THANK GOD WE DID IT.
WE PLAYED IT WAS A MINUTE AND 15 SECONDS OF KAMALA HARRIS TRY TO
GET HER TO SAY YES OR NO.
AS TORTURING PEOPLE IMMORAL?
ABSOLUTELY.
BROOKE, IS TORTURING PEOPLE IMMORAL?
WELL, I THINK ñ HAS TO START WITH
THAT LOOK.
STILL NOT GIVING A YES OR NO ANSWER.
X YES, IT IS IMMORAL, YOU CAN TORTURE PEOPLE.
NOW SHE IS TO HELP DEAL WITH ALL OF THE CONSERVATIVE OUTLETS
SAYING HOW COULD SHE DO THIS?
WHAT TYPE OF PERSON IS THIS THAT
PRESENT TRIP JUST PUT IN?
SHE HAS TO STAY CLOSE TO WHERE SHE IS FED.
LAWGIVER TRUMP IS THE PRESIDENT WHICH MEANS THOSE
HEADLINES WOULD LAST ALL OF 10 MINUTES BECAUSE WE HAVE OTHER
STUFF TO DEAL WITH.
MY FEAR COMING OUT WITH THIS IS A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE
GOING TO HEAR HER OPENING STATEMENT.
I WILL NOT REINSTATE DETAINMENT AND TORTURE.
IF YOU JUST LISTEN TO THAT YOU MIGHT THINK THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE
DISASTER.
BUT IF YOU LISTEN TO ALL THE REST OF IT, THERE'S ALL THE
REASON TO BELIEVE SHE DOESN'T THINK THERE IS ANY MORAL REASON
WHY SHE THINKS WE SHOULDN'T TORTURE PEOPLE.
SHE DEFINITELY THINKS THAT IT WORKS IN PRACTICE.
AND HER QUALMS AGAINST CONDUCTING TORTURE ARE ROOTED IN
BUREAUCRATIC MUMBO-JUMBO.
THAT MEANS IF THE LAW WERE TO CHANGE UNDER OTHER REPUBLICANS,
WHAT WOULD HER OPPOSITION BE?
IT IS NOT MORAL, IT IS NOT LEGAL,
IT IS ENTIRELY ROOTED IN WHETHER PEOPLE ABOVE HER SAY IT IS OKAY.
THAT IS A PERSON WHO WILL TORTURE INEVITABLY.
THAT IS MY CONCERN.
ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE FROM THAT TIME HAVE NO PLACE IN GOVERNMENT
POWER WHETHER THEY WERE RUNNING A CAA BLACK SITE UNDER GEORGE W.
BUSH OR JOHN BOLTON, CLEAR OUT ALL OF THEM, NONE OF THEM
SHOULD'VE BEEN UNDER OBAMA, OR CURRENTLY SERVING UNDER
DONALD TRUMP.
TO UNDERSTAND AGAIN, ONLY IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES THEY
WOULD DO IT.
THEY SAID WE ARE NOT FEARING ANOTHER ATTACK RIGHT NOW, SO
THAT LEAVES THE DOOR OPEN THAT ONCE WE FEAR FOR ANOTHER ATTACK
WE CAN IMPLEMENT THESE POLICIES AGAIN.
AS LONG AS WE ARE AFRAID OF CERTAIN PEOPLE, WE CAN PUT IT
OFF AND SAY HEY WE CAN STOP TERRORISM BY TORTURING PEOPLE,
WE CAN IMPLEMENT IT.
ALSO I HATE THE WHOLE WEIRD BROTHERHOOD.
WHY NOT?
BECAUSE THEORETICALLY THIS PEOPLE COULD GO TO JAIL.
I HESITATE TO EVEN BRING THIS UP BUT THIS IS SOMETHING I THOUGHT
ABOUT ON A WEEKLY BASIS.
DONALD TRUMP HAS TRIED TO SCARE AMERICANS ABOUT IMMIGRANTS.
BUT IT IS SHOCKING TO ME AND I CANNOT EXPLAIN WHY ESPECIALLY
WHEN HE STARTED TO SURROUND HIMSELF WITH THE PEOPLE WHO WERE
THERE UNDER BUSH WHY HE HAS NOT YET ATTEMPTED TO TERRIFY THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE ABOUT SOME SORT OF TERROR ATTACK.
OBVIOUSLY THEY HAVEN'T DONE IT YET, AND WE HAVE BEEN
MONUMENTALLY LUCKY THAT WE HAVE NOT HAD A GIGANTIC TERROR
ATTACK.
BUT THEY HAVING IT TURNED ABOUT AND IT HAS BEEN OVER A YEAR.
BUT AT ANY TIME PERHAPS IN ADVANCE OF AN ELECTION DONALD
TRUMP COULD FIND A CONVENIENT EVENT ñ AND IMAGINE WHAT THEY
WOULD DO.
HE BRINGS UP THAT TERROR ATTACKS HAPPEN IN OTHER
COUNTRIES WHEREVER.
HE SAYS THIS IS WHY WE ARE BANNING MUSLIMS AND ALL THESE
POLICIES.
HE DOESN'T WANT TO LOOK WEAK.
ALL OF THEM WHO FLED FROM VIETNAM, THEY ARE STILL SEEN AS
STRONG.
THERE IS A FUNDAMENTAL WEAKNESS AMONG CONSERVATIVES THAT IS
MASQUERADING AS STRENGTH, AND THEY ARE ALL OPERATING IN
THAT COLLECTIVE ILLUSION.