Donald Trump’s campaign co-chair tried to dance around his boss’ support for torture techniques in a Thursday interview, falsely claiming that the presumptive GOP nominee never said he would bring back banned practices if elected president.
Sam Clovis demurred when asked by CNN’s Alisyn Camerota about Trump’s support for waterboarding, a form of simulated drowning that has been banned as both ineffective and potentially illegal.
“I think it is a matter of opinion on whether or not it worked or didn’t work,” Clovis said, acknowledging that Trump was “in favor of enhanced interrogation techniques.”
As Camerota noted, the Senate torture report concluded that waterboarding produced no actionable intelligence. Both FBI and CIA officials also have spoken out against the practice.
“So if Mr. Trump becomes president, he would bring back waterboarding and interrogation techniques?” she asked.
“That is not at all what he has ever said,” Clovis replied.
During a Tuesday rally, Trump said waterboarding was not “tough enough” to deal with the perpetrators of attacks like the bombings that killed dozens at Istanbul’s international airport this week.
Throughout the 2016 race, the presumptive GOP nominee has offered a full-throated defense of torture techniques, saying he’d “bring back a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding” if he wins.
Clovis said that Trump’s administration would only do so in accordance with the law and after consultation with the intelligence community.
“I wish this is something that more people would actually think through, rather than just making declarative statements out here,” he said.
Camerota pointed out that Trump was the one making the “declarative statement” about reviving the use of waterboarding on suspected terrorists.
“That’s true,” Clovis acknowledged. “We would bring it back after we consult with Congress and the intelligence community.”
Another prize Donnie Douche.
I swear they do this just to piss me off.
“I think it is a matter of opinion on whether or not it worked or didn’t work,” Clovis said,
No, its a matter of fact. Just because you are far too ignorant and pig headed to deal with reality, doesn’t make it a matter of opinion. It just makes you wrong.
“That is not at all what he has ever said,”
And wrong again. Because it is quite clear that Trump has repeatedly, in public, advocated for torture.
And, if you were watching CNN live, you’d only have to sit through 14 to 18 minutes of commercials to witness gems fall from the snout of this pig…
This is surrealistic humor at its best. I can imagine John Cleese and Michael Palin, in Python character, having this conversation.