Scalia: Nothing In The Constitution Prohibits Torture

FILE - In this Oct. 18, 2011, file photo U.S. Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia smiles during a college address in Chicago. Scalia said late Wednesday July 18, 2012, that he hasn't had a "falling out" with Chief J... FILE - In this Oct. 18, 2011, file photo U.S. Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia smiles during a college address in Chicago. Scalia said late Wednesday July 18, 2012, that he hasn't had a "falling out" with Chief Justice John Roberts over the Supreme Court's landmark 5-4 decision validating much of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul."There are clashes on legal questions but not personally," Scalia said of the court. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File) MORE LESS
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is joining the debate over the Senate’s torture report by saying it is difficult to rule out the use of extreme measures to extract information if millions of lives were threatened.

Scalia tells a Swiss radio network that American and European liberals who say such tactics may never be used are being self-righteous.

The 78-year-old justice says he doesn’t “think it’s so clear at all,” especially if interrogators were trying to find a ticking nuclear bomb.

Scalia says nothing in the Constitution appears to prohibit harsh treatment of suspected terrorists.

The interview took place at the court on Wednesday, the day after the release of the Senate report detailing the CIA’s harsh interrogation of suspected terrorists. Radio Television Suisse aired the interview on Friday.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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