Law and order

Sessions: Waterboarding Is Illegal And I Don't Support A Muslim Ban


During his confirmation hearing for attorney general, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) said that current law prohibits waterboarding as an interrogation tactic, and that he would not support a Muslim ban. Sen. Sessions called waterboarding, within the confines of the law, improper and illegal. The New York Timesseemed elated about that remark since they say it would make it pretty much impossible for President-elect Donald J. Trump to reinstate the program:
Mr. Sessions, who has supported the use of waterboarding as an interrogation tactic, said that current law makes it “absolutely improper and illegal.” That’s important because it suggests that Mr. Sessions sees no workaround that would allow Mr. Trump to reinstate such tactics. Mr. Sessions previously said he supported the Justice Department legal analysis that authorized harsh interrogation in C.I.A. prisons, and said that waterboarding worked. By saying that the law against waterboarding is clear, Mr. Sessions makes it much harder, if not impossible, for Mr. Trump to bring it back.