Rep. Ron Kind: Statement on CIA Torture Report

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) made the following statement regarding the report released today about the use of torture (a.k.a. enhanced interrogation techniques) by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA):

“This report found that the use of torture was much more pervasive than the previous Administration had led us to believe.

“This is the kind of behavior our enemies engage in, behavior that we as a nation can never accept. We have a responsibility to promote human rights and civil liberties across the globe, and for us to have any credibility, we need to come to grips with our past and take ownership of our mistakes. This is what great nations and a great democracy like ours must do from time to time – airing our dirty laundry no matter how uneasy and uncomfortable it makes us. We cannot simply sweep the past under the rug.

“In numerous classified briefings, I asked for more information on the use of enhanced interrogation, only to be stonewalled by intelligence leaders. Then, in 2012, I visited Afghanistan and spent time with our special forces who worked in interrogation centers. I asked them about the effectiveness of enhanced interrogation, and they all agreed that these methods are unreliable, that they yield no useful information, and that there are better ways to extract information from prisoners.

“This report should be used to shine light on our mistakes and lead us to better national security policies. Our intelligence officials play a vital role in keeping America safe – let’s give them the tools they need to protect us while adhering to the values upon which our nation was founded.”