Televangelist Pat Robertson defended the use of torture by the U.S. today, telling “700 Club” viewers that they shouldn’t be troubled by the impending release of a Senate report on torture since such “rather rough” practices were necessary to stop terrorist attacks.
“You may be shocked at some of that, but the truth is we didn’t have another incident after 9/11 and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, he was caught, he was the mastermind, and they were rather rough with him but they learned invaluable information,” he said. “So I know it seems brutal but that’s the way it was.”
According to Sen. John McCain, “the use of ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’ on Khalid Sheik Mohammed produced false and misleading information” while “the best intelligence gained from a CIA detainee” was “obtained through standard, noncoercive means.”
Immediately after his remarks on torture, Robertson accused the Obama administration of releasing “30,000 immigrant criminals” into the U.S., citing a wildly inflated figure that mostly includes people who committed traffic violations.
