Thread by @DanielJJonesUS

1/ Fact Check: Contrary to reporting, Michael Morell did NOT “write in his 2015 book that he believed waterboarding is indeed torture.” As this thread shows, Morell has never called the CIA’s techniques “torture” & has consistently defended the CIA torture program. @JennaMC_Laugh

2/ As I detailed in another thread, Morell’s defense of torture and his continued propagation of inaccurate facts about the CIA torture program are well documented.

https://twitter.com/DanielJJonesUS/status/1332496056450355202?s=20

3/ In Morell’s 2015 book, he defends the use of torture by the CIA. Morell insists that to call waterboarding and other CIA tactics “torture” is “a great disservice.”

4/ In the 2015 book, Morell writes “liberal members” (like Senator McCain?) “insisted on asking [Leon] Panetta if waterboarding was torture.” And that Panetta’s response of “Yes,” was problematic.

5/ In the 2015 book, Morell defends telling 60 Minutes “that the [CIA]’s EITs were not torture.” [EITs are a reference to the CIA’s torture tactics]. Then Morell doubles down and makes clear that only “waterboarding” was “inconsistent with American values.”

6/ While promoting his book, Morell even “declined” to say if the CIA’s use of “rectal feeding” for interrogation purposes was torture. See this VICE news report from bit.ly/3mBYvHi

7/ This fact-check took ten minutes and cost me $1.99. We need to do a better job of holding our former officials (and/or their spokespersons) accountable for their past statements and actions.