CIA Interrogation Techniques Undermine US Moral Authority: White House

The White House press secretary commented on the CIA interrogation practices' report, saying that the torture techniques "significantly undermine" the US’ ethical authority and the country would remain as committed as ever to confronting countries with a high rate of human rights abuses.

WASHINGTON, December 10 (Sputnik) — The torture techniques the US Central Intelligence Agency used on terror suspects "significantly undermine" the United States’ ethical authority, the White House press secretary said Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the Senate Intelligence Committee released a summary report of a detailed investigation into the CIA's controversial interrogation techniques, following the 9/11 attacks.

“The Commander in Chief [US President Barack Obama] concluded that the use of the techniques that are described in this report significantly undermines the moral authority of the United States of America,” Josh Earnest said.

Earnest stressed that Obama on “his second day at the White House issued an order to end those tactics.”

“One of the most powerful tools in our arsenal to protect and advance our interests around the globe is the moral authority of the United States of America,” he underscored.

According to the Senate's report, many of the harsh tactics used by the CIA went beyond those approved by the White House and Department of Justice and were brutal and far worse than presented to the public.

US to Monitor International Human Rights Abuses Amid CIA Torture Report

The United States remains as committed as ever to confronting countries with a high rate of human rights abuses, amid the release of the CIA’s detention and interrogation report, White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said.

“This administration remains as committed as ever to these basic universal human rights,” Earnest said, when asked if the United States would back away from condemning countries such as Russia, China and North Korea where human rights abuses are committed. “Absolutely not,” Earnest responded.

Despite the recent criticism of the United State’s use of torture on suspected terrorists outlined in the CIA’s report, US President Barack Obama’s implementation of a 2009 task force to reform the agency’s interrogation and detention practices proves the country’s commitment to rebuilding its “moral authority” around the world, Earnest said.

“The president [Obama] believes that there is more that we're going to continue to do [amid CIA report] precisely, because US moral authority is one of the most powerful tools in our arsenal for protecting and advancing am interests around the globe,” Earnest said.

On Tuesday, the US Senate Select Intelligence Committee released a 500-page report, detailing their investigation into the CIA interrogation techniques, used on alleged al-Qaeda agents after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The full report contains a 6,300-pages, describing the interrogation techniques, including waterboarding, threats of sexual assault, forced nudity, prolonged sleep deprivation, use of stress positions, mock executions, threats against children and family, use of power drills and many other torture practices that the CIA carried out in detention centers worldwide.

A full probe into the CIA’s interrogation practices was commissioned by the Intelligence Committee in 2009. The investigation was finalized and authorized in December 2012, despite disagreements between Republicans and Democrats within the committee.