March 15, 2017

Duckworth Statement on the Honorable Daniel Coats’ Confirmation Vote to be Director of National Intelligence

 

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement after voting against former U.S. Senator Daniel Coats' nomination to be Director of National Intelligence:

"Not only is torture illegal under both federal and international law, it is also ineffective and undermines the ideals that make our nation great. Torture does not make our country safer, in fact it puts American Troops serving overseas at greater risk. It is not a tactic used by strong nations. Considering Senator Coats voted against prohibiting torture and he refused to rule out revisiting the ban during his confirmation process, I could not support his nomination to such a critical national security position."

During his confirmation process, Senator Coats followed in CIA Director Mike Pompeo's footsteps by testifying that he would enforce the existing legal prohibitions against torture. However, just like Pompeo, Coats did not express any moral opposition to torture or rule out revisiting the ban on techniques prohibited by the Army Field Manual at a later time. Duckworth also voted against Pompeo's nomination to be CIA director because of his position on torture.

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