Sean Hannity and Donald Trump revisited their uninformed love of waterboarding last night. Neither has ever served in the military and Hannity still hasn’t undergone the promised waterboarding for charity to prove that it isn’t torture. But these two think they know better than real experts.
During his interview with Trump last night, Hannity took a swipe at ABC News’ David Muir, who had interviewed Trump the night before and had discussed waterboarding. During that interview, Trump had said he would defer to Secretary of Defense James Mattis and CIA Director Mike Pompeo, each of whom is opposed to waterboarding. However, Trump claimed he knew differently.
Hannity thought he knew better, too. Or maybe he’s just too eager to see people tortured to care whether it’s effective or not. Regardless, he came up with a twist on the bogus “ticking time bomb” scenario that he thinks will snow others into loving torture the way he does. From the FoxNews.com transcript:
HANNITY: Waterboarding black sites came up in your interview last night. And I was thinking, if I had an opportunity to speak with David Muir, I’d say, OK, two guys go into your house, they kidnap your child, one guy gets away with your child, you tackle the other guy. That guy knows where your child is, would you not water board that guy?
TRUMP: So waterboarding used to be used because they said it really wasn’t torture. It was the one step slightly below torture. That’s why waterboarding—
HANNITY: That’s why it was legal.
TRUMP: I mean, torture is real torture, OK? Waterboarding is—I’m sure it’s not pleasant, but waterboarding was just short of torture. When—you know, all of a sudden, they made it torture. So here’s the story. I spoke with people the other day who are in this world that were talking about it. I said absolutely, it works, absolutely. Now, General Mattis said that he doesn’t intend to use it. I’m with him all the way. Do I believe it works? Yes, I do.
HANNITY: Well, we actually know it works. I interviewed—there were only three people that America water boarded. One of whom was Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. That led us to the courier which led us to bin Laden. And I know because I talked to the guy that was running the program at the time.
TRUMP: It works. In my opinion, it works.
HANNITY: I want to ask you about—
TRUMP: Do you have even a doubt that it works?
HANNITY: None.
TRUMP: Neither do I.
HANNITY: None. Not one.
TRUMP: And I watch these people in television, “Oh, Donald Trump is in favor of torture.” Look, we have people that knocked down the World Trade Center, we have people that go into a club and they blow everyone up.
HANNITY: We both lost friends that day.
TRUMP: Everybody did, thousands of people. We have people all—and all over the world, we’re talking about. We’re not just talking—we’re talking all over the world. They go into a club and they machine gun everybody down. And then, they were not allowed to water board? It’s so - - it seems so foolish and so naive. But this is what we have to put up with. But here’s the story—
HANNITY: I would ask David Muir, if they kidnapped your kid and you have one of the kidnappers, what would you do to get the location of your child?
TRUMP: Or would you want him to talk in 48 hours from now by being nice to him, OK?
HANNITY: It’s over.
TRUMP: OK?
HANNITY: It’s over at that point.
TRUMP: And by that time, it’s too late. So, I’m not into it. I will tell you, though, it works. And I just spoke to people who told me it worked, and that’s what they do.
HANNITY: I spoke to the guy that ran the program and saw the waterboarding of those three people.
Fact checks:
1. Waterboarding was not the vehicle for obtaining the information leading to the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden, despite Hannity’s claim that it did.
2. Waterboarding is considered torture. Just ask John McCain who would know more on the subject than either of these two.
3. Hannity’s scenario is ridiculous and has nothing to do with the use of waterboarding as a terrorism-fighting tool.
However, this seems like a good time to remind people that it has been 7 years, 9 months, and 5 days since Hannity promised to undergo waterboarding for charity on April 22, 2009.
Watch the two armchair generals claim to know more than a real general, below, from the January 26, 2017 Hannity.
We told the masses months ago that this Long Island old hawk would interview Cheating Trumpster at the White House. Hannocchio would sell out his own family for an exclusive interview with old Trumpster.
The Stop Hannity Express says this won’t be the last interview with Trumpster. Hannocchio plans future interviews with Trumpy on his boring show.
NOTE TO HANNITY
About that waterboarding you promised for the troops.
https://hightowerlowdown.org/podcast/lets-waterboard-sean-hannity/
Leave some kind of wicked evil plaything of the devil in front of republicans and they will sure as hell grab on to it.