Trump slams CIA director’s ‘ridiculous’ stance on waterboarding

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump slammed John Brennan, calling the CIA director’s latest comments on waterboarding “ridiculous.”

{mosads}”We have a huge problem with ISIS,” Trump said on “Fox and Friends,” early Monday, referring to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. “The reason we can’t beat them is we won’t use strong tactics.”

Brennan told NBC News that the agency will not use “enhanced interrogation” practices such as waterboarding even if they are ordered to do so by a future president.

“I will not agree to carry out some of these tactics and techniques I’ve heard bandied about, because this institution needs to endure,” Brennan said in an interview scheduled to air Monday night.

Trump has repeatedly called for an expansion of enhanced interrogation techniques after several recent terrorist attacks at home and abroad.

He said on Monday that ISIS routinely employs more brutal tactics than waterboarding against innocent civilians.

“Can you imagine these ISIS guys sitting around eating and talking about how our country won’t waterboard after they’ve chopped off 50 heads? We can’t waterboard and we can’t do anything.” 

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Trump’s GOP presidential primary rival, has said he does not consider waterboarding torture, but also has no desire to see its “widespread use.”

President Obama banned waterboarding via executive order early in his first term, labeling it torture.

This report was updated at 7:52 a.m.