CIA director: No waterboarding, even if commanded by future president

Amid ongoing campaign rhetoric, CIA Director John Brennan said the agency will not use “enhanced interrogation” practices such as waterboarding.

“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 told NBC News in an exclusive interview scheduled to air Monday night.

“I would not agree to having any CIA officer carrying out waterboarding again,” he said.

{mosads}GOP front-runner Donald Trump gained attention after the Brussels terror attacks by saying under his presidency, he would permit the waterboarding of terror suspects and “a lot more.” 

“Waterboarding would be fine,” Trump said in a March interview with Reuters. “If they can expand the laws, I would do a lot more than waterboarding.”

Presidential hopeful Ted Cruz said in a February GOP debate he doesn’t consider waterboarding torture, but he also said he wouldn’t “bring it back in any sort of widespread use.” 

During President Obama’s first few days in office, he banned the technique with an executive order, calling it torture.