McCain: ‘I know from personal experience’ torture doesn’t work

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said all people have basic human rights that shouldn’t be violated.

“I know from personal experience that the abuse of prisoners will produce more bad than good,” McCain said on the Senate floor Tuesday. “Most of all, I know the use of torture compromises that which most distinguished us from our enemies.”

{mosads}McCain made the comments moments after Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) announced the 500-page summary report was being released. Her committee spent years investigating the CIA’s detention and interrogation program under former President George W. Bush after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

McCain was a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. His arms were broken and reset by his torturers numerous times causing problems he still faces today.

Tuesday’s report found that the CIA used torture to try and garner information from detainees, and lied to Congress and the public about the scale of their techniques. 

Some Republicans said the report shouldn’t have been released because it might encourage more international violence against the United States.

“Terrorist might use the reports … as an excuse to attack Americans, but they hardly need an excuse to do that,” McCain said. “That’s been their life calling for a while.”