Central Intelligence Agency head: Attacks in Saudi Arabia bear hallmarks of Islamic State

While the Guantanamo Bay detention camp remains operational-much to the dismay of Obama supporters and the White House itself-the president made great strides in accomplishing that promise through Executive Order 13491.

“Those three attacks were, I think, the work of ISIL”, Brennan said at the Brookings Institution, a think tank in Washington.

Trump, set to be formally nominated next week as the Republican nominee for the November 8 election, has said he would reauthorize waterboarding immediately if elected, contending that “torture works”. President Obama called that standard the “highest standard we can set”.

Trump, whose nomination at the Republican National Convention next week is all but assured, is a proponent of torture and has on more than one occasion promised to reinstate its use if elected president. “There were individuals that were subjected to these [enhanced interrogation techniques] that subsequent to that provided information that was in fact credible and worthwhile for pursuit”.

Hayden also appeared spooked that Trump seems eager to use waterboarding with enthusiasm against those who he deems deserve it.

Moreover, Reuters notes, “Brennan told his confirmation hearing in 2013 he had not tried to stop harsh interrogation techniques such as waterboarding when he was at the spy agency earlier in his career, but had objected to them privately”. “As long as I’m the director of Central Intelligence Agency, we are not going to go down that road again”.

The use of waterboarding, sleep deprivation and other tactics are banned under USA law.

“The CIA follows the guidance that comes from the commander in chief”, he said in response to a question about drone strikes.

USA intelligence chief John Brennan said Wednesday that if the next president were to order his agency to return to waterboarding or use more harmful forms of interrogation, he would consider quitting rather than follow the order.

“It is the agency’s responsibility to carry out that direction to the best of its ability”, he said.

This story was updated at 3:32 p.m.