A majority of Americans believe that the enhanced interrogation techniques employed by the CIA on suspected terrorists after the 9/11 attacks were justified, according to a new poll.
The
Washington Post-ABC News survey showed that by 59 percent to 31 percent, or nearly 2-1, Americans supported the brutal program, which half of them agreed was tantamount to torture.
An overwhelming number of respondents thought that the controversial "EITs" produced significant intelligence information, while 58 percent said that "looking ahead" the torture of terror suspects can be justified "often" or "sometimes."
The study was held just days after a Senate Intelligence Committee slammed the
CIA for its detention and interrogation program during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The report said that torture techniques on detainees, such as waterboarding, placing prisoners in stressful positions, and keeping them in confined spaces did not help the intelligence community uncover information.
The poll also showed that 54 percent of Americans thought that the CIA deliberately deceived the White House, Congress and the public about its nefarious activities.
However, 53 percent of Americans believe that the CIA’s program produced vital information that could not have been obtained through other methods, while 31 percent thought otherwise.
The poll also revealed that 52 percent of the public feel that it was wrong to release the report while 47 percent thought it was
"unfair" to the CIA, which has maintained that the report was one-sided.
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