Sen. Tom Cotton said Wednesday that waterboarding is good to use against terrorists "if it has to be done to save American lives" — and he believes that President-elect Donald Trump would make the "tough call" to use it when necessary.
"If experienced professionals come to the United States and say: 'We think this terrorist has critical information. We need to obtain it and this is the only way to obtain it' — that's a tough call," the Arkansas Republican told Wolf Blitzer on CNN.
"The presidency is a tough job," he added. "If you are not willing to make the tough calls, you shouldn't seek office.
"Donald Trump is a tough guy and I think he's ready to make the tough calls."
Cotton noted that waterboarding was once used to train U.S. soldiers and added that he disagreed with former Vietnam POW and Arizona Sen. John McCain's position that it violated international agreements.
"I understand his position but I disagree," he told Blitzer. "Federal law may have to change if the president was to take this policy — and the president-elect would have to come to Congress."
Cotton, an Army veteran of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, suggested that Trump consider retired Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly for a top Cabinet position.
"One distinguished American we need to get back in service is John Kelly," Cotton said. "The longest serving man in uniform during his 46 years in the Marine Corps — and the most senior military officer to lose a child in this war in Afghanistan.
"Whether secretary of defense, secretary of state, national security adviser, John Kelly is an American who needs to serve our country again."
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