Army Green Beret and former UFC fighter Tim Kennedy livestreamed a video of himself being waterboarded to support President Donald Trump's nomination of Gina Haspel to head the CIA.
In a 41-minute video posted Friday on Facebook, Kennedy is voluntarily waterboarded by friends several times and answers questions between each session.
"The reason we are doing this ... is for us to have a conversation," Kennedy said in the post.
"Right now, an amazing hero has been appointed to be director of the CIA and because of that, some of the things she has done are being attacked."
Haspel, 61, whom Trump nominated to head the agency in March, has come under fire for overseeing a CIA black site in Thailand in 2002 where terror suspects were tortured.
She also reportedly helped destroy dozens of videotapes that showed such techniques used on suspects.
Arizona Sen. John McCain, who was tortured during nearly six years of captivity during Vietnam, opposes Haspel's nomination.
But Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly of Indiana said Saturday that he would back Haspel in the CIA post, joining West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin as the only two party members to endorse her.
Haspel, currently the CIA's deputy director, would replace Mike Pompeo, who is now Secretary of State.
On Facebook, Kennedy argued that waterboarding was simply uncomfortable and not torture.
"If I can change one person’s mind about what torture is and what I would do to protect American freedom, I will do this for years," he said.
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