WASHINGTON, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday known U.S. interrogation techniques, including head slapping and "waterboarding," could constitute torture.
In waterboarding, water is poured over a detainee's head to simulate drowning.
But the California Democrat, appearing on "Fox News Sunday," stopped short of opposing President George Bush, who has said there has been no torture sanctioned by the United States.
"There is a legal definition of torture that I believe this would fit. And the president says it would not," the California Democrat said. "Again, we have to see the degree, and what he is talking about. Because, again, to answer on the basis of something that's been reported in the press that the president has deemed is not torture, it's just not -- I just can't give you an informed answer on that."
Pelosi also said that while as a member of the House Intelligence Committee she has received some briefings about interrogation methods but not about secret Justice Department memos in 2005 approving the use of tactics such as head slapping, waterboarding and exposure to extreme temperatures.
