Trump: CIA director's comments rejecting waterboarding 'ridiculous'

WASHINGTON, April 11 (UPI) -- Donald Trump on Monday said CIA Director John Brennan's comments that his agency will not waterboard are "ridiculous."

"We have a huge problem with ISIS," Trump told Fox News early Monday, referring to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. "The reason we can't beat them is we won't use strong tactics."

Trump's comments follow Brennan's remarks Sunday that his agency will not waterboard despite pledges by Republican presidential candidates Trump and Ted Cruz to reinstate the practice characterized as "enhanced interrogation" or torture.

"I think his comments are ridiculous," Trump said. "Can you imagine these ISIS people sitting around eating and talking about this country won't allow waterboarding and they've just chopped off 50 heads?"

.@realDonaldTrump: We can't beat ISIS without using strong tactics like waterboardinghttps://t.co/rXNRenWBEO

— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) April 11, 2016

Waterboarding, which simulates drowning when performed on subjects, was banned in the United States in 2009 under President Barack Obama. During a February Republican debate in New Hampshire, Trump said he supported waterboarding and that he would "bring back a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding."

In the same debate, Cruz said waterboarding is not a form of torture.

"It is enhanced interrogation ... It does not meet the generally recognized definition of torture," Cruz said, adding that he "would not bring it back in any sort of widespread use."

Cruz, though, said he would bring back enhanced interrogation "if it were necessary... to prevent a city from facing an imminent terrorist attack ... as commander-in-chief, I would use whatever enhanced interrogation methods we could to keep this country safe."

During an interview with NBC News on Sunday, Brennan said that -- despite potential orders from a future president -- he would not carry out such practices, including waterboarding.

"I will not agree to carry out some of these tactics and techniques I've heard bandied about because this institution needs to endure," Brennan said. "Absolutely, I would not agree to having any CIA officer carrying out waterboarding again," he said.

Trump and Cruz are in a heated presidential race in hopes to get the GOP nomination for the November presidential election.