Poll: Most say CIA interrogation tactics provided reliable intel

Most Americans say the harsh interrogation tactics used by the CIA following Sept. 11 produced reliable information to prevent further terrorist attacks, a new poll finds.

A majority of Americans, 57 percent, says tactics such as waterboarding produced reliable information “often” or “sometimes,” according to a CBS News poll released Monday.

{mosads}Twenty-four percent said those tactics “rarely” provided reliable information, with 8 percent saying they “never” did.

The poll reveals that most Americans consider the CIA tactics highlighted in a 500-plus-page summary report released by Senate Intelligence Committee Democrats last week to be torture, including waterboarding (69 percent), a forced ice water bath (57 percent), 180 hours of sleep deprivation (70 percent) and threatening to sexually abuse a prisoner’s mother (73 percent).

Still, nearly half, 49 percent, consider such tactics to be sometimes justified, compared to 36 percent who say they are never justified.

Despite President Obama banning waterboarding and other interrogation methods after taking office in 2009, 57 percent think the CIA still employs such tactics.

The committee report last week asserted that the CIA’s tactics were torture and that officials misled Congress and the White House over the effectiveness of those methods.

Many Republicans and intelligence officials have blasted the decision to release the summary report, saying it is incomplete or flawed and could spark violence against Americans.

Senate Intelligence Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) defended the report’s release, noting that Republicans will take control of the committee next month and charging that the report would then “never see the light of day.”

The CBS News poll shows that a majority, 52 percent, thinks releasing information on CIA practices threatens U.S. security, including 64 percent of Republicans and 55 percent of independents. One-third says it will not impact security.

Democrats remain divided on whether suspected terrorists deserve the same legal rights as criminal suspects, with 47 percent saying they deserve the same rights and 41 percent opposed.

The poll of 1,003 adults was conducted Dec. 11-14 with a general margin of error of 3 points.