WASHINGTON — Sen. Ken Salazar said Wednesday that he would vote against President Bush’s nominee for attorney general because he refuses to oppose an interrogation technique that mimics drowning.
Salazar, D-Colo., said he questioned Michael Mukasey privately Tuesday and was “deeply troubled” by the Justice Department nominee’s response when asked how he would react to a government request to use waterboarding in an interrogation setting.
According to Salazar, Mukasey said his reaction would depend on whether there was an intent to cause pain.
“That answer is unacceptable. Waterboarding is torture,” Salazar said in a conference call with reporters. “This is not a complex issue. It is not open to interpretation.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved Mukasey’s nomination Tuesday 11-8 with the support of two Democrats, Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.
Schumer called waterboarding repugnant and illegal at that hearing but said he supported Mukasey after hearing the judge pledge privately he would enforce any potential crackdown on the procedure.
Mukasey has “demonstrated more openness to ending the practices we abhor than either of this president’s previous attorney-general nominees have,” Schumer said.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid recently announced his opposition to Mukasey, but the judge is expected to be confirmed, with 15 to 20 Democrats voting in his favor.
A spokesman for Colorado Republican Sen. Wayne Allard, Steve Wymer, said his boss “thought very highly” of Mukasey but would not decide about confirmation until a private meeting later this week. The former attorney general, Alberto Gonzales, resigned in September.
