During today's hearing with an alumnus from George W. Bush's administration, CIA Director nominee Gina Haspel, California's Sen. Kamala Harris (D), a former state's attorney general, asked, "One question I've not heard you answer is, do you believe the previous interrogation techniques [i.e., waterboarding at a "black ops" site] were immoral?" When Haspel equivocated in answering her, Harris said, "I'm not asking do you believe they were legal, I'm asking do you believe they were immoral." Haspel stuck to a pre-formed answer that avoided answering the question and the visibly frustrated Harris eventually moved on.
This back and forth makes me wonder what would happen if the President were asked a similar question about his administration's questionable ethics, the legalities of which are being studied closely by special counsel Robert Mueller. Imagine Harris or some other senator glaring across the floor at Trump and saying "Mr. President, I'm not asking do you believe the strategies you employed in becoming Commander in Chief were legal, I'm asking you if you think they were immoral?" I'd like to hear what he has to say on this subject. Ceding the moral high ground is not typically what politicians do, but as we all now know, Trump is nobody's idea of a politician. In a way, it would be refreshing to hear a sitting President be on the record in saying morality be damned--and the law as well.
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