Rachel Maddow sat down with former Secretary of State Colin Powell Wednesday night to discuss the approval of enhanced interrogation techniques by the Bush Administration and whether or not Powell himself had played a direct role in authorizing what may be viewed as torture. Maddow pressed Powell specifically over reports that he had attended a meeting with other prominent White House officials in which the nature of these techniques was discussed in detail.
As for Powell's responses during the interview, Think Progress writes that he avoided offering much in the way of specifics or responsibility for what took place:
Powell refused to acknowledge his role in these meetings, and claimed ignorance about long-released legal memos that specifically authorized torture. Choosing his words carefully, he would say only that, "at least from the State Department standpoint," it was important to stand by the Geneva Conventions. Powell also questioned whether tactics like sleep deprivation, stress positions, or waterboarding were "criminal" -- despite specific U.S. statutes and international law forbidding torture
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