A lot of the basis of McCain’s anti-torture amendment came from testimony by Army Capt. Ian Fishback. Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, one of the nine who voted against the amendment, challenged Fishback’s credibility on the Senate Floor. McCain asked him to apologize, and he refused, according to this transcript of Jim Lehrer’s show:
SEN. JEFF SESSIONS: Capt. Fishback said he had seen at least one interrogation where prisoners were being abused. Now I don’t know what abused means. I’m a former prosecutor. What does “abused” mean? Did they shake them; did they respond to being spit on by prisoners, as many of our guards are? Did they injury [sic] them in some way?
I think if they were beaten he would have said they were beaten. He didn’t say that, he used a far more general term that they were abused. And then he goes on to say that he was told about other ill treatment of detainees by his sergeants. Ill treatment, now what is that? He didn’t say they were beaten, shot, killed, wounded, tortured -
SEN. JOHN McCAIN: The senator from Alabama’s remarks concerning his allegations of abuse and his disparagement of his word and his conduct is unacceptable. Capt. Fishback is a noble, brave young American; he does not deserve to be disparaged on the floor of this Senate by any senator. And the senator from Alabama owes him an abject and deep apology.
SEN. JEFF SESSIONS: The senator from Arizona has asked that I apologize for disparaging Capt. Fishback. I don’t believe I did so in any way. Now if something is in error about that — I quoted simply from the New York Times – I would apologize.
But I also think those in this Senate who have accused the up and down members of the chain of command of the United States Army, the United States Marines, the Department of Defense of being — promoting policies to abuse prisoners, they ought to think about whether they should apologize. I believe that’s false also.