Lindsay Beyerstein in In These Times:
“If Rudy is suggesting in any way that they used torture or aggressive interrogation in New York City then he is absolutely unfit to be president,” Giuliani’s former director of emergency management Jerry Hauer told the Huffington Post in an interview published on Nov. 6. Hauer added that local officials have no jurisdiction to torture anyone.
Giuliani’s alleged exploits don’t square with the policies and practices of the New York City Police Department, either.
“We are guided by what the constitution allows,” NYPD spokesman Sgt. Reginald Watkins told In These Times. “You can’t intimidate people into talking about a crime.”
Watkins explained that suspects in NYPD custody are under no obligation to talk and that they are entitled to have a lawyer present during questioning. Under no circumstances are police allowed to coerce people into answering questions.
When asked whether the NYPD officers are ever allowed to use physical pressure, Watkins seemed genuinely appalled.
“It goes without saying,” he said, “You cannot touch someone to get them to tell you about a crime.”
So, did Giuliani put the screws to the “mafia guys” as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District?