Military analyst on Fox advocates for torture: “It worked on John [McCain]. That's why they call him 'Songbird John'”

Written by Media Matters Staff

Published

Update: Fox News told The Daily Beast that Lt. Gen. McInerney has not been a paid analyst for “nearly a year.” Host Charles Payne issued an apology on Twitter and later on his Fox Business show.

Update 2 (5/11): A Fox spokeswoman told CNN's Brian Stelter that McInerney “will no longer be invited” back on Fox Business or Fox News as a guest.

From the May 10 edition of Fox Business' Varney & Co.:

CHARLES PAYNE (HOST): Senator John McCain, he's not going to endorse Haspel also in part because she believes in torture, that she thinks it works, even though she laid out at least three instances where it did work to the benefit of humankind, not just Americans, but all human beings. Should they be evaluating this nominee on her feelings, or based strictly on the facts and her commitment not to use it anymore because it's no longer legal for us.

LT. GEN. THOMAS MCINERNEY: Well she can't use it anymore because we have determined in Congress that it's not legal. The fact is, is John McCain -- it worked on John. That's why they call him 'Songbird John.' The fact is those methods can work, and they are effective, as former Vice President Cheney said. And if we have to use them to save a million American lives, we will do whatever we have to.

Related:

PolitiFact: No evidence McCain was a traitor

Previously:

Cheney biographer Steve Hayes tells Gina Haspel to bring back torture

Fox News uses Nuremberg defense to cover for Gina Haspel’s torture record

Fox & Friends hosts falsely claim that torture led US military to Osama bin Laden