In his address, CIA Director John Brennan also defended the George W. Bush administration and CIA officials behind the torture program, calling them “patriots” trying to defend the country in the shadow of 9/11. While acknowledging some methods were “abhorrent,” Brennan urged the nation to drop scrutiny of the torture program and instead “look forward.”

John Brennan: “In a limited number of cases, agency officers used interrogation techniques that had not been authorized, were abhorrent and rightly should be repudiated by all, and we fell short when it came to holding some officers accountable for their mistakes. … In light of the fact that these techniques were abandoned seven years ago, however, my fervent hope is that we can put aside this debate and move forward to focus on issues that are relevant to our current national security challenges.”

Asked whether the CIA will ever torture again, Brennan refused to offer a guarantee, saying he will “defer to the policymakers in future times.”