 In an April 2009 television appearance, when asked whether waterboarding was torture, Gingrich said that the question was "debatable" and that "I honestly don't know" the answer.Gingrich stated that however the practice was characterized, waterboarding was "something we shouldn't do" but then stated that there are "very rare circumstances where extreme measures" should be used.In a May 2009 interview, Gingrich said that "waterboarding is not torture" and defended the use of "specific enhanced interrogation techniques in specific circumstances against very high-level terrorists."