In his remarks in Iowa, Mr. Giuliani also criticized Democrats who call sleep deprivation torture.
“They talk about sleep deprivation,” he said. “I mean, on that theory, I’m getting tortured running for president of the United States. That’s plain silly. That’s silly.”
Mr. Giuliani’s remarks were criticized by Human Rights Watch. Jennifer Daskal, who specialized in counterterrorism for the group, faulted him for suggesting that “sleep deprivation is a joke.”
“Perfected by the Soviets, sleep deprivation is one of the cruelest, most painful forms of torture,” Ms. Daskal said.
