Story highlights Rep. Mike Pompeo in a letter to senators left the door open to bringing back enhanced interrogation

Pompeo said he would only bring back such techniques if the laws were changed to permit them

Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump's pick to run the CIA, Rep. Mike Pompeo, has told Congress that he would consider bringing back waterboarding and other enhanced interrogation measures under certain circumstances.

In a series of written responses on Wednesday to questions from members of the Senate intelligence committee, Pompeo said that while current permitted interrogation techniques are limited to those contained in the Army Field Manual, he was open to making changes to that policy.

"If confirmed, I will consult with experts at the Agency and at other organizations in the US government on whether the Army Field Manual uniform application is an impediment to gathering vital intelligence to protect the country," he wrote.

While Pompeo acknowledged interrogation practices like waterboarding are illegal under current law, he did not rule out seeking to have those laws modified.

"If experts believed current law was an impediment to gathering vital intelligence to protect the country, I would want to understand such impediments and whether any recommendations were appropriate for changing current law," he said.

Read More