[JURIST] John Negroponte [official profile] on Tuesday promised that security and intelligence agencies would not use torture in gathering intelligence under his watch as National Director of Intelligence. Negroponte faced tough questioning during a confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee [official website], which continues throughout this afternoon. In response to a question of whether interrogations of suspects would remain within all applicable legal boundaries, Negroponte said, "Not only is torture illegal and reprehensible, but even if it were not so, I don't think it's an effective way of producing useful information." Several Democrats on the committee questioned Negroponte on his record as US ambassador to Honduras during the early '80s. Opponents have accused him of ignoring human rights abuses in the country because the US needed a point from which to support Contra wars in neighboring Nicaragua. Negroponte is expected to gain the committee's approval for the intelligence post. AP has more.