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Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, then tried to lighten the mood, beginning his line of questioning by saying “… And on that happy note.”

Manchin then told the committee he used to hold similar views with Cotton before he visited the detention center himself.

“I came back changed,” Manchin said. “It's not an atmosphere that our guards should be in or our military people should -- with their talent, should be used and wasted along those lines, is what I saw.”

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