in good faith

"Negotiations were carried out in good faith, but our position was always clear: we will only sign agreements that are in the national interest and provide value for money," he added.

"Throughout these intense negotiations, our negotiators have engaged constructively and in good faith with the UK to get a deal over the line," a spokesman added.

Because the Office of Legal Counsel had concluded that the Bush administration’s “enhanced interrogation techniques” did not constitute torture, Attorney General Eric Holder announced in 2009 that he would “not prosecute anyone who acted in good faith and within the scope of the legal guidance given by the Office of Legal Counsel.”

The settlement required Mr. Lowell to acknowledge the two agents had been authorized to provide their information to Congress and had “believed they acted in good faith to follow the law.”

“We start with a presumption that the legislature acted in good faith,” Alito wrote for a 6-3 majority last year in a South Carolina case.