WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration plans to disclose a secret memo describing its legal justification for using drones to kill U.S. citizens suspected of terrorism overseas.
The Justice Department has decided not to appeal a court order requiring disclosure of a redacted version of the memo. That’s according to two administration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were authorized to discuss the matter by name.
The U.S. used a drone strike in Yemen in September 2011 to kill Anwar Al-Awlaki, an al-Qaida leader born in the U.S. Some critics complained that it was illegal for the U.S. to kill American citizens away from the battlefield without a trial.
The American Civil Liberties Union and The New York Times sued under the Freedom of Information Act for the memo’s release.
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Arrogant bastards.
“…legal justification for using drones to kill U.S. citizens…”
We know they really mean only Republicans
vote out all politicians that believe in spying on the American people. also, the nsa reform bill is crap so you may as well wait for 2015 and let the law expire. if anyone votes for the current nsa bill they are corrupt
There’s no legal justification for conducting drone bombings in foreign nations that aren’t threatening the U.S. with imminent attack or currently attacking us. The international treaties signed by the U.S. outlining when war is legal make this perfectly clear. These treaties are the highest law of the land under the supremacy clause of the constitution.
We wouldn’t accept Iran, China or Russia conducting drone bombings in foreign countries based on legal opinions rendered from their government’s lawyers.
Democrats roundly condemned Bush administration lawyers like John Yoo for authorizing torture techniques. Democrats should likewise condemn Obama justice department lawyers for attempting to legalize illegal drone strikes.
Can’t wait to hear about how disclosing the memo is going to help the terrorists.