After sending three letters to President Obama's nominee to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), John Brennan, to get answers for questions concerning the use of drone strikes on American soil, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) received letters from not only Mr. Brennan, but also U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday, Mar. 4.
In the letter from Mr. Holder, the AG explains, "As members of this Administration have previously indicated, the US government has not carried out drone strikes in the US and has no intention of doing so."
However, Holder continues noting the question is hypothetical, "It is possible, I suppose, to imagine an extraordinary circumstance in which it would be necessary and appropriate under the Constitution and applicable laws of the United States for the President to authorize the military to use lethal force within the territory of the United States."
Senator Paul responded to Mr. Holder's statement inn a press release today, "The U.S. Attorney General's refusal to rule out the possibility of drone strikes on American citizens and on American soil is more than frightening - it is an affront the Constitutional due process rights of all Americans."
In a letter received from CIA nominee John Brennan, Brennan answers the same question as follows: "I can state unequivocally that the agency I have been nominated to lead, the CIA, does not conduct lethal operations in the US--nor does it have any authority to do so.
"Thus, if I am fortunate enough to be confirmed as CIA Director, I would have no "power" to authorize such operations".
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