After a 13-hour filibuster by Senator Paul asking for a yes-or-no answer, on the question of whether the government could kill Americans on U.S. soil with drones, the Attorney General responded:
Dear Senator Paul:
It has come to my attention that you have now asked an additional question: "Does the President have the authority to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on American soil?" The answer to that question is no.
Sincerely,
Eric Holder
But -- as anyone who has worked in the legal or legislative field knows -- statements which do not pin down all possibilities create loopholes large enough to drive trucks through.
Remember, Holder's letter to Paul can't be taken in a vacuum. The government has said for many months that it has the power to assassinate Americans on U.S. soil.
William Grigg notes:
This brief message from Holder should be read in terms of the supposed authority claimed thereby. This means removing useless qualifiers in the interest of clarity.
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