Congress Wants to See Obama’s ‘License to Kill’
Congress is finally standing up to President Barack Obama on targeted killing. Almost a year after three American citizens were killed in US drone strikes, legislators are pushing the administration to explain why it believes it’s legal to kill American terror suspects overseas.
Congress is considering two measures that would compel the Obama administration to show members of Congress what Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) calls Obama’s “license to kill”: internal memos outlining the legal justification for killing Americans overseas without charge or trial. Legislators have been asking administration officials to release the documents for nearly a year, raising the issue multiple times in hearings and letters. But the new proposals, including one from Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) first flagged by blogger Marcy Wheeler and another in a separate intelligence bill, aren’t requests—they would mandate disclosure. That shift shows both Republicans and Democrats are growing impatient with the lack of transparency on targeted killings.
More MoJo coverage of Obama’s targeted killings program:
ACLU to Obama: You Can’t Just Vaporize Americans Without Judicial Process
When the US Government Can Kill You, Explained
Our Awesome, Totally Effective, Non-Good Guy Killing Drones Are a Secret
Liberals’ Targeted Killing Problem
Obama Says Drones Are on a “Very Tight Leash”