White House Confirmed, President Has "No" Authority To Use Drones To Kill Americans On U.S. Soil

U.S. Senator Rand Paul

Click on letter image to enlarge.

Paul's nearly 13-hour live filibuster on the Senate floor brings response from U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. confirming President Obama has "no" authority to order a drone attack to kill Americans on U.S. soil.

By H. Nelson Goodson

March 7, 2013

Washington,  D.C. - On Thursday, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) finally received a response from the White House after engaging in a nearly 13-hour live filibuster on the Senate floor to block CIA pick John Brennan's confirmation and challenging President Barack H. Obama's alleged authority to order weaponized drone attacks on Americans on U.S. soil. Paul had argued that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. had notified him earlier that President Obama could have extraordinary discretion to authorize a drone attack on Americans on U.S. soil.

Paul finally yield the floor around 12:40 a.m. on Wednesday to ise the bathroom paving the way for Brennan's confirmation as CIA director. The U.S. Senate voted 63-34 to confirm Brennan, Sen. Paul voted no. 

On Wednesday,  U.S. Attorney General Holder Jr. sent a letter to Sen. Paul in response to his filibuster challenging President Obama's authority to order drone attacks on Americans in the country. Holder Jr. wrote, "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."

Paul's filibuster made headlines and the move went viral in the country. The filibuster stand place the drone issue to kill Americans on U.S. soil an important issue in challenging President Obama's to use weaponized drones without due process.

The drone issue became a big fallout for the Obama administration, Sen. Paul accused the White House and Obama of attempting to use drones to kill Americans on U.S. soil without bringing them to justice, without due process or any prove that they were terrorists.

Holder Jr. gave a previous legal opinion that allowed the Obama administration to use weaponized drones to kill Americans abroad engaged in terrorism against the U.S. without due process. 

Obama did authorized the use of weaponized drones to kill two Americans abroad, including a teenager who was the son of a suspected terrorist.