Justice Dept. Document Justifies Killing Americans Overseas if They Pose “Imminent Threat”
Karen DeYoung of The Washington Post reports on a Justice Department document recently published by NBC News. DeYoung writes, “The United States can lawfully kill a U.S. citizen overseas if it determines the target is a ‘senior, operational leader’ of al-Qaeda or an associated group and poses an imminent threat to the United States.” The memo’s expansive wording has groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union reeling, calling it “a stunning overreach of executive authority” and “profoundly disturbing.”