This week the Department of Justice finally admitted that the U.S. has indeed killed American citizens with drones. President Obama followed up this admission with a “war on terror” policy speech.
Although Obama spoke of a less aggressive stance on drones, the administration maintains that top secret evidence and his advisers provide sufficient “due process” when targeting Americans suspected of being a terrorist for assassination.
Rand Paul (R-KY) disagrees. Appearing Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” Paul said he was pleased that the president is finally addressing this issue but that he still had questions regarding due process.
“I was pleased with his words and I was pleased that he did respond to this. However, there still is a question in my mind of what he thinks due process is,” Paul said.
Paul, who famously filibustered to get a clear answer about whether the President had the authority to kill citizens on U.S. soil with drones, referred to Obama’s idea of due process is looking at flashcards with his advisers.
“You know, due process, to most of us, is a court of law, it’s a trial by a jury. And right now their process is him looking at some flashcards and a Powerpoint presentation on ‘terror Tuesdays’ in the White House. For a lot of us, that’s not really due process.”
Paul, widely considered the most vocal lawmaker on protecting civil liberties, also introduced legislation to extend Fourth Amendment privacy rights to electronic communications.
“In today’s high-tech world, we must ensure that all forms of communication are protected,” Paul wrote in a press release. “Yet government has eroded protecting the Fourth Amendment over the past few decades, especially when applied to electronic communications and third party providers.”
“Basic constitutional rights should not be invalidated by carrying out basic, day-to-day functions in a technologically advanced world, and this bill will provide much needed clarity and reassert Fourth Amendment protections for records held by third parties,” Paul said.
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