Can the President Strike an American Anywhere in the World?: Drone Memo Raises Troubling Questions About Imperial Presidency

During a three month span in 2011, U.S. drones killed four American citizens overseas. For the past two-and-a-half years, the Obama administration has refused to release its legal rationale for killing American citizens overseas. That changed on Monday when a federal court released a heavily redacted 41-page memo. It concludes the 2001 Authorization to Use Military Force gave the U.S. government the authority to target Anwar al-Awlaki, who the Obama administration claims had joined al-Qaeda. On Capitol Hill, Sen. Ron Wyden praised the release of the memo but said it raises many questions. Wyden asked, "How much evidence does the president need to determine that a particular American is a legitimate target for military action? Can the president strike an American anywhere in the world?" Questions also remain over when the United States can kill non-U.S. citizens. We speak to Hina Shamsi, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's National Security Project.

This video is an excerpt of the segment; full transcript available: http://www.democracynow.org/2014/6/24/can_the_president_strike_an_american