White House reporters tried in vain to get information from press secretary Jay Carney about a newly released paper that deals with the Obama administration’s killing of American citizens.
The paper, which was obtained by NBC News, lays out some of the government’s justification for the assassination of Americans with drone strikes. The memo says that the US can order the killing of Americans if they are believed to be senior Al Qaeda members, even if they are not actively plotting attacks.
Carney was asked about the paper at the very beginning of Tuesday’s briefing. He called the strikes “legal, ethical and wise,” and said that they were constitutionally sound.
“The president takes his responsibilities very seriously,” Carney said. “And first and foremost that’s his responsibility to protect the United States.” He added that the strikes were conducted “in a way that is fully consistent with the Constitution and all the applicable laws.”
And that, essentially, is all he would say, despite a torrent of questions about the paper.
ABC’s Jon Karl wondered why it was more humane to “drop a bomb” on someone than to torture them. He also asked about the ACLU’s blistering criticism of the paper.
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