A confidential memo obtained by NBC News reveals that the Justice Department has found no legal reason to bar the U.S. government from killing American citizens who are involved with al-Qaida or its alliances.
The 16-page memo, reported by NBC News, paints a clearer picture of President Obama’s legal reasoning for increasing the use of drone strikes in other countries.
The memo indicates the federal government can order the killing of an American citizen even if there’s no evidence the citizen was engaged in an active attack agains the U.S, NBC News reported.
“The condition that an operational leader present an ‘imminent’ threat of violent attack against the United States does not require the United States to have clear evidence that a specific attack on U.S. persons and interests will take place in the immediate future,” the memo states.
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