obon officials are refusing to say whether assassination powers of the
president extend to american soil this is very interesting this is coming up in
the context of
john brennan's hearings and and investigation
for his nomination for c_i_a_ director
it's been reported by the guardian that
now we have seen brennan ask the question several times
as part of the confirmation process could the president order
an assassination of an american citizen
on u_s_ soil and essentially be
completely free of legal persecution
and that we're not really getting answers okay
but he was asked in in writing p_d_a_ ministration carryout drone strikes
inside the u_s_
and his answer was unanswered that was not the question that was after
brennan's answer in writing was this administration
has not carried out front straight inside the u_s_
and has no intention of doing so
so the did not answering the question essentially what we government a bunch
of times
he was also asked
and i think this is telling
could you describe the geographical limits on the administration's conduct
uh... i think we have a missing word here could you describe the geographical
limits on the administration's uh... a conduct of drum strikes is really the
question and brands answer was basically there are no geographic limits he said
we do not view our authority to use military force against al qaeda an
associated forces as being limited to hot battlefields
like afghanistan in many quoted attorney general eric holder saying
neither congress nor our federal courts has limited the geographic scope of our
ability to continues force to the current conflict in afghanistan
you know what this reminds me of louis this reminds me of the entire you know
the clip when i play it john you
the former deputy assistant attorney general under george w bush being asked
by of ba
we will remember to second who it is
could the president order someone buried alive
and he answered questions that were not being ask this is almost identical the
what we're seeing with john brennan now on the uh... drone strikes are
assassinations within the u_s_ of u_s_ citizens take a look at this very
different miss profession the room
john conyers is the one who is asking the questions of pickle
that the president could not order to be done to a suspect
if you believe that necessary for a national defense
what effect
used terror camping that goes back to the quote you just
rent because
well i'm just asking you the question mary that it doesn't look doesn't book
what do you think
i think it's the same question that i was asked to assist you
first-time chemically i'm not talking about and you know if i make everything
clear just answer the question counsel
i have to admit i will concede this is but still one of my favorite clips
dashed this is almost like the albedo gonzalez i can't remember if i forgot to
recall record you know recollect the method
i'm so make sure i'm not saying anything you don't have to worry about not saying
just answer the question i think that my my thinking right now
yes right now my thinking right now this moment the this movement mr chairman
is that
you know first
questioner posing what does that answer
which are not trying to make you know i or is it ok amusement i wanted to know
you're you've wasted your wasting my time look counsel
well i i i don't live are trying to swell polar
could the president
order a suspect there though
uh... mr chairman life
don't think that i have ever
hug estimate that have been advised that the president could bury somebody alive
i didn't ask you if you're ever gave him advise as you
do you think
president could order
a suspect there is no destroyed my view right now is that i don't think the
president would
and no american president
would ever had to order that were few unnecessary to worry about
i was very very critical of that video when that came out uh... years ago
so i have to be just as critical of brennan not answering these questions
read answering questions aren't athlete in the same thing inouye has his final
answer there is kind of a yes
it's it's kind of a concession there
no president ever has or would have to you
but they could
well warden but legally nutan that's not really what he's saying he's just
answering questions that were nafta and that's what reading is doing so how do
we react
i didn't like the john you thing and i don't like this but maybe that's just
because out like a visa bases answers maybe this is just politics i really
don't know
i think that the problem we have is that these people for being questioned
brennan and you in this case and this clip that we saw
aren't the people who are really uh... empowered so either make
or really talk about though the real policy i mean they're essentially
lower-level people i know that brennan is would be head of the c_i_a_ but still
these are the people that would actually make the final decision so e if ad i
will say one thing
it's it's like the logic of the system that these guys would not answer those
questions and perjure themselves later on
i think that if congress or are the people want to create a framework where
these things are explicitly mail legal there's a way to do that but if that's
not the case and you have to assume that all bets are off dilisio grew that
pretty much in the whole point of the the white house press secretary position
is to not say certain things it's not just
it's not say things it's it's to avoid saying sorry but then we're really
talking now not about the press secretary but about brandon and and the
the fact that he's being asked these questions and it's even similar to
supreme court hearings where why would he go out on a limb now if he's going to
create a situation in the future where he has to either go back on things like
supreme court nominee saying
well i don't want to prejudge anything i want to keep in mind open this this is
the political system for better or worse i would say for worse but it is what it
is right now there's there's really no way to get the answers you want
firm from someone who has that uh... position even with the experience mind
of john conyers not able to get the answers or what can you do what you can
force them to answer your question the way you want to know if it's true