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http://dailycaller.com/2014/06/24/pentagon-official-the-obama-kill-memo-is-out-and-libertarians-were-right-its-murder/
It is worth noting that the Obama administration had already added al-Awkaki to target lists before the Justice Department delivered its response to the administration’s question about the legality of such operations — and despite federal statues banning the killing of Americans abroad.
The issue was how the administration could legally pursue lethal actions against its own citizens living abroad, who the administration accused of conspiring to commit acts of terrorism — but who were not actively engaged in committing an act of terrorism or fighting U.S. troops in a war zone — without a conviction in court. American citizens are afforded the right to due process under both the Fifth Amendment and 14th Amendment. And since it is illegal to murder a U.S. citizen abroad under federal statues, some question whether CIA officers involved in the targeted killings of American citizens under the legal framework the memo lays out are guilty of murder.
It is worth noting that the Obama administration had already added al-Awkaki to target lists before the Justice Department delivered its response to the administration’s question about the legality of such operations — and despite federal statues banning the killing of Americans abroad.
The issue was how the administration could legally pursue lethal actions against its own citizens living abroad, who the administration accused of conspiring to commit acts of terrorism — but who were not actively engaged in committing an act of terrorism or fighting U.S. troops in a war zone — without a conviction in court. American citizens are afforded the right to due process under both the Fifth Amendment and 14th Amendment. And since it is illegal to murder a U.S. citizen abroad under federal statues, some question whether CIA officers involved in the targeted killings of American citizens under the legal framework the memo lays out are guilty of murder.