Until this week, little was known about the legal framework the U.S. government operates under when ordering the killing of its citizens. But now a leaked Justice Department memo outlines the legal case for some of these attacks. Civil liberties groups decry the policy as an overreach of executive authority. The leak comes as the Obama administration’s nominee for CIA director, John Brennan, a drone program supporter, is due to appear before the Senate for a confirmation hearing.
Department of Justice Memo on Drone Use