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WASHINGTON: President Obamas plan to install his counterterrorism adviser as director of the CIA has opened the administration to new scrutiny over the targeted-killing policies it has fought to keep hidden from the public, as well as the existence of a previously secret drone base in Saudi Arabia, said a report published in Washington Post.
The administrations refusal to provide details about one of the most controversial aspects of its drone campaign strikes on U.S. citizens abroad has emerged as a potential source of opposition to CIA nominee John O. Brennan, who faces a Senate confirmation hearing scheduled for Thursday.
The secrecy surrounding that policy was punctured Monday with the disclosure of a Justice Department white paper that spells out the administrations case for killing Americans accused of being al-Qaeda operatives.
The timing of the leak appeared aimed at intensifying pressure on the White House to disclose more-detailed legal memos that the paper summarizes and at putting Brennan, Obamas top counterterrorism adviser, on the defensive for his appearance on Capitol Hill.
Administration officials on Tuesday sought to play down the significance of the disclosure, saying that they have already described the principles outlined in the document in a series of speeches.
One of the things I want to make sure that everybody understands is that our primary concern is to keep the American people safe, but to do so in a way thats consistent with our laws and consistent with our values, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said in response to questions about the document.
Nevertheless, the leak and signals from senior lawmakers that they may seek to delay, if not derail, Brennans confirmation made it clear that Obamas decision to nominate him has drawn the White House into a fight it had sought to avoid.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), a member of the intelligence committee, said Brennans level of influence and the timing of his nomination have given lawmakers leverage that they lacked in previous efforts to seek details from the White House.
Brennan is the architect of [the administrations] counterterrorism policy, Wyden said. If the Congress doesnt get answers to these questions now, its going to be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to get them in the future.
The Obama administrations targeted-killing program has relied on a growing constellation of drone bases operated by the CIA and the U.S. militarys Joint Special Operations Command. The only strike intentionally targeting a U.S. citizen, a 2011 attack that killed al-Qaeda operative Anwar al-Awlaki, was carried out in part by CIA drones flown from a secret base in Saudi Arabia.
The base was established two years ago to intensify the hunt against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, as the affiliate in Yemen is known. Brennan, who previously served as the CIAs station chief in Saudi Arabia, played a key role in negotiations with Riyadh over locating an agency drone base inside the kingdom.
US has secret drone base in Saudi Arabia - thenews.com.pk
The administrations refusal to provide details about one of the most controversial aspects of its drone campaign strikes on U.S. citizens abroad has emerged as a potential source of opposition to CIA nominee John O. Brennan, who faces a Senate confirmation hearing scheduled for Thursday.
The secrecy surrounding that policy was punctured Monday with the disclosure of a Justice Department white paper that spells out the administrations case for killing Americans accused of being al-Qaeda operatives.
The timing of the leak appeared aimed at intensifying pressure on the White House to disclose more-detailed legal memos that the paper summarizes and at putting Brennan, Obamas top counterterrorism adviser, on the defensive for his appearance on Capitol Hill.
Administration officials on Tuesday sought to play down the significance of the disclosure, saying that they have already described the principles outlined in the document in a series of speeches.
One of the things I want to make sure that everybody understands is that our primary concern is to keep the American people safe, but to do so in a way thats consistent with our laws and consistent with our values, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said in response to questions about the document.
Nevertheless, the leak and signals from senior lawmakers that they may seek to delay, if not derail, Brennans confirmation made it clear that Obamas decision to nominate him has drawn the White House into a fight it had sought to avoid.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), a member of the intelligence committee, said Brennans level of influence and the timing of his nomination have given lawmakers leverage that they lacked in previous efforts to seek details from the White House.
Brennan is the architect of [the administrations] counterterrorism policy, Wyden said. If the Congress doesnt get answers to these questions now, its going to be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to get them in the future.
The Obama administrations targeted-killing program has relied on a growing constellation of drone bases operated by the CIA and the U.S. militarys Joint Special Operations Command. The only strike intentionally targeting a U.S. citizen, a 2011 attack that killed al-Qaeda operative Anwar al-Awlaki, was carried out in part by CIA drones flown from a secret base in Saudi Arabia.
The base was established two years ago to intensify the hunt against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, as the affiliate in Yemen is known. Brennan, who previously served as the CIAs station chief in Saudi Arabia, played a key role in negotiations with Riyadh over locating an agency drone base inside the kingdom.
US has secret drone base in Saudi Arabia - thenews.com.pk
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