Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination, cried foul Friday over the killing of a radical U.S.-born cleric in Yemen without a trial, joining a chorus of civil liberties groups raising “due process” concerns over the drone attack.
Miranda Rights for Terrorists
“No one likes these kind of people, but I also like the rule of law and I like our Constitution, that you don’t just target people, assassinate them, someone who has not been charged and you have no proof of anything,” Paul told Fox News. “So if we want to protect American citizens from that type of justice, we have to be more cautious.”
U.S. counterterrorism forces not only killed Anwar al-Awlaki, an Al Qaeda leader, early Friday but also three other operatives, including American-born Samir Kahn, who edited a Jihadi Internet magazine. Al-Awlaki’s reputation as an instigator of terrorist plots had grown in recent years, especially in the power void created in Al Qaeda with the killing of Usama bin Laden earlier this year.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney refused to answer questions Friday about the legality of the government targeting and killing an American citizen without a trial.
Political Vel Craft 