in World News Trump administration reverses itself on military targeting US citizens overseas
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The Trump administration walked back its position on whether the military would target U.S. citizens overseas with ties to extremists.
Hours after White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters that “no American citizen will ever be targeted” in overseas operations, a White House official clarified.
It turns out “U.S. policy regarding the possible targeting of American citizens has not changed.”
The official cited former Attorney General Eric Holder’s legal justification for using lethal force against American citizens who are suspected terrorists, according to The Hill.
The military could kill a suspected terrorist who has U.S. citizenship if the government believes the person is an “imminent” threat to the country.
Former President Obama’s administration used that argument to kill alleged al-Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki, who was born in the U.S., in a 2011 drone strike in Yemen.
A counterterrorism raid approved by President Trump reportedly killed al-Awlaki’s 8-year-old daughter over the weekend. The girl was also an American citizen, according to NBC.