Former Obama Officials Call for More Targeted Killing Oversight
Keep an eye out for drones
Two former top Obama administration officials have added their voices to those calling for some form of judicial oversight over the use of targeted killing.
In the New York Times, former Obama acting solicitor general Neal Katyal suggests that a panel of national security staffers could form "a 'national security court' housed within the executive branch itself" that would evaluate targeting decisions, which "would later be given to the Congressional intelligence committees for review."
Among Katyal's key points is that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, the secret court that approves surveillance on suspected foreign agents, often cited as a model for a potential targeted killing court, rarely refuses the government's requests. "[T]he odds of getting a request rejected, around 1 in 3,000, approximately the same as those of being struck by lightning in one's lifetime," Katyal writes. That of course, hasn't stopped presidents from doing end-runs around it.
Hide Comments (0)
Editor's Note: As of February 29, 2024, commenting privileges on reason.com posts are limited to Reason Plus subscribers. Past commenters are grandfathered in for a temporary period. Subscribe here to preserve your ability to comment. Your Reason Plus subscription also gives you an ad-free version of reason.com, along with full access to the digital edition and archives of Reason magazine. We request that comments be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment and ban commenters for any reason at any time. Comments may only be edited within 5 minutes of posting. Report abuses.
Please
to post commentsMute this user?
Ban this user?
Un-ban this user?
Nuke this user?
Un-nuke this user?
Flag this comment?
Un-flag this comment?