Twenty-six Members of Congress sent the following letter to President Obama asking that Congress be provided with information on the CIA and JSOCs use of “signature” drone strikes. Signers were: Dennis Kucinich, John Conyers, Rush Holt, Jesse Jackson, Jr., Maurice Hinchey, Charlie Rangel, Pete Stark, Mike Honda, Raul Grijalva, Bob Filner, Barbara Lee, Jim McGovern, Lynn Woolsey, Hank Johnson, Luis Gutierrez, Ron Paul, John Lewis, George Miller, Jim McDermott, Yvette Clarke, Peter DeFazio, Peter Welch, Donna Edwards, Jerrold Nadler, Keith Ellison, Walter Jones.
The text of the Dear Colleague sent by Rep. Kucinich on May 10 follows below, then the text of the final letter as it was sent to President Obama on June 12.
The PDF of the letter as it was sent to President Obama on June 12 is here.
ENSURE TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE U.S. COMBAT DRONE PROGRAM
From: The Honorable Dennis J. Kucinich
Date: 5/10/2012
Dear Colleague:
A recent article published in The Washington Post revealed that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) have been given new authority that allows them “to fire on targets based solely on their intelligence ‘signatures’ – patterns of behavior that are detected through signals intercepts, human sources and aerial surveillance, and that indicated a presence of an important operative or plot against U.S. interests.” Allowing the CIA and JSOC to conduct drone strikes without having to know the identity of the person they’re targeting is in stark contrast to what the Administration has previously claimed regarding its drone campaign: that they are targeted strikes against suspected terrorists on lists maintained by the CIA and JSOC.
The implications of our use of drones for our national security are profound. They can generate powerful and enduring anti-American sentiment. Such “signature” strikes raise the risk of innocent civilians or individuals who have no relationship to attacks on the U.S. of being killed.
The government has the right and the obligation to protect the citizens of this country. Yet Congress must be given the opportunity to weigh in and demand that there be a minimum of transparency and accountability for our U.S. drone program abroad.
Please join us in sending a letter to the President asking that Congress be provided with information on the CIA and JSOCs use of “signature” strikes.
Sincerely,
/s/ /s/
Dennis J. Kucinich John Conyers, Jr.
Member of Congress Member of Congress
June 12, 2012
The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President:
During a recent speech, top White House counterterrorism advisor John Brennan stated that the United States only authorizes “a particular operation against a specific individual if we have a high degree of confidence that the individual being targeted is indeed the terrorist we are pursuing.” Yet according to The Washington Post, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) has been given new authority that allows them “to fire on
targets based solely on their intelligence ‘signatures’ – patterns of behavior that are detected through signals intercepts, human sources and aerial surveillance, and that indicated presence of an important operative or plot against U.S. interests.” This new authority is in stark contrast to what your Administration has previously claimed regarding its drone campaign: that they are targeted strikes against suspected terrorists on lists maintained by the CIA and JSOC.
We are concerned that the use of such “signature” strikes could raise the risk of killing innocent civilians or individuals who may have no relationship to attacks on the United States. Our drone campaigns already have virtually no transparency, accountability or oversight. We are further concerned about the legal grounds for such strikes under the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force.
The implications of the use of drones for our national security are profound. They are faceless ambassadors that cause civilian deaths, and are frequently the only direct contact with Americans that the targeted communities have. They can generate powerful and enduring anti-American sentiment.
As members of Congress, we are deeply concerned about the full impact of drone strikes. Please explain the process by which “signature” strikes are authorized and executed; mechanisms used by the CIA and JSOC to ensure that such killings are legal; the nature of the follow-up that is conducted when civilians are killed or injured; and the mechanisms that ensure civilian casualty numbers are collected, tracked and analyzed.
We look forward to your rapid response.
Sincerely,
Dennis Kucinich, John Conyers, Rush Holt, Jesse Jackson, Jr., Maurice Hinchey, Charlie Rangel, Pete Stark, Mike Honda, Raul Grijalva, Bob Filner, Barbara Lee, Jim McGovern, Lynn Woolsey, Hank Johnson, Luis Gutierrez, Ron Paul, John Lewis, George Miller, Jim McDermott, Yvette Clarke, Peter DeFazio, Peter Welch, Donna Edwards, Jerrold Nadler, Keith Ellison, Walter Jones.
[1]Bennet, Brian and David S. Cloud. (2012, April 30). Obama’s counter-terrorism advisor defense drone strikes. The Los Angeles Times, Online. Accessible: http://articles.latimes.com/2012/apr/30/world/la-fg-brennan-drones-20120501. [2]Miller, Greg. (2012, April 25). White House approves broader Yemen Drone Campaign. The Washington Post, Online. Accessible: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal_government/yemeni-officials-yes-to-more-us-anti-al-qaida-aid-but-no-to-drone-strikes-on-large-groups/2012/04/26/gIQAksHGiT_story.html. [3](2012, January 31). Obama defends U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan. BBC News, Online. Accessible: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16804247.