Walter Jones Demands End to Unconstitutional Drone Use

March 7, 2013 • 9:23AM

The uprising against President Obama's assertion of his right to order the killing of Americans on American soil, without trial, is not limited to leading members of the U.S. Senate. Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC) on Wednesday demanded that President Obama reverse his administration's wildly unconstitutional assertion that it has the right to use government drones to assassinate U.S. citizens.

In a letter to President Obama released today, Rep. Jones referenced press reports "that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's unmanned Predator B drone fleet has been custom designed to identify civilians carrying guns and track cell phone signals. This comes on the heels of the news that your Justice Department has issued legal memos concluding that U.S. government drones may use lethal force against American citizens," Jones wrote, adding: "In fact, your Attorney General Eric Holder recently confirmed that he believes the U.S. government has the authority to use drones to assassinate American citizens on U.S. soil.

"These revelations are outrageous and a blatant violation of the constitutional rights of American citizens. I am particularly concerned that these policies violate the Constitution's 1st, 2nd, 4th and 6th Amendments. No administration should be able to decide which constitutional protections will be afforded to the American people, and which will not," Jones warned.

"The Constitution is not an optional document. You and I have taken an oath to protect and defend the Constitution. These policies are a clear violation of that oath.

"Mr. President, I strongly urge you to immediately overrule your cabinet secretaries and make it clear to the American people that the federal government will not use drones to violate the people's constitutional rights."