Press Releases
Ruppersberger Releases Statement on President Obama’s Counterterrorism Speech
Washington, DC,
May 23, 2013
For Immeidate Release Contact: Allison Getty Ruppersberger Releases Statement on President Obama’s Counterterrorism Speech Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), Ranking Member on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement following President Obama's speech on counterterrorism measures. “I am pleased to see President Obama continue to uphold his commitment to increase transparency in our country’s counterterrorism effort. I remain deeply concerned about the direct, imminent threat to Americans and the homeland posed by terrorist organizations. I believe that remotely piloted aircraft with precision-guided munitions operating overseas provide a far more discriminate option for stopping terrorists than do troops on the ground. In fact, when used properly drones are the most precise weapons in the history of warfare and can limit civilian casualties. I agree that, as a legal matter, the President has the authority to protect the United States from Al Qaida and its associated forces based on the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including the Authorization to Use Military Force, which Congress passed in response to 9/11. This authority includes the ability to use force when necessary. That being said, drones should only be used in rare circumstances and after thorough legal review. When U.S. citizens have taken up arms against the United States and pose a continuous and imminent threat to us, the U.S. can target them overseas when capture is not feasible and when we have near certainty that innocent civilians will not be killed or injured. We also must make sure that all phases of the operation are conducted in full accordance with the law, including the Constitution. There can be no exceptions. I look forward to working with the President on making our country’s counterterrorism efforts more transparent and even more effective to keep our country and her citizens safe." ###### |