“The [Justice] Department assumes that the rights afforded by the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause, as well as the Fourth Amendment, attach to a U.S. citizen even while he is abroad….The U.S. citizenship of a leader of al-Qa’ida or its associated forces, however, does not give that person constitutional immunity from attack.”
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From the leaked Justice Department memo on the Obama Administration’s justification of drone assassinations of American citizens (details from NBC here).
Let me translate: You have constitutional rights to a fair trial and privacy as a U.S. citizen, even when you’re traveling! Unless we say you don’t. In which case, bombs away!
