Accessibility links

President President
Stories About

President
President Could, In Theory, Order Drone Strike Inside U.S., Holder Says

An unmanned drone patrols the U.S.-Canadian border. Attorney General Eric Holder, in a letter to Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said the president could in an "extraordinary circumstance" order a drone strike inside the country. U.S. Customs and Border Protection /AP hide caption

toggle caption
U.S. Customs and Border Protection /AP

The Two-Way

President Could, In Theory, Order Drone Strike Inside U.S., Holder Says

In a letter to Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., the attorney general noted that such a situation could be imagined only in an "extraordinary circumstance" such as the attack on Pearl Harbor or on Sept. 11, 2001. The letter was in response to inquiries from Paul regarding the legality of military strikes within the country.