ACLU Statement on White House Report on Use of Force for National Security

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration today released a 61-page memo covering its rules on when and how to use force in the name of national security.

Hina Shamsi, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Security Project, had this reaction:

“The Obama administration’s report on specific national security legal and policy frameworks is long overdue and welcome, as is any national security transparency by this administration. Aspects of the report are strong, including the clear acknowledgement that torture and cruel treatment are always illegal under domestic and international law. But we are sorely disappointed that even as it imposes policy limitations, the administration continues to claim broad authority to kill abroad, invoking the laws of war where they do not apply and doing so without any congressional authorization. In the next administration, we will continue our work to rein in overbroad and unlawful claims of executive authority to kill.”