RUSH: Now, according to Jay Carney, the White House spokesman, Attorney General Eric Holder wrote Rand Paul a letter (I guess somewhat recently) to confirm that President Obama does not have the authority to kill an American on US soil in a noncombat situation. Jay Carney quoted from the letter that Holder sent Rand Paul today. Rand Paul is still doing interviews about the filibuster. He’s making the rounds of the cable news shows.
I don’t know why. Once he’s spoken here, that pretty much covers it. But I guess his office has him on all the cable networks as well. Eric Holder wrote Rand Paul a letter today to confirm Obama doesn’t have the authority to kill American citizens on US soil in a noncombat situation, and he quoted: “Does the president have the authority to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat or on American soil?” Carney says Holder wrote, “The answer is no.”
I did see a graphic that Rand Paul — shortly after this interview ended, by the way. It was within ten minutes of this interview ending, by the way, that I saw a little chyron graphic on TV that said the White House had either responded to Rand Paul or had asked to see him or some such thing. So apparently the news is out that the White House has responded to him, but it’s only from Jay Carney.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: Rand Paul has declared victory. He heard about the letter that Jay Carney read, and here is his reaction to it…
PAUL: I’m quite happy with the answer, and I’m disappointed it took a month and a half and a root canal to get it. But we did get the answer, and that’s what I’ve been asking all along, and it really is what the Senate should be about: Advise and consent and find out what policies are. I have a feeling, since this was so difficult, that I never would’ve gotten this with routine letters to the White House. So through the advise and consent process, I’ve gotten an important answer. This means that if you live in America, your Fifth Amendment isn’t something that’s optional. If someone wants to arrest you, if you’re not involved in combat in our country, what he’s saying now publicly is: No president… Because I think the words bind everyone, not just this president. But it’s the understanding of the presidency that they can’t kill people without some kind of due process.
RUSH: Folks, let me tell you something, among other things. Again I just want to point out. Rand Paul broke through last night. He didn’t need the media. He didn’t need a consultant. He didn’t need a PR campaign. He just found a way to speak directly to the American people, and it didn’t cost him any money. He was able to get right to it. He didn’t have to have an advertising campaign or anything of the sort. No focus groups. He spoke from the heart right to the American people, and got an answer from the White House — the answer that he wanted — and the support of the American people.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: Well, what a great day it’s been. It’s been a fun and exciting day, and who knows? We may have seen the beginning of a momentum shift or energy shift. Time will tell. But something clearly important happened last night, and it will not be forgotten. It’ll provide an impetus, maybe, for future behavior on the part of people that need to stand in opposition to what’s happening in our great country.
Related Links