Drone Strikes On American Soil? AG Holder Opens Door For Possibility

After a pilot at a major New York airport reported seeing what he believed to be an unmanned military drone hovering in the skies above Queens, word of the legality of such an event echoes from officials in Washington. In a letter to Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder reported he could "imagine" a time when "it would be necessary under ... applicable laws of the United States for the president to authorize the military to use lethal force within the territory of the United States."

According to the "Washington Examiner," Paul later released a response condemning the nation's top law enforcement officer's lette.

"The U.S. Attorney General's refusal to rule out the possibility of drone strikes on American citizens and on American soil is more than frightening ... " he said.

Some say Holder penned the letter in response to Paul's plan to filibuster the nomination of John Brennan, President Barack Obama's chief counter-terrorism advisor, to lead the CIA.

This event comes in the wake of the execution of a U.S. citizen, suspected terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki. Al-Awlaki was killed in a drone attack in 2011. Holder noted that a catastrophic event such as the 9/11 attacks would be grounds for use of such an action.

However, Guy Benson of Townhall.com questions the entire idea because of Holder's past stances on actions against enemy combatants.

"I'd love for Holder to be asked why waterboarding a foreign, high-ranking leader of Al Qaeda in order to extract actionable intelligence from him is beyond the pale and illegal, but droning a US citizen (no matter how dangerous) here at home is within the theoretical limits of presidential authority," he wrote.

The alleged drone sighting on Monday at John F. Kennedy International Airport is still unconfirmed by Washington. The FBI is said to be looking into the situation.