Rand Paul, a Republican Senator from Kentucky, questioned Attorney General Eric Holder about the president’s authority to assassinate an American citizen. Holder acknowledged that the president has this authority, sparking controversy. [1]
Killing an American on U.S. soil (HOPE 2025)
John Kiriakou recounts Senator Rand Paul asking Attorney General Eric Holder whether the president has the legal right to “murder an American citizen on U.S. soil without benefit of a trial” — and the eventual answer being “yes.” “What kind of country do we have?” Kiriakou asks.[2][3]
In a fuller retelling, Kiriakou dates the exchange to the very end of the Obama administration. Paul asked Holder directly, “Are you saying that the president has the right to kill anybody he wants?” — and Holder replied, “If that person presents a clear and present danger.”[4] When Paul pressed further on whether that kill authority extended to an American citizen on U.S. soil, Kiriakou says Holder declined to answer on the record, offering only to address it in closed session.[5] In another retelling, Kiriakou frames Holder’s confirmation specifically around the National Defense Authorization Act: questioned by Paul, Holder confirmed the president has the legal authority under the NDAA to order the killing of an American citizen without trial.[6]
Rand Paul as a rare congressional exception
Kiriakou separately names Rand Paul, alongside Senator Ron Wyden, as one of the few members of Congress willing to push back on the CIA rather than simply serve on oversight committees that function as cheerleading organizations for the agency.[7]