White House Rejects Calls for Oversight on Drone Killings

Officials Insist Congress Doesn't Need Details

White House officials are rejecting calls by top Congressional leaders for details about the ongoing drone assassination programs around the world, insisting that calls for oversight “don’t hold water.”

A number of Congressmen and former administration and military officials are complaining that the program is being conduct with virtually no oversight and that the killings have a huge impact on foreign affairs.

The Obama Administration has killed thousands of “suspects,” mostly in Pakistan, since taking over in 2009. The program, conducted by both the CIA and the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) is only occasionally even publicly acknowledged by officials, and details related to massive civilian casualties are never publicly commented on.

The administration has classified all the details of the program, though it insists it does provide certain details to “appropriate” Congressmen who are members of certain key committees. A number of officials have said they believe the level of secrecy is excessive and designed to avoid scrutiny.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.