Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Former White House Spokesman Gibbs: I was ordered not to acknowledge drone program existed

Former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Sunday that he and other administration spokesmen often seem evasive about the government's drone program because they have been told not to acknowledge the secret strikes.

“When I went through the process of becoming press secretary," Gibbs told MSNBC, "one of the things, one of the first things they told me was, 'You’re not even to acknowledge the drone program. You’re not even to discuss that it exists.'"

Current White House press secretary Jay Carney has acknowledged the drone program in recent weeks, as questions have swirled over a leaked Justice Department white paper that outlines the legal justifications that the government claims enable it to carry out drone strikes against terrorist-affiliated American citizens abroad. But President Obama had previously spoken publicly about the drone program, freeing the current press secretary in some regards.

Carney has said the strikes were "necessary to mitigate ongoing attacks" and argued "they are legal, they are ethical, and they are wise."