SEND IN THE DRONES! FBI Admits to using Domestic Drones

(RT) The FBI uses drones for domestic surveillance purposes, the head of the agency told Congress early Wednesday.

“Does the FBI use drones for surveillance on US soil?”   Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) asked Mr. Mueller during an  oversight hearing on Capitol Hill Wednesday before the Senate  Judiciary Committee.

“Yes,” Mueller responded bluntly.

Robert Mueller, the director of the Federal Bureau of  Investigation, confirmed to lawmakers that the FBI owns several  unmanned aerial vehicles, but has not adopted any strict policies  or guidelines yet to govern the use of the controversial  aircraft.

Asked by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) to elaborate,  Mueller added, “It’s very seldom used and generally used in a  particular incident where you need the capability.” Earlier  in the morning, however, Mueller said that the agency was only  now working to establish set rule for the drone program.

The congressional hearing is still LIVE: http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/ASurv (and will be archived soon).

(NPR) If you remember, drones became a huge topic of discussion after Rep. Rand Paul led a 13-hour filibuster, where he demanded the Obama administration pledge not to use drones against U.S. citizens on American soil.

Of course, Mueller said the aircraft are being used for surveillance, so this is different.

Attorney General Eric Holder did eventually respond to Paul, saying the president doesn’t have the “authority to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on American soil.”