Ron Paul is apparently doubling down on his criticism of the U.S. drone strikes in Yemen that killed American citizens accused of terrorism, saying that the military could kill journalists in the same manner.

From AP:

The Texas congressman said Wednesday that it's not a far leap from the United States killing suspected terrorists in Yemen to targeting reporters at home.

Paul says President Barack Obama was wrong to approve the killing of two American citizens who had become central figures in al-Qaida. He warns that the United States could go further as it ignores civil rights and due process.

Paul says the U.S. cannot let the deaths of Anwar al-Awlaki and Samir Kahn go without protest, otherwise the country will start adding reporters to its list of threats that must be taken out.



UPDATE: POLITICO's Dan Hirschhorn, who was at the event, offers some more context:

Paul was making a broader point about the gradual encroachment of federal power, and wasn't seriously suggesting that journalists will ever be targeted.



"[Obama] won’t even tell us what the rules are," Paul said of the targeted killings. "Can you imagine being put on the list because you’re a threat? What’s gonna happen when they come to the media and say you’re a threat, or professors? It’s incrementalism."

