The president, through Attorney General Eric Holder, initially stated that the president could use the military to kill Americans on U.S. soil but only in an “extraordinary circumstance.” Holder emphasized, however, that the president has “no intention of doing so.”

Yesterday, at a daily briefing, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney read a short letter from Holder that’s states as follows:

“Dear Senator Paul: It has come to my attention that you have now asked an additional question: ‘Does the President have the authority to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on American soil?’ The answer to that question is no. Sincerely, Eric H. Holder, Jr.”