Americans Can Be Executed Without Charges -- But Criminal Banks Can't Be Prosecuted

Will Grigg

On the same day that Kentucky Senator Rand Paul was filibustering the nomination of John Brennan to head the CIA over the nominee’s involvement in lethal drone strikes, Attorney General Eric Holder defended arbitrary power before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

As we noted earlier, Holder told the Committee that any Congressional action to restrict the targeted killing program would represent an unconstitutional limitation of presidential powers.

 In the same hearing, Holder said that some corrupt banks are simply too big to prosecute. According to Holder, “some of these institutions become so large that it does become difficult for us to prosecute them when we are hit with indications that … if you do bring a criminal charge, it will have a negative impact on the national economy, perhaps even the world economy. And I do think that is a function of the fact that some of these institutions have become too large.”

In brief: According to Holder, American citizens can be summarily executed without criminal charges, but criminal banks are immune to prosecution.