A Senate committee Thursday will question President Barack Obama's choice to head the CIA about a policy allowing drone strikes on American citizens allegedly involved in terrorism overseas.
White House anti-terror adviser John Brennan will appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Brennan is a strong supporter of the administration's anti-terror policies.
On Wednesday, an administration official said President Obama has ordered the Justice Department to give Congress classified legal documents justifying the drone strikes. Eleven senators had demanded to see the documents after a leaked Justice Department memo broadened the rationale for targeting alleged terrorists.
The administration has previously justified drone attacks if a terrorist strike is believed to be imminent. But the memo says an American citizen may also be targeted for being part of an ongoing terror plot.