FBI director Robert Mueller said Wednesday that the nation's top law enforcement bureau uses drones to conduct surveillance on U.S. soil, though only on a "very, very minimal basis."
Mueller, the FBI director since 2001 who is set to retire this year, acknowledged that his agency uses drones in its investigative and law enforcement practices, and is further working to establish better guidelines for the use of drones.
"We are in the early stages of doing that, and I will tell you that our footprint is very small, we have very few, and have limited use. And we're exploring not only the use, but the necessary guidelines for that use," Mueller told senators at a hearing this morning when asked about the use of drones.
FBI Director Robert Mueller testifies about the domestic use of drones during a hearing on Capitol Hill Wednesday.
The
government's use of drones on U.S. soil has been well-documented. The
Department of Homeland Security, for instance, employs aerial drones to
help police the United States border with Mexico.Mueller said that drones are used for surveillance, though, only on a "seldom" basis.
The FBI director's words come amid a simmering national debate in recent months about what limits should be placed on the government in its law enforcement and anti-terrorism activities.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., for instance, waged a filibuster challenging President Barack Obama's use of drones in pursuing terrorist suspects. Paul won an affirmation from the administration that it was their thought that it would be illegal for the government to use a drone strike against a U.S. citizen on American soil.
The drones that have come into practice in the United States, though, are different from the armed, militarized drones used in military operations.
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