White House to release drone ‘playbook’

The Obama administration will release a redacted copy of the guidelines for its controversial overseas drone operations, according to CNN.

The White House consented to the release after a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The administration’s lawyers said in a letter to the judge that they had been considering releasing the information for months.

{mosads}”Before receiving the Court’s February 25, 2016 Order, the Government was engaged in extensive discussions regarding the possibility of discretionarily releasing portions of the [Presidential Policy Guidance]. Lengthy, high-level, inter-agency coordination was necessary to ensure that the sensitive national security classification equities contained in that document remain protected. Following those deliberations, the Government has determined to waive privilege,” the attorneys wrote.

The White House has refused to release the document, often referred to as the “playbook,” for years. In 2013, the administration released a fact sheet containing condensed information about the memo, but withheld any actual excerpts of the document.

In a statement to CNN, the ACLU praised the move and called on President Obama to release other related documents to further improve transparency.

“The release of the Presidential Policy Guidance is long overdue, and we are gratified that the administration has agreed with us that much of it should finally be made public,” ACLU attorney Jameel Jaffer said. 

“We hope that the administration’s decision to release this critical document reflects a broader commitment to make the lethal drone program more transparent. In that spirit, the administration should also release the legal memos that are the foundation for the program, basic information about those killed in past drone strikes, and detailed investigative files relating to strikes that killed bystanders.”