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Tuesday, Apr 23, 2013 5:23 PM UTC

Rand Paul would’ve been OK with using drones to hunt Boston suspect

"If there is a killer on the loose in a neighborhood, I’m not against drones being used to search them," he said

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Topics: Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Boston Bombings, Drones, Filibuster, Rand Paul, Kentucky,

Rand Paul would've been OK with using drones to hunt Boston suspect (Credit: AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Sen. Rand Paul, recently hailed by Republicans and Democrats alike for his filibuster against the Obama Administration’s drone policy, said he would have been fine with using drones to track down Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Boston bombing suspect who was the target of a extended manhunt by law enforcement.

“If there is a killer on the loose in a neighborhood, I’m not against drones being used to search them,” he said on the Fox Business Channel.

Paul said that the difference in this case was that there was an “imminent threat.”

His argument, as quoted by The Hill:

“Here’s the distinction, I have never argued against any technology being used against having an imminent threat an act of crime going on,” Paul said. “If someone comes out of a liquor store with a weapon and fifty dollars in cash I don’t care if a Drone kills him or a policeman kills him, but it’s different if they want to come fly over your hot tube, or your yard just because they want to do surveillance on everyone, and they want to watch your activities.”

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com. More Jillian Rayfield.

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