President Barack Obama's CIA nominee John Brennan has told Congress that he may be open to the creation of a special court intended to oversee the nation's unmanned drone program.
Brennan made the comments in a written statement sent to the Senate Intelligence Committee on Friday.
Although he declared his willingness to consider the option, he also noted that decisions concerning war have traditionally been made by the president, and he worried that a court may interfere with those decisions.
"[A court] would raise some novel, and potentially difficult, questions and furthermore would grant courts authority over decisions that have traditionally been exercised principally, if not exclusively, by the executive branch," wrote Brennan, according to Associated Press. "Nevertheless, given the stakes involved and the consequence of such determinations...all options are worth considering."
The idea of a special court first came up when Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein said she would explore the option during Brennan's confirmation hearing. The idea is that a court would need to approve of the administration's actions, much like others do in cases surrounding government surveillance.
Additionally, Brennan defended the administration's policies and stated the government's willingness to compensate for wrongful deaths.
"In those rare instances in which civilians have been killed, after-action reviews have been conducted to identify corrective actions and to minimize the risk of innocents being killed or injured in the future," he wrote. "Where possible, we also work with local governments to gather facts and, if appropriate, provide condolence payments to families of those killed."
Finally, Brennan echoed what the president said during his Fireside Hangout on Google+ by noting the administration's policy of keeping drones away from U.S. soil.
"This Administration has not carried out drone strikes inside the United States and has no intention of doing so," he said.
The drone program came under intense scrutiny over the last couple of weeks, when a Justice Department memo declared that the government could lethally target an American citizen without clear evidence of their participation in an active terrorist plot.
Brennan's confirmation as CIA Director has been delayed two weeks as Senators attempt to extract more information from the Obama administration.
