(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The Biden-Harris administration defended its recent amendment to a Department of Defense directive on the categorical ban against assassination—weeks after Headline USA launched an investigation into the shift.
On Wednesday, Defense Department spokesperson Sue Gough sidestepped Headline USA’s questions regarding the specific rationale behind the change just weeks before the 2024 presidential election.
Earlier this month, the DoD faced criticism after it amended Directive 5240.01, which previously stated that “under no circumstances” would any component or employee of the agency engage in or conspire to commit “assassination.”
The updated directive now vaguely reads that no “civilian employee or member of the Armed Forces will engage in, or conspire to engage in assassination.” This notably omits the “under no circumstance” clause.
Gough insisted the amendment does not contain new provisions but did not clarify the reason for the changes in remarks sent to Headline USA on Oct. 23—16 days after this outlet emailed a request for clarification.
“The provisions in DoDD 5240.01 are not new, and do not authorize the Secretary of Defense to use lethal force against U.S. citizens, contrary to rumors and rhetoric circulating on social media,” Gough claimed in an email response.
“The revised 5240.01 simply describes how this long-standing policy applies to the DoD intelligence community,” she added, alleging that the previous directive revision was issued on March 22, 2019.
Gough provided no supporting documents to substantiate these claims. Despite this, she added, “Reissuing 5240.01 was part of normal business of the Department to periodically update guidance and policy.”
In concluding her email, Gough asserted, “The release was in no way timed in relation to the election or any other event.”
The spokesperson also highlighted that the directive aligns with the Posse Comitatus Act, civil rights commitments and “support of other safeguards in place for the protection of the American people.”
Several reporters parroted Gough’s lengthy response to dispel online rumors, but critics on X raised concerns that the directive may empower the DoD’s intelligence components to authorize assassinations under certain conditions.
Several posts on X voicing these concerns have garnered millions of views.
This is the kind of inflammatory poison that divides our nation and inspires assassins. It’s particularly ironic since Biden/Harris have just pushed through DoD Directive 5240.01 giving the Pentagon power — for the first time in history — to use lethal force to kill Americans on… https://t.co/svi4LesHxa
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) October 23, 2024
