“We believe that the American public has a right to know who is making life-or-death decisions in its name.”
This is treasonous dishonesty.
To suggest that the public has the right to know such a program exists, and that the authority to carry it out comes from the top of the security chain of command is one thing.
To suggests it it important for public policy transparency that the public has a “need to know” who is giving final operational commands in the program is a lie. To say that is a public “need to know” suggests that “exposing” individuals involved in the program is relevant to whether or not the program ought to exist. It isn’t.
Exposing the classified individual is NOT exposing the program. It is exposing a classified ASSET, a human asset. By exposing that asset it puts that asset at retributive risk by our enemies. That is treasonous and has nothing to do with “exposing” the program itself.
Pravda on the Hudson lies about its motives all the time.
I wonder how the NY Times editorial staff would like it if some group decided that the public had a right to know all about the NYT staff, and started publishing all their info, like their home addresses, where they like hanging out after hours, pics of themselves and family members, and where their kids go to school.