Weeks before President Barack Obama ordered the raid on al-Qaeda chief Osama bin laden’s hideout in Abbottabad, his four top lawyers secretly worked on resolving sensitive legal issues including sending forces on Pakistani soil without its consent, according to a new report.
The New York Times report details how CIA’s general counsel Stephen Preston, National Security Council’s legal adviser Mary DeRosa, Pentagon’s general counsel Jeh Johnson and Joint Chiefs of Staff legal adviser then-Rear Admiral James Crawford worked in “intense secrecy” to “hammer out rationales intended to overcome any legal obstacles” the May 2011 raid would raise later. The work of the four lawyers was so secretive that the White House did not allow them to consult the administration’s top lawyer, Attorney General Eric Holder for fear of leaks.