Yes. Good point.
Killing any of your own citizens without due process was why some folks were worried by the killing of Anwar Al-Awlaki.
Al-Awlaki was a bad apple in a lawless zone. Whereas the press is a special domestic category. But things do get blurred when the distinctions are not absolute.
Even so, I have no doubt at all that this is a massive difference between the US and Russia. Killing the press is not permitted by US law! Included in the package is that the executive must put up with press criticism. Not something Putin allows.
And the US executive is subject to the rule of law - another one.
These are some of the baseline distinctions. I hope Trump knows!
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