Justice Department collects AP phone records

[Flesh Thorn]

(CNN) -- The Justice Department secretly collected two months of telephone records for reporters and editors at The Associated Press, the news service disclosed Monday in an outraged letter to Attorney General Eric Holder.
The records included calls from several AP bureaus and the personal phone lines of several staffers, AP President Gary Pruitt wrote. Pruitt called the subpoenas a "massive and unprecedented intrusion" into its reporting.
"These records potentially reveal communications with confidential sources across all of the newsgathering activities undertaken by the AP during a two-month period, provide a road map to AP's newsgathering operations and disclose information about AP's activities and operations that the government has no conceivable right to know," wrote Pruitt, the news agency's CEO.

Read More

[Jim]

Jesus wept...

[Flesh Thorn]

It is apparently not as much fun to threaten the 1st Amendment as it is to threaten the 2nd. The irony is that the AP helped place this administration in power.

[RangerX]

It is apparently not as much fun to threaten the 1st Amendment as it is to threaten the 2nd. The irony is that the AP helped place this administration in power.

Not Irony, more like Karma.

[Lefty]

Suspect this is more like an abusive relationship - the more he beats her up, the more she loves him. Let's wait and see how long this tiff lasts.

[Headoutdaplane]

I love our constitution.

Having said that, I hate leaks in the gov't that could put folks down range in trouble. This seems to me to be the case here. Someone in the Gov't leaked the story while there was still folks in the AO, we will for the sake of argument call these folks spies. Now, the JD starts looking for the leaker to prevent him from endangering other folks for self enrichment or self aggrandizement, the press isn't willing give up their own 'spy'. So the AG gets their phone records. Big Fucking Deal.

I have not liked the press' feeling of entitlement since I was young watching wounded GIs in VN on TV. And it became stronger while in Batt, if there is a ride along and he gets hurt we are expected to put ourselves and our mission in harms way to save his ass, but if we get hurt they pick up the camera and film.

They are whining to save their spy, when real spies are in life danger. They will bitch about this ad nauseum. I will be clear that nothing is stopping them from reporting or saying what they will, it is just making it more costly for the leaks. They better have a good reason for leaking instead of "look at this mission that went well".

[Flesh Thorn]

the JD starts looking for the leaker to prevent him from endangering other folks for self enrichment or self aggrandizement, the press isn't willing give up their own 'spy'. So the AG gets their phone records. Big Fucking Deal.

Is this what the DOJ typically does ?

[goon175]

Apparently it is scandal season in D.C.

[Headoutdaplane]

I just don't see the difference between whoever leaked this shit and Bradley Manning.

To answer your question: Yes, the FBI is part of DOJ, part of the FBI's job is to stop foreign spies and/or people working against the US govt, I see this investigation as a legitimate use of their time. Let me be clear, there are times when whistleblowers are needed, but this type of leaks which is not helping anyone, and indeed could be hurting someone downrange and should be investigated and prosecuted.

The press will be fine, every Senator and Representative is going to scream how much he wants to protect the press (even though this investigation has not affected the presses right to do its job), so he can get any amount of goodwill from them he can.

It is like when a journalist gets killed in war, they all scream and whine about freedom of the press and how they should be able to do their job, and there is me thinking "you put yourself in harms way and got killed, you were a grown up and knew the risks, and took the chance"

[Headoutdaplane]

AP learned of the plot a week before publishing, but “agreed to White House and CIA requests not to publish it immediately” due to national security concerns. But, by reporting the CIA’s involvement in foiling the plot, they put AQAP on notice that the CIA had a window into their activities. The AP’s reporting also led to other stories involving an operative in place within AQAP,and details of the operations he was involved in. That operative, it was feared, would be exposed and targeted by AQAP as retribution for siding with the United States.

That is why the leak should be found, and prosecuted.

[Flesh Thorn]

I would prefer a wide open 1st Amendment same as a wide open 2nd Amendment over anyone restricting either. These two amendments must be preserved no matter what .

[Caruthers]

Obama has prosicuted twice (2x) as many "whistle blowers" ........... than all the other presidents combined.
Obama has spent more money......than all the other presidents combined.
ect,ect

[rgrokelley]

Obama has prosicuted twice (2x) as many "whistle blowers" ........... than all the other presidents combined.
Obama has spent more money......than all the other presidents combined.
ect,ect

Obama has created twice as much debt as all other president's combined.

Obama is the first president to order the assasination of a US citizen without any due process.

Obama is the first president to go to war without seeking any Congressional approval

Gee, we could do this for days...