DOJ Targeted Fox News Reporter Suspected of Receiving Secret Material


Back in 2009 the Justice Department began investigating leaks concerning classified information on North Korea. James Rosen, the chief Washington correspondent for Fox News, was investigated by the Justice Department, who took measures far more severe than those used in the recent Associated Press Scandal. A warrant was issued for Rosen's personal emails and records of his visits to and from the State Department were tracked.
From The Washington Post:
When the Justice Department began investigating possible leaks of classified information about North Korea in 2009, investigators did more than obtain telephone records of a working journalist suspected of receiving the secret material.
They used security badge access records to track the reporter's comings and goings from the State Department, according to a newly obtained court affidavit. They traced the timing of his calls with a State Department security adviser suspected of sharing the classified report. They obtained a search warrant for the reporter's personal e-mails.
Unsurprisingly, all of the recent news about DOJ investigations into the press have made sources reluctant to speak to reporters.
Read more from Reason.com on the ongoing Associated Press scandal here.
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SLD but...
"A warrant was issued", "visits to and from the State Department were tracked". ???? OK? So?
1) Got a warrant - YAY! You did it the right way! Although - again, SLD - yeah why are you snooping through personal emails, etc. etc. BUT THEY GOT A WARRANT! That's how it's supposed to work
2) Tracked someone's badage access?? Ooooo! Scary! Anyone with a badge knows "their movements may be tracked" Not seeing how that's violating Mr. Rosen's rights in some way, or even unusual.
Again, SLD - but this is much ado about nothing.
Besides - FAUX NEWS SO IT'S OK CAUSE THEY DESERVE IT!11!
That's just a tad more italics than I was hoping for. Use your imagination to decide where YOU think it should start and stop (or whether or not it should be used AT ALL)
In order to get access to the reporter's emails, they evidently had to suggest that he was a party to the crime. He "Solicited" the classified information, so therefore was party to a conspiracy.
Saying that a reporter asking for comment on a story is committing a crime seems to be criminalizing reporting. If that was necessary for the warrant, then something is wrong.
Mission Accomplished.
From WaPo comments:
There it is.