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Monday, May 20, 2013

AP Phone Record Seizure Scandal: DOJ Subpoena Covered Phone Lines Where 100 Reporters Worked

By Susan Duclos

You know journalists are outraged when you see liberal media outlets rallying around Fox News as evidenced in my previous piece and they were already annoyed, to put it mildly, before that, when the mainstream media became aware that the DOJ had secretly seized some Associated Press phone records.

Well these next two little tidbits should make their heads explode.

First, Open Channel at NBC News reports that the initial reports of the DOJ seizing the phone records of a few reporters, severely understated the scope of the DOJ seizure and in reality 21 phone lines, in five different offices were covered by the overly broad Department of Justice subpoenas. Four of those offices held a total of 100 reporters.

The Justice Department’s secret subpoena for AP phone records included the seizure of records for five reporters' cellphones and three home phones as well as two fax lines, a lawyer for the news organization tells NBC News.

David Schulz, the chief lawyer for the AP, said the subpoenas also covered the records for 21 phone lines in five AP office lines -- including one for a dead phone line at  office in Washington that had been shut down six years ago. The phone lines at four other offices – where  100 reporters worked — were also covered by the subpoenas, Schulz said.

Although AP had given general information about the subpoenas last week, it provided new details Monday about the number of cell and home phone records as it considers possible legal action against the Justice Department.

The next tidbit updates the news that set journalists off this morning about the DOJ tracking the movements of a FOX News reporter, James Rosen as well as obtaining his personal email account, with a breaking report that in reality, three news staffers, two reporters and one producer all had their emails show up in a IG report regarding Fast and Furious.

Fox News reports that three Fox staffers, two reporters and one producer, were targeted by Barack Obama's Justice Department. Fox doesn't have all the details yet on reporter William La Jeunesse and producer Mike Levine, but their emails showed up in a IG report regarding Fast and Furious. Either their emails were leaked by the Justice Department officials they were sent to, or the email accounts of both were subpoenaed and invaded by government investigators.

The IG report does say that subpoenas were issued to obtain emails. Whose email was targeted is not yet known.

 Fox News and Associated Press...... reporters from every news outlet have to wondering about now if any of their sources are safe, if their privacy was invaded and if they too will become a target of the Obama administration.

Hell of a thanks for all they have done for Obama, huh?