Attorney General Eric Holder recused himself from the decision to subpoena phone records of Associated Press journalists.
Watch the press conference below:
[Update] RNC reaction:
Today, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus called on U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to resign after the revelation that he allowed the Justice Department to monitor Associated Press reporters’ phone conversations in a direct violation of the First Amendment:
“Freedom of the press is an essential right in a free society. The First Amendment doesn’t request the federal government to respect it; it demands it. Attorney General Eric Holder, in permitting the Justice Department to issue secret subpoenas to spy on Associated Press reporters, has trampled on the First Amendment and failed in his sworn duty to uphold the Constitution. Because Attorney General Holder has so egregiously violated the public trust, the president should ask for his immediate resignation. If President Obama does not, the message will be unmistakable: The President of the United States believes his administration is above the Constitution and does not respect the role of a free press.
Other headlines: (Via Memeorandum)
The Hill- Holder recused himself from DOJ decision to seize AP records
TownHall- BREAKING: Eric Holder Recuses Himself From Leak Investigation
Associated Press, via New York Times- Facing Controversies, White House Dodges Queries (Changed Headline- Justice Dept. Opens Criminal Inquiry Into I.R.S. Audits)
The Hill- Carl Bernstein: AP phone subpoena ‘outrageous, totally inexcusable’
Fox News- Holder says AP probe handled by deputy after he recused himself
New York Times- Phone Records of Journalists Seized by U.S.
BuzzFeed- The Panopticon President