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BREAKING: Obama Justice Department Secretly Monitored AP Reporters' Phone Records....

MMC

MMC

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What the hell is going on within the Obama administration? Another huge scandal rears its head, and I'd bet the press won't take this one lying down:

75345d2f-b574-4e01-ac51-19a07d17dd5a.jpg


The Justice Department secretly obtained two months of telephone records of reporters and editors for The Associated Press in what the news cooperative's top executive called a "massive and unprecedented intrusion" into how news organizations gather the news. The records obtained by the Justice Department listed incoming and outgoing calls, and the duration of each call, for the work and personal phone numbers of individual reporters, general AP office numbers in New York, Washington and Hartford, Conn., and the main number for AP reporters in the House of Representatives press gallery, according to attorneys for the AP. In all, the government seized those records for more than 20 separate telephone lines assigned to AP and its journalists in April and May of 2012. The exact number of journalists who used the phone lines during that period is unknown but more than 100 journalists work in the offices whose phone records were targeted on a wide array of stories about government and other matters.

The Associated Press is understandably livid:

In a letter of protest sent to Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday, AP President and Chief Executive Officer Gary Pruitt said the government sought and obtained information far beyond anything that could be justified by any specific investigation. He demanded the return of the phone records and destruction of all copies. "There can be no possible justification for such an overbroad collection of the telephone communications of The Associated Press and its reporters. 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," Pruitt said.

(1) The Obama administration changed its Benghazi talking points 12 times, scrubbing politically unhelpful elements, and radically changing the best analysis of the intelligence community. The White House had previously denied presiding over anything but minor, cosmetic changes to the talking points.

(2) The IRS targeted conservative groups for extra harassment from 2010 to 2012, and top officials knew about it since at least 2011. No disciplinary action has been taken so far.

(3) The Obama Department of Health and Human Services is requesting "voluntary" donations from the healthcare companies over which it wields enormous power in order to help fund Obamacare's implementation, perhaps in violation of the law.

(4) The Obama Justice Department secretly monitored dozens of Associated Press journalists' work and personal phone records for purposes that remain unclear. This lasted for at least two months.

Notifying the AP that they were secretly collecting work and personal phone records data on dozens of reporters and editors for months was a "substantial threat" to the investigation? But remember, they "value the freedom of the press.".....snip~

BREAKING: Obama Justice Department Secretly Monitored AP Reporters' Phone Records - Guy Benson

It appears Team Obama is going to take another hit now.....taping over a 100 Reporters. Holder released a Statement.....but that doesn't explain away Wiring the AP's Phone in the House of Representatives Press Galley. I don't think Team Obama will be able to explain away that one. Thoughts?
 
Re: BREAKING: Obama Justice Department Secretly Monitored AP Reporters' Phone Records

From Huff-Po. :shock: This is serious. Not good for Team Obama! ;)

AP Phone Records Seized By Justice Department As War On Leaks Continues .....

Though DOJ did not give the AP a specific reason for the seizure, the dates of the phone calls it targeted offered a clear tell. On May 7, 2012, AP reporters Adam Goldman and Matt Apuzzo, citing anonymous sources, reported that the CIA had thwarted a plot by an al-Qaeda affiliate to "destroy a U.S.-bound airliner using a bomb with a sophisticated new design around the one-year anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden."

The AP acknowledged then that it had agreed with the White House and CIA requests "not to publish" its story "immediately because the sensitive intelligence operation was still under way." But "once officials said those concerns were allayed," the news organization went ahead with its story rather than wait for the Obama administration's official announcement.

"The media's purpose is to keep the public informed and it should be free to do so without the threat of unwarranted surveillance," Laura W. Murphy, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Washington Legislative Office, said in a statement. "The Attorney General must explain the Justice Department's actions to the public so that we can make sure this kind of press intimidation does not happen again."

Monday's report only fanned the flames, with Democrats and Republicans alike criticizing the Department of Justice. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said he was "very troubled by these allegations" and wanted to hear the government’s explanation. House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) said that Holder needed to be "held accountable for what I think is wrong" if, indeed, the authorization for the subpoena reached his desk.

The AP on Monday revealed that the DOJ obtained phone numbers from five reporters and an editor involved in the May 7, 2012 story: Apuzzo, Goldman, Kimberly Dozier, Eileen Sullivan, Alan Fram and Ted Bridis. Apuzzo worked in the AP's Hartford office several years ago and Goldman previously worked out of New York, two of the cities targeted by the Justice Department in addition to Washington, where the reporters are currently based. Apuzzo and Goldman were part of the AP's Pulitzer Prize-winning team that uncovered the NYPD's secret Muslim spying program and are highly regarded investigative journalists.

"From what we know, this collection was in clear violation of the law," said Nate Cardozo of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a non-profit organization that seeks to protect individual rights in the digital world. "The DOJ's regulations prohibit subpoenas of this breadth and require that notice be given to the affected people within 90 days at the absolute outside."

Several prominent journalists have expressed concerns over the Obama administration's aggressive means of investigating unsanctioned leaks to reporters.

Jonathan Landay, a national security reporter with McClatchy newspapers, told HuffPost last month that "people who normally would meet with me, sort of in a more relaxed atmosphere, are on pins and needles" because of the crackdown on leakers. The New Yorker's Jane Mayer said at the time that "part of the problem" with regards to the government's ongoing leaks crackdown "stems from the technology revolution.".....snip~

AP Phone Records Seized By Justice Department As War On Leaks Continues

Carney released a Statement saying the WH didn't know. They had nothing to do with this.
 
Re: BREAKING: Obama Justice Department Secretly Monitored AP Reporters' Phone Records

Nothing unusual really. Universal practice. This is just AP.
 
Re: BREAKING: Obama Justice Department Secretly Monitored AP Reporters' Phone Records

RDS said:
Nothing unusual really. Universal practice. This is just AP.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it must be a New Age thing.....huh? :lol:

I didn't know Erod had the thread up already. I let him know and hopefully we can get a mod to merge the threads.
 
Re: BREAKING: Obama Justice Department Secretly Monitored AP Reporters' Phone Records

MMC said:
Carney released a Statement saying the WH didn't know. They had nothing to do with this.
Click to expand...
Uh huh. Riiight. There goes Eric Holder under the bus.
 
Re: BREAKING: Obama Justice Department Secretly Monitored AP Reporters' Phone Records

Taylor said:
Uh huh. Riiight. There goes Eric Holder under the bus.
Click to expand...

Good riddance to bad rubbish !!!!
 
Re: BREAKING: Obama Justice Department Secretly Monitored AP Reporters' Phone Records

This will be it for the press doing Obama's bidding. If there is one thing the press hates, it is being treated like everybody else. I do not think that Eric Holder's downfall will be enough to appease them going forward.
 
Re: BREAKING: Obama Justice Department Secretly Monitored AP Reporters' Phone Records

MMC said:
From Huff-Po. :shock: This is serious. Not good for Team Obama! ;)

AP Phone Records Seized By Justice Department As War On Leaks Continues .....

Though DOJ did not give the AP a specific reason for the seizure, the dates of the phone calls it targeted offered a clear tell. On May 7, 2012, AP reporters Adam Goldman and Matt Apuzzo, citing anonymous sources, reported that the CIA had thwarted a plot by an al-Qaeda affiliate to "destroy a U.S.-bound airliner using a bomb with a sophisticated new design around the one-year anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden."

The AP acknowledged then that it had agreed with the White House and CIA requests "not to publish" its story "immediately because the sensitive intelligence operation was still under way." But "once officials said those concerns were allayed," the news organization went ahead with its story rather than wait for the Obama administration's official announcement.

"The media's purpose is to keep the public informed and it should be free to do so without the threat of unwarranted surveillance," Laura W. Murphy, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Washington Legislative Office, said in a statement. "The Attorney General must explain the Justice Department's actions to the public so that we can make sure this kind of press intimidation does not happen again."

Monday's report only fanned the flames, with Democrats and Republicans alike criticizing the Department of Justice. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said he was "very troubled by these allegations" and wanted to hear the government’s explanation. House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) said that Holder needed to be "held accountable for what I think is wrong" if, indeed, the authorization for the subpoena reached his desk.

The AP on Monday revealed that the DOJ obtained phone numbers from five reporters and an editor involved in the May 7, 2012 story: Apuzzo, Goldman, Kimberly Dozier, Eileen Sullivan, Alan Fram and Ted Bridis. Apuzzo worked in the AP's Hartford office several years ago and Goldman previously worked out of New York, two of the cities targeted by the Justice Department in addition to Washington, where the reporters are currently based. Apuzzo and Goldman were part of the AP's Pulitzer Prize-winning team that uncovered the NYPD's secret Muslim spying program and are highly regarded investigative journalists.

"From what we know, this collection was in clear violation of the law," said Nate Cardozo of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a non-profit organization that seeks to protect individual rights in the digital world. "The DOJ's regulations prohibit subpoenas of this breadth and require that notice be given to the affected people within 90 days at the absolute outside."

Several prominent journalists have expressed concerns over the Obama administration's aggressive means of investigating unsanctioned leaks to reporters.

Jonathan Landay, a national security reporter with McClatchy newspapers, told HuffPost last month that "people who normally would meet with me, sort of in a more relaxed atmosphere, are on pins and needles" because of the crackdown on leakers. The New Yorker's Jane Mayer said at the time that "part of the problem" with regards to the government's ongoing leaks crackdown "stems from the technology revolution.".....snip~

AP Phone Records Seized By Justice Department As War On Leaks Continues

Carney released a Statement saying the WH didn't know. They had nothing to do with this.
Click to expand...

Now THIS intrusion deserves to have a -Gate after it's name.
 
Re: BREAKING: Obama Justice Department Secretly Monitored AP Reporters' Phone Records

Even Jon Stewart admits this (and the IRS targeting) is truly ****ed up, fueling the conspiracy theorist distrust of government.
 
Re: BREAKING: Obama Justice Department Secretly Monitored AP Reporters' Phone Records

Yea, if this really happened I do think it is outrageous. But why would the Obama administration be soo stupid?
 
Re: BREAKING: Obama Justice Department Secretly Monitored AP Reporters' Phone Records

mak2 said:
Yea, if this really happened I do think it is outrageous. But why would the Obama administration be soo stupid?
Click to expand...

If Nixon were alive, you could ask him.
 
Re: BREAKING: Obama Justice Department Secretly Monitored AP Reporters' Phone Records

What does that mean? RMN wasnt really too bad a guy. He woudl look like a saint nowdays.
MaggieD said:
If Nixon were alive, you could ask him.
Click to expand...
 
Re: BREAKING: Obama Justice Department Secretly Monitored AP Reporters' Phone Records

Lachean said:
Even Jon Stewart admits this (and the IRS targeting) is truly ****ed up, fueling the conspiracy theorist distrust of government.
Click to expand...

Yeah, you could tell that Jon was pissed, in his comedic way of expressing himself.
 
Re: BREAKING: Obama Justice Department Secretly Monitored AP Reporters' Phone Records

The White House never knows. Dood1 is apparently and by his own admission the most inept ****ing clown that has ever held the office. And sadly...I believe him.
 
Re: BREAKING: Obama Justice Department Secretly Monitored AP Reporters' Phone Records

Amadeus said:
Yeah, you could tell that Jon was pissed, in his comedic way of expressing himself.
Click to expand...

He called Obama a mother ****er twice and had him in the outfit of the Star Trek villain, I'd say he went beyond the comedic bounds. He was actually visibly disappointed.

This is why I don't like the people giving the government more power, even if you think your guy would never use/abuse that power someone else might. I doubt any punishment will come of this, or any rollback of warrantless surveillance powers.

EDIT: I've been watching CNN and MSNBC all morning and not a peep about it. Just crap about Prince Harry and Angelina Jolie. Too bad they don't have Michael Jackson to distract us anymore.
 
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Re: BREAKING: Obama Justice Department Secretly Monitored AP Reporters' Phone Records

MMC said:
What the hell is going on within the Obama administration? Another huge scandal rears its head, and I'd bet the press won't take this one lying down:

75345d2f-b574-4e01-ac51-19a07d17dd5a.jpg


The Justice Department secretly obtained two months of telephone records of reporters and editors for The Associated Press in what the news cooperative's top executive called a "massive and unprecedented intrusion" into how news organizations gather the news. The records obtained by the Justice Department listed incoming and outgoing calls, and the duration of each call, for the work and personal phone numbers of individual reporters, general AP office numbers in New York, Washington and Hartford, Conn., and the main number for AP reporters in the House of Representatives press gallery, according to attorneys for the AP. In all, the government seized those records for more than 20 separate telephone lines assigned to AP and its journalists in April and May of 2012. The exact number of journalists who used the phone lines during that period is unknown but more than 100 journalists work in the offices whose phone records were targeted on a wide array of stories about government and other matters.

The Associated Press is understandably livid:

In a letter of protest sent to Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday, AP President and Chief Executive Officer Gary Pruitt said the government sought and obtained information far beyond anything that could be justified by any specific investigation. He demanded the return of the phone records and destruction of all copies. "There can be no possible justification for such an overbroad collection of the telephone communications of The Associated Press and its reporters. 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," Pruitt said.

(1) The Obama administration changed its Benghazi talking points 12 times, scrubbing politically unhelpful elements, and radically changing the best analysis of the intelligence community. The White House had previously denied presiding over anything but minor, cosmetic changes to the talking points.

(2) The IRS targeted conservative groups for extra harassment from 2010 to 2012, and top officials knew about it since at least 2011. No disciplinary action has been taken so far.

(3) The Obama Department of Health and Human Services is requesting "voluntary" donations from the healthcare companies over which it wields enormous power in order to help fund Obamacare's implementation, perhaps in violation of the law.

(4) The Obama Justice Department secretly monitored dozens of Associated Press journalists' work and personal phone records for purposes that remain unclear. This lasted for at least two months.

Notifying the AP that they were secretly collecting work and personal phone records data on dozens of reporters and editors for months was a "substantial threat" to the investigation? But remember, they "value the freedom of the press.".....snip~

BREAKING: Obama Justice Department Secretly Monitored AP Reporters' Phone Records - Guy Benson

It appears Team Obama is going to take another hit now.....taping over a 100 Reporters. Holder released a Statement.....but that doesn't explain away Wiring the AP's Phone in the House of Representatives Press Galley. I don't think Team Obama will be able to explain away that one. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

The bigger the government gets the more intrusive it gets. This does not surprise me. Before the income tax and the 16th amendment the government had no idea what a person made or where their money came from. It was personal and private. Now with the IRS, the government knows everything about a persons financial well being or not. Medical records at one was considered very private and personal, with government review boards and the like, now besides one personal finances, one medical condition's will be known by a all knowing government. GPS's one uses to map destinations, on-star, and varied other devices, the government can easily find out ones driving habits and where one has been and is going. Monitoring cell phones, easy as pie. Who needs to tap into a telephone cable anymore.

As government grows, the more it will know about each individual citizen if it so desires. We want all this stuff, so government intrusion comes with it. Get use to it.
 
Re: BREAKING: Obama Justice Department Secretly Monitored AP Reporters' Phone Records

Lachean said:
He called Obama a mother ****er twice and had him in the outfit of the Star Trek villain, I'd say he went beyond the comedic bounds. He was actually visibly disappointed.

This is why I don't like the people giving the government more power, even if you think your guy would never use/abuse that power someone else might. I doubt any punishment will come of this, or any rollback of warrantless surveillance powers.
Click to expand...

Jon is pretty even-handed with his criticism. He calls out Democrat blunders all the time.

Heads should definitely roll on this one, and the IRS thing.
 
Re: BREAKING: Obama Justice Department Secretly Monitored AP Reporters' Phone Records

MaggieD said:
Now THIS intrusion deserves to have a -Gate after it's name.
Click to expand...
I really don't think so:

pbrauer said:
The Justice Dept is investigating security leaks, Think Progress has the story:

Why The Department Of Justice Is Going After The Associated Press' Records | ThinkProgress

Last year, the Associated Press reported that an Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) plothad been foiled, thanks to a timely intervention on the part of the United States. The plan, according to the AP’s March 2012 story, involved an upgrade of the “underwear bomb” used in the failed Christmas Day 2009 bomb plot that was meant to take down a passenger airplane in Detroit, MI.
Why that drew the attention of the Justice Department, however, is that the CIA was the one who foiled the plot, which the AP report made clear:

The FBI is examining the latest bomb to see whether it could have passed through airport security and brought down an airplane, officials said. They said the device did not contain metal, meaning it probably could have passed through an airport metal detector. But it was not clear whether new body scanners used in many airports would have detected it.

The would-be suicide bomber, based in Yemen, had not yet picked a target or bought a plane ticket when the CIA stepped in and seized the bomb, officials said. It’s not immediately clear what happened to the alleged bomber.


​
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.
​
Click to expand...
 
Re: BREAKING: Obama Justice Department Secretly Monitored AP Reporters' Phone Records

RDS said:
Nothing unusual really. Universal practice. This is just AP.
Click to expand...

Nothing unusual in that the government holds the US Constitution and the rule of law in general in contempt.

Obama refused to prosecute Bush for his crimes because Obama wanted to commit the same crimes himself.
 
Re: BREAKING: Obama Justice Department Secretly Monitored AP Reporters' Phone Records

pbrauer said:
I really don't think so:
Click to expand...

Good information. I'd read that as well. It's interesting that they're worried about that one operative. In Benghazi, all the files were stolen -- giving the terrorists the names of all of the operatives working with us in Libya. I'd guess most of them have been killed....?
 
Re: BREAKING: Obama Justice Department Secretly Monitored AP Reporters' Phone Records

Lachean said:
He called Obama a mother ****er twice and had him in the outfit of the Star Trek villain, I'd say he went beyond the comedic bounds. He was actually visibly disappointed.

This is why I don't like the people giving the government more power, even if you think your guy would never use/abuse that power someone else might. I doubt any punishment will come of this, or any rollback of warrantless surveillance powers.

EDIT: I've been watching CNN and MSNBC all morning and not a peep about it. Just crap about Prince Harry and Angelina Jolie. Too bad they don't have Michael Jackson to distract us anymore.
Click to expand...


That is not true. I watch MSNBC every morning and they have been hammering the Obama admin all morning about the IRS and Benghazi. Those stories are by far the hottest news right now.
 
Re: BREAKING: Obama Justice Department Secretly Monitored AP Reporters' Phone Records

mak2 said:
Yea, if this really happened I do think it is outrageous. But why would the Obama administration be soo stupid?
Click to expand...

You mean why would government officials let power go to their heads, think they are above the constitution, and try to abuse their power? That isn't self explanatory?
 
Re: BREAKING: Obama Justice Department Secretly Monitored AP Reporters' Phone Records

No, I mean it is almost too stupid to be believealbe. I dont buy the dictator Obama schtick the right puts out.
stonewall50 said:
You mean why would government officials let power go to their heads, think they are above the constitution, and try to abuse their power? That isn't self explanatory?
Click to expand...
 
Re: BREAKING: Obama Justice Department Secretly Monitored AP Reporters' Phone Records

I'm not a fan of this occuring period but weren't these records pulled when Republicans were calling for a Special Investigation of the leaks? Weren't they claiming they were leaks by the Obama administration to make him look tough on terror?

This is a great example of why ignoring the rightwing yell machine is good advice. You do acts like this to appease them then it's some massive government over reach.

This is one thing I'd like to ask...which Conservatives is ready to step forth and pass legislation that this should be illegal? That national defense isn't a good enough excuse to wire tap and go through emails?
 
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Re: BREAKING: Obama Justice Department Secretly Monitored AP Reporters' Phone Records

iliveonramen said:
I'm not a fan of this occuring period but weren't these records pulled when Republicans were calling for a Special Investigation of the leaks? Weren't they claiming they were leaks by the Obama administration to make him look tough on terror?
Click to expand...

So the Republicans in calling for 'a special investigation of the leaks' justifies the Obama administration infringing the first amendment? Kinda weird they would use the GOP to legitimize an action when their standard meme is to deride them.

This is a great example of why ignoring the rightwing yell machine is good advice. You do acts like this to appease them then it's some massive government over reach.
Click to expand...

But the leftwing yell machine is on full blast on this topic...? Should we ignore them equally in this case?

This is one thing I'd like to ask...which Conservatives is ready to step forth and pass legislation that this should be illegal? That national defense isn't a good enough excuse to wire tap and go through emails?
Click to expand...

GWB let that horse out of the barn. I doubt there is any will on either side to address this.
 
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