CBS reporter Sheryl Attkisson was monitored by DOJ during ‘Fast and Furious’ reporting
The Justice Department has come under fire for the recent disclosure that it subpoenaed the phone records from 20 Associated Press phone lines, used by up to 100 reporters. New reports have confirmed the DOJ have targeted Fox News as well.
CBS News reporter Sheryl Attkisson, who has writing frequently on the botched “Fast and Furious” gunrunning scheme, told a Philadelphia radio station Tuesday that her personal and work computers have been “compromised,” and that there “could be some relationship” between that and what happened with James Rosen at Fox News and the AP.
photo Jennifer Moo via Flickr
“To our knowledge, the Justice Department has never ‘compromised’ Ms. Atkisson’s computers, or otherwise sought any information from or concerning any telephone, computer or other media device she may own or use,” Dean Boyd, a Justice Department spokesman told Politico Tuesday night.
The Justice Department released a statement Monday arguing that “leaks of classified information to the press can pose a serious risk of harm to our national security and it is important that we pursue these matters using appropriate law enforcement tools.”
White House press secretary Jay Carney, the former bureau’s chief for Time magazine, refused to provide any comment on the matter, saying it was an “ongoing criminal probe.”
But during Tuesday’s press briefing, he said President Obama does not believe that journalists reporting leaked classified information are committing crimes.
“If you’re asking me whether the president believes that journalists should be prosecuted for doing their jobs, the answer is no,” Mr. Carney said.
