FBI Acknowledges: Journalists Phone Records are Fair Game

[MelissaB]

FBI Acknowledges: Journalists Phone Records are Fair Game

May 15, 2006 7:18 PM

Brian Ross and Richard Esposito Report:

The FBI acknowledged late Monday that it is increasingly seeking reporters’ phone records in leak investigations.

“It used to be very hard and complicated to do this, but it no longer is in the Bush administration,” said a senior federal official.

The acknowledgement followed our blotter item that ABC News reporters had been warned by a federal source that the government knew who we were calling.

The official said our blotter item was wrong to suggest that ABC News phone calls were being “tracked.”

“Think of it more as backtracking,” said a senior federal official.


More: http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/05/fbi_acknowledge.html

Edit to say I found the link through Raw Story.

[rustydog]

1. I support this 100%. If they got a FISA warrant

Otherwise...Seig heil mein Furher

[BuyingThyme]

4. Nothing about this comes under FISA.

[MelissaB]

5. Which is what the average person who isn't a political junkie needs

to know.

[Gabi Hayes]

8. heh....what's the "F" stand for, again?

[MelissaB]

12. FISA, flame, fart?

It's been a long day... Am I close? :hi:

[nadinbrzezinski]

28. For the benefit of the trolls

FOREIGN... last time I checked the SCLM is NOT foreign.

;-)

[Supersedeas]

7. what would be the reasonable/probable cause for a FISA warrant?

[originalpckelly]

11. No FISA warrant.

[Singular73]

22. I agree

As long as they get a warrant, I'm fine with this.

[stepnw1f]

34. sad... (nt)

[lala_rawraw]

24. that is absurd... there is no reason to spy on journos!!!

[nadinbrzezinski]

29. Yuo realize FISA applies to FOREIGNERS right?

RIGHT... just checking

That said they want to expand it to Americans... but I am sure you knew that

[MelissaB]

2. One more paragraph

But FBI officials did not deny that phone records of ABC News, the New York Times and the Washington Post had been sought as part of a investigation of leaks at the CIA.

[cally]

3. I wonder if they are blackmailing journalists

It's worse than even the biggest tinfoil hatters ever expected. :scared:

[MelissaB]

6. Kick because this is more important than a flame war.

[Gabi Hayes]

9. what? the complete END of rule of law is important?

pretty soon you won't be able to close your front door or your drapes

as somebody said, we can give some of those new countries our constitution, cause we don't need ours anymore

[fishnfla]

10. Is this how they burned Rather and CBS?

That whole thing seemed like a set up

[petgoat]

20. Tom Flocco got set up too, with that Barbara Olsen fiasco. nt

[deminks]

13. So, we want Judy Miller's phone records. Now.

And so does Fitz. :grr:

[MelissaB]

14. Now that would be an interesting read.

[Gman]

15. There's always payphones

a different one everytime.

[MelissaB]

16. They're kinda hard to find now.

:)

[Gman]

17. Next to any apartment swimming pool

or low rent housing projects.

[bleever]

18. This is a very important piece of news.

Thanks for this post, MB.

“Think of it more as backtracking,” said a senior federal official.

In other words, No, we're not following you. We're just recording everything, then checking the records whenever we want, for whatever reason we want, without judicial review.

[AuntiBush]

19. Rovian Tricksters

I believe some journalists are being tapped, but I think this is a diversion once again, to make Americans feel like it's not us their monitoring, but, well, you know... the other guy/gal.

Maybe they're spying on all us. Who the heck knows.

[EVDebs]

38. Once those Faux News etc mouthpieces learn they're being surveilled too

(in order to 'justify' the surveillance on the other media outlets) the smiles on their faces will be wiped.

[C_U_L8R]

21. Interesting that he said "backtracking'

I assume this means that they are chasing down links
based on the inventory of phone records sitting on NSA servers....
for instance...pulling all the phone records from a ABC reporter
for the last year and following the links down 6 degrees
of separation until they reach someone at the CIA who
they will tag as the leaker. You are deemed guilty by association.
This is SCARY SHIT that makes Kafka's nightmares seem civil.

[heartofthesiskiyou]

23. Who did the Vice Pres. talk to and when did he talk to 'em

This reminds me. We could use some more leads in Flamegate. Fritz should do it right not like these sleaze bastards, but get a warrant of Cheney's phone records starting just before the outing episode and work back; identify all and bring them in for questioning under oath on what they talked about.

It would be a fitting use for the phone records to be used to bring him down as one of the finale uses before the people shut the program down. It'd have to be fast though. I doubt the records will last long once the public realizes what is actually going on. I'll be surprised if the NSA program makes it till Nov. I might be wrong but I give it about 60% to 40% chance against today, and it get worse every day.

[Miss Chybil]

25. Maybe, NOW the MSN will think twice about kissing Bushbutt?

Nah, I doubt it.

[Roland99]

26. Rachel Maddow was on w/Tucker Carlson saying FBI Press Office confirms it.

Let's see how that liberal media runs with this over the next few days.

[Roland99]

27. Kick!

[DallasNE]

30. Rubber Stamp Republican Congress

This one falls more in the lap of Congress and how they operate in a rubber stamp environment. For one, the final draft of the law is presented just before a vote and without debate. Nobody has a chance to review for odious last minute changes. Earmarks are the most common of these changes. With the Patroit Act it was a provision for an "administrative" warrant for wiretaps to be used to go after political opponents. This, of course, is prohibited by the 4th Amendment. In this case the chief law enforcement officer also happens to issue the administrative warrants. Goodbye 4th Amendment.

I also see in another article that Sen. Specter has once again caved to neocon pressure. No surprise there. The key phrase is "once again".

John Dean is right. This is worse than Watergate.

[struggle4progress]

31. Who's next? Who's next?

[redqueen]

32. So long, freedom of the press... no longer will we hear about gov't abuses

:nuke:

[Media_Lies_Daily]

33. K & R.

[creeksneakers2]

35. More proof Bush lied

Bush said the spy program was only being used to go after terrorists.

[EVDebs]

36. Wanna bet no Faux News 'reporters' are being surveilled ? eom

Congressional Dems on those intell committees need to get breakdowns of this info, even in 'generic' form. FOIA if possible the surveillance of those rightwingnut media outlets vs. the rational liberal media outlets. In camera secret hearings, it doesn't really matter now JUST DO IT, huh ?

[glitch]

39. Won't take that bet. Everyone is suspect to this lot, even those on their

own side. Because ya just can never tell...

[MelissaB]

37. Now they've changed their mind.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1203182