Trump DOJ seized phone records of New York Times reporters

The New York Times reported on Wednesday that the Justice Department beneath former President TrumpDonald TrumpRNC warns it will advise presidential candidates against future debates if panel doesn’t make changes Washington Post issues correction on 2020 report on Tom Cotton, lab-leak theory National Enquirer publisher fined for breaking law with McDougal payment: WSJ MORE quietly seized phone records from 4 of its reporters in 2017.

The Department of Justice, now beneath President BidenJoe BidenRNC warns it will advise presidential candidates against future debates if panel doesn’t make changes Washington Post issues correction on 2020 report on Tom Cotton, lab-leak theory Graham says Israel will request billion from US after Gaza war MORE, advised the newspaper that officers seized records from Jan. 14 to April 30, 2017 from reporters Matt Apuzzo, Adam Goldman, Eric Lichtblau and Michael S. Schmidt. The DOJ additionally received a court docket order to grab logs of their emails, however “no records had been obtained.”

The DOJ didn’t inform the Times what article was being investigated. But the newspaper speculated that the Justice Department was trying into an article the reporters wrote about how former FBI Director James ComeyJames Brien ComeyThe FBI should turn off the FARA faucet Barr threatened to resign over Trump attempts to fire Wray: report ‘Fox News Sunday’ to mark 25 years on air MORE dealt with investigations throughout the 2016 presidential election.

The article, published April 22, 2017, was about Comey’s determination to announce in July 2016 that the FBI was making a suggestion to not cost former Secretary of State Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonDemocrats aim to make Greene their foil ahead of midterms Democrats plot next move after GOP sinks Jan. 6 probe 9 Senate seats most likely to flip in 2022 MORE in reference to an investigation into her use of a non-public electronic mail server for official enterprise.

The Times famous that the story talked about a categorised doc that the newspaper obtained, which was a memo from a Democratic operative expressing confidence that then- Attorney General Loretta Lynch may preserve the investigation in examine. 

The Times’ government editor, Dean Baquet, advised the newspaper that seizing reporters phone records “profoundly undermines press freedom.”

“It threatens to silence the sources we rely on to offer the general public with important details about what the federal government is doing,” Baquet stated.

The Times is the newest to disclose that the DOJ had sought records from reporters as half of investigations into leaks throughout the Trump administration.

The Washington Post was the first to reveal in early May that Trump’s DOJ  sought phone phone records from a number of of its reporters from the time interval of April 15 to July 31, 2017.

CNN later reported that the DOJ secretly obtained phone and electronic mail records from its Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr from June 1 to July 31, 2017.

After CNN’s disclosure, President Biden stated it was “absolutely, positively” unsuitable to grab reporters’ communications, and vowed that his administration by no means accomplish that.

Sen. Ron WydenRonald (Ron) Lee WydenSex workers gain foothold in Congress Senate reaches deal to get out of town after Jan. 6 commission vote Tech trade groups sue Florida over new social media law MORE (D-Ore.) and Rep. Jamie RaskinJamin (Jamie) Ben RaskinPelosi floats Democrat-led investigation of Jan. 6 as commission alternative Democrats plot next move after GOP sinks Jan. 6 probe Republicans try but can’t escape Jan. 6  MORE (D-Md.) urged Attorney General Merrick GarlandMerrick GarlandJustice faces pressure for action on civil rights post-Trump Biden on spike in antisemitic attacks: ‘They must stop’ The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Uber – Infrastructure, Greene consume Washington MORE to end the practice final month.