Posted on 05/13/2013 5:59:46 PM PDT by jazusamo
The White House on Monday distanced President Obama from the Department of Justice’s seizure of Associated Press telephone records.
“Other than press reports, we have no knowledge of any attempt by the Justice Department to seek phone records of the AP,” White House press secretary Jay Carney said in a statement.
Carney said the White House had no involvement in the Justice effort.
“We are not involved in decisions made in connection with criminal investigations, as those matters are handled independently by the Justice Department,” he said.
The Justice Department said in a letter to the AP on Friday that it had gathered records on at least 20 office, cell phone, and home phone numbers — including the AP's desk in the House of Representatives press gallery.
The AP believes the records seizure was related to a leak investigation regarding a 2012 story about the CIA foiling a bomb plot in Yemen. The Obama administration has aggressively investigated the disclosure of classified anti-terror information in recent years, subpoenaing journalists from the New York Times and Washington Post.
In a letter of protest sent to Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday, AP President Gary Pruitt said there could be “no possible justification for such an overbroad collection of the telephone communications.”
“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.
In a statement, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia said it was “always careful and deliberate” in deciding to target media organizations.
News of Justice seizing the records comes as the administration is already dealing with accusations the IRS abused its power by targeting conservative groups for tax audits.
The administration is also under attack for its handling of the Benghazi attack.
Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/299479-white-house-no-knowledge-of-ap-phone-record-seizure#ixzz2TDxZV3WK Follow us: @thehill on Twitter | TheHill on Facebook
“I heard it on tee vee.”
"There is no controlling legal authority," he continued. "My wife wears a cloth coat and we're keeping the dog. But the strawberries. That's where I had them..."
Impeach him based on dereliction. He has no idea what several departments under his direct control do.
Then Impeach him for his actual involvement. Then arrest, try and convict,
Lies, lies, and more lies.
No one believes this.
I claim the #Obamamustresign hashtag
and deport..
This is the “scandal” that opens the floodgates. The MSM just got it’s eyes opened that they are “little people” like the rest of us.
This bastard is either more paranoid than Nixon or more incompetent than Carter. Losing proposition,either way.
bite the hand that feeds
Democrat AGs always seem to be out there on their own. How about that?
just today he said that he learned about a scandal from the media..and here again...
Where’s Jarrett these days?
Sorta consistent with “no evidence exists”, after they run it all through the shredders (like the Constitution has been).
Ain’t nobody know nothin in this White House. The buck stops nowhere.
What he is is the greatest hits of the Third Rich all rolled into one Kenyan. Including Jewish holocaust compliments of the Muzzies. He just ain’t turned them loose with all that American hardware yet.
Running the show of course. Same as it ever was.
We are all supposed to live in a state of suspended disbelief. Hillary told us that a long time ago.
The Liberal Messiah is either a figurehead who knows nothing of what is happening in his administration or he is a wanna-be dictator who is feigning ignorance. I’m going with the latter, although I’m surprised that he seems to want us to believe the former.
Now I know why they stopped the white house tour , there is no one there
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