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
Gonna suck for them.
Ha ha ha , investigation of leaks and we tap all the phones. Who might know about this? Lets see, who was thrown under the bus Friday, hum maybe CIA. Spooks rule .
The Kenyan does nothing but campaign.
I’m counting down to Moochelle’s “Big Defense of Barry” speech. It’s coming...
These are not the droids you are looking for.
Obama doesn’t appear to know anything about anything. Impeach him for being lazy and golfing too much.
(Yes, I know he is behind it all)
White House: ‘No knowledge’
Fixed.
I’d be willing to bet that others have been spied on.
Maybe say...FOX news?
The O administration needs another fleet of buses.
An evil, twisted little boy fraudulently usurping a grown up's job.
A spineless muzzie buttboy whose only legacy will be ignominy.
The 'vote by color' folks in this country - the real racists - could have had someone worthy of pride, someone of the stature and integrity of a T.Sowell or an A.West.
But instead they'll be forever remembered with self-inflicted derision by having whored their votes for this manchurian traitor puppet.
Congratulations, fools.
They knew nothing about a “terrorist attack” in Benghazi.
They knew nothing about the IRS targeting conservative groups.
They knew nothing about the DOJ seizing AP phone records.
Assuming this is all true (it isn’t)—who the hell is in charge over there?
I apparently missed that one the first time around.
I wonder if Hillary has deja vu? What goes around, comes around.
Transparently Ignorant.
You, my friend, may have just made the most accurate statement I've heard in quite sometime. Time will tell.
without a doubt, bias politics aside this is without a doubt the most corrupt admin in modern history.
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