May 15th, 2013
01:36 PM ET
8 years ago
W.H. wants to resurrect reporter shield legislation
(CNN) - The White House asked Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., to reintroduce reporter shield legislation, White House officials told CNN on Wednesday.
The push comes just a few days after word that the Justice Department seized phone records from the Associated Press as part of a national security leak investigation. The legislation, which passed the Judiciary Committee in 2009 but never advanced, would provide more protection to reporters from penalties for failing to reveal their sources and more protection to protect their phone records.
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can you say spin
The White House should get Kurt Wimmer to assist in writing this legislation since he was in opposition to the original legislation that was proposed due the court's "balancing powers."
Many people in the media are characterizing the DOJ actions as a capricious crackdown on whistle blowers talking to the media. Nothing could be farther from the truth. This is all about the DOJ cracking down criminal activity, specifically someone leaking national security intelligence to the media.
This is a slippery slope. What have we seen about journalists that makes us believe they can be trusted to release classified information? What's stopping them from constantly probing the federal government for classified data – just for the fame and money associated with the story? What if one of them got the locations of all of our nuclear weapons (not likely)? If the reporter believed war was sinful could they release the codes and locations? Sometimes extreme scenarios are useful in understanding possible outcomes.
If a reporter obtains the illegal release of classified information won't identify the source, isn't that protecting treasonous acts? Where is the limit?
The administrations creation of yet another "crisis" that requires reintroduction of previously failed legislation is yet more smoke and mirrors from the most corrupt group of politicians in the history of the United States. When will our elected representatives in both the House and Senate say enough! The buck has stopped and draft the articles of impeachment to try and convict the "Glorious Leader" so heavily supported by both thr American and world Communist Party's along with the Socialist Party's. The absolute corruption in the Administration must be stopped.
Mike, did you stop taking your meds again? or do you need to start?
Oh and to set the record straight, dick and george made up the lies, not fell prey to them, that would be the 5000 dead soldiers, but hey, dick and george are set for.life, thank you patriotic americans for being cannon fodder, while dick and george get rich from contracts for war. they should hang for war crimes
so obama's solution to the federal government ignoring the laws is to pass new laws that they will ignore? yeah, sounds like the typical leftist solution, aka smoke and mirrors.
You mean the Media Shield legislation that the GOP filibustered last time? How long will the MSM whitewash that fact so the GOP/Teatrolls can continue feigning outrage over DOJ exercising authority that the GOP/Teatrolls in congress gave it?
"so obama's solution to the federal government ignoring the laws"
What laws were broken? Please do tell...we'd love to hear what crimes you think were committed and what laws you believe were ignored and see all the citations to appropriate US Code sections, etc. that you can come up with.
Two words, junior: Patriot Act.
Funny how the GOP is all up in arms about the AP phone records, yet they themselves filibustered a reporter shield law in the last year.... You get what you give. I wonder if they still love their PATRIOT ACT?
just sayin
so obama's solution to the federal government ignoring the laws is to pass new laws that they will ignore? yeah, sounds like the typical leftist solution, aka smoke and mirrors.
______________________
Actually, JS- nothing illegal in the phone records thing with the AP. Yes, it is the old First Amendment battle (that it seems every President/Administration has), but hey, the GOP was "up in arms" about the leak so something had to be done (go listen to Mr. McConnell on this), and the USA PATRIOT Act make it more or less a breeze to pull of. Get a life.
ya gotta love how the leftist clowns in here twist the facts in here. the justice dept. didn't use the normal progression when doin gthis by not notifying the top execs at the ap.
but even given that they didn't really have to do that, the scope and length of this intrusion on the ap was without precedent. records for hundreds of people that went on for two months. that is not a focused investgation, that is an obama adminstration fishing expedition. and i'm sure any other information they might have picked up in the process was used to benefit obama in shutting down leaks from his gang of lawless rogues.
Wasn't it Obama that extended the Patriot Act???? Yes, yes it was. I guess George Bush made him do it, correct lefties? BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!
The fish rots from the head
Wasn't it Obama that extended the Patriot Act???? Yes, yes it was. I guess George Bush made him do it, correct lefties? BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!
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Yup, he resigned it back into law. It would appear that he's put it to good use protecting our national security interests.
" was without precedent."
I find it absolutely freekin hilarious that I can rely on you and other constant Teatroll posters to consistently regurgitate the exact language used by the GOP congresscritters in the morning talking points. Yes, we all know Boehner used the word "unprecedented" and that triggered an autonomic response for you that forced you to include it in every post, BUT the fact is that the Patriot Act is very young, very new and, as a result, a lot of things that get done under it are and will be "unprecedented." The Patriot Act itself was an unprecedented expansion of gov't power and attenuation of citizens' rights...but the GOP/Teatrolls are doing everything they can to try to avoid that part of the conversation, eh?
DOJ getting phn records 4 leaks n dept. Btw digits of records not voice recorded conversations duh! Every time gop makes up a scadal of what a dept is suppose 2 do 2 make sure of security breachs. Watch out will cm back 2 bite gop. Bengazi emails, already had and wrote off- irs making sure 501 c applicants were using non profit tax exemption for social welfare org and not political party gain, hence tea party w party n app- leak of classified info from hill to ap. Plez show me the problem?
Still, the AP's CEO is blasting the move as an invasion of privacy and a chilling effect on the First Amendment right to the freedom of the press. As AP CEO Gary Pruitt wrote in a letter to the Justice Department on Monday:
"There can be no possible justification for such an overbroad collection of the telephone communications of The Associated Press and its reporters. 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.