latimes:

Justice Department secretly taps into AP reporters’ phone records

In a surprising declaration a short time ago, the Associated Press revealed that the Justice Department had obtained two months of phone records tied to numerous reporters and editors in various cities, in what the news organization is calling a “massive and unprecedented intrusion.”

The reason for the government’s actions, which the AP was alerted to in a letter Friday, are as of now unknown.

From the Associated Press’ story on the emerging scandal:

In all, the government seized those records for more than 20 separate telephone lines assigned to AP and its journalists in April and May of 2012. The exact number of journalists who used the phone lines during that period is unknown but more than 100 journalists work in the offices whose phone records were targeted on a wide array of stories about government and other matters.

AP’s President and CEO, Gary Pruitt, issued a strongly-worded letter to Attorney General Eric Holder:

We regard this action by the Department of Justice as a serious interference with AP’s constitutional rights to gather and report the news. While we evaluate our options we urgently request that you immediately return to the AP the telephone toll records that the Department subpoenaed and destroy all copies.

Read the full story via Politics Now.

Photo: Molly Riley / Associated Press