Update — the Search Warrant is embedded at the bottom of the post.
———————
You thought it was just AP phone records.
This morning’s bombshell is that before there was spying on AP, there was spying on Fox News reporter James Rosen.
The Washington Post has the story:
When the Justice Department began investigating possible leaks of classified information about North Korea in 2009, investigators did more than obtain telephone records of a working journalist suspected of receiving the secret material.
They used security badge access records to track the reporter’s comings and goings from the State Department, according to a newly obtained court affidavit. They traced the timing of his calls with a State Department security adviser suspected of sharing the classified report. They obtained a search warrant for the reporter’s personal e-mails.
The case of Stephen Jin-Woo Kim, the government adviser, and James Rosen, the chief Washington correspondent for Fox News, bears striking similarities to a sweeping leaks investigation disclosed last week in which federal investigators obtained records over two months of more than 20 telephone lines assigned to the Associated Press.
(video added)
Ed Morrissey notes:
Had I seen this case last month, I’d have assumed that this had everything to do with the Obama team’s war on Fox News. Now, after the AP scandal, I’m not sure that’s all that went behind this. Eric Holder implied in his interview with NPR that spying on reporters has become routine in the Obama administration, so Rosen and Fox are probably not alone. However, I doubt that Rosen’s employer had nothing to do with this pursuit. Regardless, every reporter covering this administration has to wonder whether Big Brother Is Listening — or at least reading their e-mails and phone records. And so does every potential source within the administration.
And that, of course, is the entire point of these intimidation tactics.
Yup, and the get in their faces tone was set at the top:
Remember, Obama was just joking about IRS audits, not sending signals.
Will other news organizations defend Fox News? They “might” have to.
https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/336455505348284416
Case against Fox’s Rosen, in which O admin is criminalizing reporting, makes all of the other “scandals” look like giant nothing burgers.
— Ryan Lizza (@RyanLizza) May 20, 2013
Justice accuses @jamesrosenfnc, a v good reporter, of being “an aider, abettor and/or co-conspirator” for reporting?? washingtonpost.com/local/a-rare-p…
— Ben Smith (@BuzzFeedBen) May 20, 2013
Serious idea. Instead of calling it Obama’s war on whistleblowers, let’s just call it what it is: Obama’s war on journalism.
— Eli Lake (@EliLake) May 20, 2013
#Fox Rosen probe as bad/worse than #AP: in unprecedented move, govt says he “conspired” with leaker to get info; that’s what reporters do!
— Howard Fineman (@howardfineman) May 20, 2013
Update:
Reporter James Rosen deemed “co-conspirator” in Stephen Kim leak investigation bit.ly/10I6NLz
— Steven Aftergood (@saftergood) May 20, 2013
Search Warrent for James Rosen Fox News
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Comments
Now the Wall Street Journal and NBC’s Chuck Todd both report that the top lawyer in the White House did indeed know about the scandal for weeks before it broke publicly…
But, since SHE had a very high duty to report information to her client (Pres. Schultz), we are assured he “…knew nuhzing…nuhzing…!!!!”
So, we have the Obamic war on the opposition, AND the war on journalism…to the extent you find any…
But Pres. Schulz only knows what he reads in the paper.
Of course it is early in the process of revealing the Fox/Rosen story, but so far it has the feeling of a Fox hit. By coming out and accusing Rosen of breaking laws, the professional left media (those who live only to smear) now have everything they need to denigrate Rosen and therefore Fox further. Who would be surprised in those organizations (like Media Matters) now add the accusation to the UK tabloid scandals and preface every article and every mention of Fox and News Corp with it? Even if it pans out false, in today’s world of attack media, the accusation will survive.
Of course it came from the top… The average civil service drone lacks the creativity, independent logic and the will to “improve” skills on their own.
Yesterday’s Phieffer tour of the Sunday talk shows was simply a reprise of Rice’s after Benghazi thus illustrating the lack of skill with respect to damage control at the top sooooo, that fault will filter down to the ranks.
Looks like another interesting week coming up…
The average civil service drone… responds to dog whistles.
This is exactly the kind of behavior you’d expect from somebody who chose to be a “community organizer”. One does not go into the community organizing business to build consensus and work within the status quo. Almost by definition the purpose of becoming a community organizer is to agitate and be a thorn in the side of the status quo. Obeying the law is not the highest priority. “Social justice” and “change” are what community organizers are about.
The MSM fell in love with Obama’s propaganda speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention and blindly accepted that was the essence of the man. And they helped sell the BS to the electorate. I mean, seriously, how could Obama go from getting absolutely destroyed by 30 points in a Democrat primary for a congressional seat to Bobby Rush in 2000 and win the presidency in 2008 if he did not have the full support of the media behind him every step of the way. It can’t happen. So the MSM willfully remained blinded by the 2004 myth for several years. The MSM is now reaping what they sowed. The warnings from those of us on the political right were dismissed. In actuality, we were the only ones who understood and saw clearly what we were getting.
Obama’s war on whistleblowers, free speech/thought and….election watchdogs – multiple federal agencies went after True the Vote founder, her business and her family:
http://www.therightscoop.com/unbelievable-harassament-of-true-the-vote-after-applying-for-tax-exempt-status/
He meant to say, “Audit your neighbors,” but he went off teleprompter and fudged his line as “Argue with your neighbors.”
Unfortunately, this story goes no where and only damages Rosen and FOX.
LSM is shameless.
I’m with the group which believes IRS-gate and AP-gate are an effective ploy to keep the attention off the real impeachable scandal, Benghazi.
Exactly where was the POS during the 7 hour attack? If he was not accessible that’s an impeachable offense, no?
Agreed. Note the dissembling regarding POTUS’ whereabouts that night. There is something that is really scandalous about that. What was he doing? my bet is on sleeping, or maybe he was in the situation room, monitoring the whole thing and still did nothing. I would rather he was asleep.
If POTUS is asleep he is awakened. If he cannot be awakened it is because he is not there or incapacitated for some reason. If he wasn’t there where the hell was he? IF he was why wasn’t he awakened and if not why. Was he out cold? Does he drink to insensibility? Take sleeping pills? What? Being POTUS is a 24/7 job. While allowed significant private time they are not allowed that kind of private time without handing it over to the VP.
Forgive me , but that’s like saying that a man shall divert attention from a tawdry affair by talking about his alcoholism and coke addiction.
Of course Benghazi is extremely serious: not sure yet if it is impeachable but it could well be. But if I were a seasoned operative for the White House I would NOT be bringing up other scandals — it then becomes a feeding frenzy. Plus the AP and Rosen affairs strike at the MSM, a group that has been among his best supporters. An experienced operative would not want a scandal out there that would peel off that support.
So no I don’t think this is a diversion. Rather this is a convergence. It is beginning to look like a perfect storm.
Bad news for Obama: the IRS-gate and AP-gate scandals are keeping “the real impeachable scandal, Benghazi”, from being overexposed in the media. A big Benghazi hubbub now would only cause public Benghazi-fatigue to set in before the Benghazi scandal has ripened.
Obama has been adroit at swatting down press attention to his scandals and missteps. But until now they’ve come at Obama one at a time. With three spinning plates to manage simultaneously, he’s not so smooth. Three open scandals keep a new disclosure or bombshell discovery coming at Obama every week. Or more often.
[…] Even thought it’s that “illegitimate news organization,” Fox News, other “journalists” are taking notice: […]
Isn’t the judge who signed off on the warrant just as wrong as the DOJ who requested it?
Kelly over at FOX just said it’s easier for judges to issue warrants if a lawyer from the other side is not present and clearly Rosen was not in the loop when DOJ approached Google and insisted on his emails.
I wonder when and how Rosen found out about this?
BTW, anyone else remember the way the POS declared a “WAR ON FOX” back in 2009? Anita Dunn was one of the main proponents. Even today, the POS mentions FOX as an organization not to be trusted.
Now look at how FOX’s reporters were targeted.
Is there a there there?
But the thing is, POTUS decreed a long time ago that Fox News is not a legitimate news organization. So, nothing to see here.
Ironically, where the president was during the Benghazi attack really is irrelevant, but not in the way Dan Pfeiffer would have us believe.
1. If he was totally absent, meeting with fundraisers instead, bowling in the basement, doing his nails, etc. – it’s a problem for him.
2. If he was in and out, paying some attention but obviously not enough – it’s a problem for him.
3. If he was totally involved, kept fully updated, and directed the entire response to the attack, during and after it was over, given the results – it’s a problem for him.
So, in a different way, it is irrelevant what Obama and where he was – whatever the truth is, it’s a problem for him.
Suffice it to say, if the truth of where Obama was doesn’t hurt him politically (or criminally), they’d have already explained it. Clearly, they cannot afford to let us know where he was and what he was doing.
How soon we forget. Bill Clinton audited his enemies all the time. Here’s a snipped of an old NewsMax.com article from 5/30/00 by Carl Limbacher”
When are the thumbs coming back, Professor?
Isn’t james rosen a Kennedy? I thought i heard that once before.
When Andrea Mitchell on her MSNBC show today refers to James Rosen as, “Our colleague over at the State Department who reports for Fox News,” it’s SJGR for the White House.
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