Biden: 'Simply wrong' for Trump DOJ to seek journalists' phone records

President Biden Joe BidenTrump slams 'weak' Republicans who don't want to talk about Arizona audit FDA advises against Chinese-made syringes citing safety issues On The Money: Biden tries to navigate bumpy recovery | Jobless claims hit another post-pandemic low | Treasury calls for 15 percent minimum global tax MORE on Friday vowed that his administration would never seize the phone records of journalists after it was disclosed that the Trump administration secretly obtained the records of CNN and Washington Post reporters.

Biden, following a press conference with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, told reporters at the White House it was "absolutely, positively" wrong to seize reporters' communications.

"I won’t let that happen," he said during a brief Q&A with journalists after the official press conference ended.

ADVERTISEMENT

CNN reported Thursday that the Department of Justice (DOJ) informed its Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, that prosecutors obtained email and phone records from two months in 2017, including from her personal and work correspondence.

The CNN report followed a Washington Post article saying the DOJ under former President Trump Donald TrumpTrump slams 'weak' Republicans who don't want to talk about Arizona audit GOP leader's Jan. 6 call to Trump draws scrutiny in commission fight 20 state AGs tell Education Dept they oppose teaching critical race theory MORE secretly obtained phone records for three of its journalists, reportedly in an effort to uncover sources for a story in 2017 on the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The reports drew condemnation from press freedom advocates, and reporters have in recent days asked the Biden administration whether it would rule out a similar practice.

"This president is committed, strongly, to the rights of the freedom of press, as you have seen for decades, and to standing up for the rights of journalists," White House press secretary Jen Psaki Jen PsakiWhite House encouraged by 'reports of a potential cease-fire' in Gaza White House: 'Incredibly disappointing' to see GOP oppose Jan. 6 commission The Hill's 12:30 Report - Presented by Facebook - GOP opposes second Jan. 6-related bill MORE told reporters earlier Friday. "And the Justice Department conveyed yesterday that they intend to meet with reporters to hear their concerns about recent notices. And they, certainly, intend to use the 'Holder model' as their model — not the model of the last several years."

But journalists noted that former Attorney General Eric Holder Eric Himpton HolderRepublicans eye new House majority through redistricting One quick asylum fix: How Garland can help domestic violence survivors First redistricting lawsuits filed by Democratic group MORE had also pursued leak investigations aggressively during the Obama administration. When pressed on that, Psaki deflected questions to the DOJ.

Comments

Biden says K-12 education isn't working — calls for free pre-K to "grade 14"

President Joe Biden on Wednesday praised the nation's K-12 education system for fueling America's economic growth for almost a century. But, he stressed, that system may no longer be sufficient as the foundation for future prosperity. Mr. Biden's American Families Plan is taking aim at an issue that has bedeviled economists as well as millions of families struggling to stay afloat financially: A high school diploma is no longer enough to secure a middle-class life. Under the White House proposal, the nation's K-12 system would be expanded on both ends — from free pre-kindergarten education through a "grade 14," funding two years of schooling before kindergarten and two years of post-high school education through free community college. There's plenty of economic research that links rising high school graduation rates throughout the 20th century to faster U.S. economic growth. For example, broadening education help women enter the workforce and enabled men ...

New climate envoy John Kerry sold off energy holdings to avoid conflict of interest, disclosures show

Financial disclosures released by former Secretary of State John Kerry indicate that until March of this year he held hundreds of thousands of dollars of investments in energy-related companies that may end up being affected by policies he'll help shape as President Joe Biden's new climate envoy. An ABC News analysis of his assets show that in recent years, Kerry held stakes in at least three dozen companies related to the energy industry, including firms dealing in electric, oil and gas, and nuclear energy, with shares worth between $204,000 and $960,000. Kerry had also recently held high-ranking positions within firms and entities that could end up being regulated by his climate action policies, filings show. A certificate of divestiture issued by the Office of Government Ethics on March 8 shows Kerry's plan to divest from companies that could pose a conflict of interest for his new role as U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, a common measure that newly appointed...

Matt Gaetz's ex-girlfriend to cooperate with federal authorities in sex trafficking investigation

Washington (CNN) Federal authorities investigating alleged sex trafficking by GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz have secured the cooperation of the congressman's ex-girlfriend, according to people familiar with the matter. The woman, a former Capitol Hill staffer, is seen as a critical witness, as she has been linked to Gaetz as far back as the summer of 2017, a period of time that has emerged as a key window of scrutiny for investigators. She can also help investigators understand the relevance of hundreds of transactions they have obtained records of, including those involving alleged payments for sex, the sources said. News of the woman's willingness to talk, which has not been previously reported, comes just days after the Justice Department formally entered into a plea agreement with Joel Greenberg, a one-time close friend of Gaetz whose entanglement with young women first drew the congressman onto investigators' radar. CNN reported last week that investigators were pressing for the...

Politics Now - USA

Search This Blog