A new report from the Justice Department’s Inspector General shows the Trump administration secretly obtained phone and text logs as part of a leak investigation in 2017 and 2018. The report found no political motives but criticized the DOJ for disregarding constitutional safeguards by targeting lawmakers and staff solely for their access to classified information.
Using subpoenas and gag orders, prosecutors accessed records from providers like Apple, preventing those targeted from being notified. Though the seizures had been previously reported, the IG’s findings revealed the scope of the effort was much broader than initially known.
The report also found violations in how the DOJ handled reporters’ records from outlets like the New York Times and CNN, seizing data without following its own policies.
With President-elect Donald Trump headed back into the White House, there are growing fears and concerns about the protection of press freedoms.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
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